Baby Bottle Brands and Links

Choosing a baby bottle: Sometimes trial and error

When shopping for baby bottles, it's a good idea to purchase a few brands to try out with your baby. Every baby is different, and reviews clearly indicate that what works great for one baby may be a disaster for another. That said, there are specific issues that parents can look for, such as bottles that are more prone to leakage or contributing to gassiness. If you have a gassy, colicky, or reflux-prone baby, several styles of baby bottles contain features to help reduce these problems, such as venting systems to redirect air flow to the back of the bottle (reducing the amount of air ingested by infants) or collapsible, disposable liners that the air can be squeezed out of prior to feeding. Other bottles feature special nipple or bottle designs that closely mimic breastfeeding, which can help avoid nipple confusion, a problem in which a baby refuses to drink from a bottle after becoming accustomed to breastfeeding.

While most bottles are now BPA-free, BPA was still the focus of many resources we found. It's still a good idea for parents to check the label of any baby bottle to ensure that the product is indeed BPA-free.

General baby bottle resources

ConsumerReports.org has a useful article on baby bottles, including an overview of what's available and features to consider. While most of ConsumerReports.org's online content is available only to subscribers, the article "Baby Bottles and Nipples: Features to Consider" is free. Note that no ratings or recommendations are included.

ConsumerReports.org also offers a comprehensive baby bottle buying guide, which includes general shopping and safety tips but no formal ratings. The article is available to subscribers at http://www.consumerreports.org.

"Baby Bargains" is a popular baby-product information and review book by Denise and Alan Fields. The chapter on feeding includes a good overview of the various bottle and nipple types available. The book is available at most bookstores. For the most up-to-date information, there's also a companion website.

About.com's guide to baby products, writer and mother Heather Corley, has written a helpful page on what to consider when buying bottles for your baby: "Before You Buy Bottles for Your Baby." (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

A brief About.com video, "Choosing Baby Bottles," describes and demonstrates various types of baby bottles and nipples available. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

TheCradle.com provides a detailed guide to baby bottles and nipples, "Baby Bottles: The Breakdown," including a useful comparison chart that lists the features, sizes and price of each bottle. The chart appears to be updated frequently, with the most recent update in May 2009.

Parents.com offers a useful guide for new parents, "How to Bottlefeed," which includes guidelines for how much a baby should be eating as well as shopping tips for both bottles and formula.

Mixed Greens, the 1800Recycling.com blog, offers an informative comparison of the different types of baby bottles, including pros and cons of each style.

Resources on BPA use in baby bottles

For those who would like more information on bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic, the article "In Feast of Data on BPA Plastic, No Final Answer" by Denise Grady in the September 6, 2010 edition of The New York Times is fairly balanced, offering insight into the science behind concerns over the chemical as well as an overview of current regulations and laws.

For parents who want to find out which baby bottles contain BPA, ZRecommends.com has a comprehensive listing.

A post on ZRecommends.com announces the decision by six major bottle manufacturers to stop selling bottles containing BPA.

ZRecommends.com also features an article addressing the FDA's recommendation that parents avoid BPA when practical.

For those interested in learning which specific baby bottles should be discontinued soon to comply with the recent decision by six manufacturers to stop selling baby bottles containing BPA, an article on Polliwogged.com, "Full List of BPA-Containing Bottles that Should be Disappearing Soon," provides a list of current products by these manufacturers that contain BPA.

Time magazine posts an informative article, "Are Plastic Baby Bottles Harmful?" in response to reports on the potentially dangerous properties of BPA in plastic bottles.

A blog article on the Environmental Working Group website addresses the recent bans by Minnesota and Connecticut of BPA-containing baby bottles, and discusses a bill in progress for the state of California, "What's in Your Baby Bottle? Fight to Ban Toxic Chemical Heats Up."

An article on Food Safety News addresses the recent decision by California lawmakers to not enact a proposed ban on BPA use in bottles and sippy cups.

If you're considering a switch to glass baby bottles to avoid BPA, the WebMD article, "Glass vs. Plastic Baby Bottles," offers a useful discussion of both types.

Babble.com, an informative source for baby-product information, provides a detailed article analyzing current research and warnings related to the use of BPA in many products, "BPA: How Bad Is It?"

An article on Treehugger.com discusses the EU's decision to ban BPA in baby bottles.

Baby bottle brands

Adiri

Avent

BornFree

Dr. Brown's

Evenflo

The First Years

Gerber

Green to Grow

Life Factory (Wee-Go)

MAM

Medela

MilkBank

Nuby

Munchkin

Playtex

Podee

Silikids (Siliskins)

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