During bottle feeding, babies swallow some air that fills their stomachs with gas. According to lactation experts, too much gas in the baby’s stomach is among the many possible causes of colic. If you have ever dealt with a colicky baby (baby crying all day), then you know how frustrating it can be. Fortunately, manufacturers have begun making bottles with designs to reduce the amount of gas that babies take in during feeding. If your bottle-fed baby is always gassy, this guide will help you choose the best anti colic bottles that will help to reduce the amount of air they swallow.
Switching to a different baby formula can also help prevent colic. Choose a formula that is extensively hydrolyzed, meaning the milk protein is broken down into tiny, easier-to-digest pieces. However, there is no better alternative to breast milk and even if you decide to bottle feed your baby, have a look at our guide for Best electric breast pump.
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 MAM Matte Essentials Gift Set |
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 Dr Browns Natural Flow bottle |
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 Comotomo Natural feel baby bottle |
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 Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Newborn Starter Kit |
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 Philips AVENT Natural Newborn Starter Set |
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Best bottles for anti colic and gas review
#1 MAM Anti-Colic Self-Sterilising Bottle Starter Set
Anti Colic Bottles MAM have adopted a simple technique of providing ventilation valve at the bottom of the bottle so that the baby is able to suck the milk uninterrupted without the need of releasing air. This ventlation valve allows the milk to flow freely without mixing with air therefore preventing colic. Market research on the bottle has shown that it reduces colic occurrences in babies up to 80%. The ventilation holes are small enough to not let liquid pass through it but just the air.
An important and useful feature is self-sterilising. To sterilise it, fill the bottle with water and then keep it for 3 minutes in a microwave on heat.
MAM uses something called Silk Teat rather than the silicone teat which is especially made to provide the softness that a silicone teat can’t provide. However, it has all the advantages that a silicone teat provides – it is hygienic, odourless and colourless.
These bottles do need some practice to assemble though. Not tightening the base properly can lead to leakages. Read the instructions properly before you start using it. If assembled and used properly, milk will stay sterilised for around 24 hours.
I only discovered this bottle with my 3rd child! I wish I had known about it sooner as my elder 2 children suffered terribly with colic and reflux. MAM also helps to prevent nipple confusion and works great for transition from breast to bottle. Anti Colic bottles MAM are good bottles for reflux.
Pros
- Self-sterilising feature
- BPA free
- Nipple feels like natural breast
- Comes in different sizes
- The opening is wide enough to enable easy filling with milk as well as cleaning
Cons
- Has too many parts that can be hard to put together after cleaning
- Don’t fit well in most bottle warmers due to their thick base
#2 Dr Browns Natural Flow bottle
Dr Brown’s Options is a convertible BPA free anti colic baby bottle which comes with an option vent option. It prevents air from mixing with milk through an internal vent system. It claims to preserve nutrients in the breastmilk which otherwise degrades if kept for long time within a container after boiling through oxidation.
Once your baby is old enough you can keep using the same bottle by just removing the vent but until then you can use this bottle to provide your child a teat vented experience for a controlled milk flow.
This is the bottle I settled with for my first born after lots of trial and error. It did a perfect job at preventing swallowing too much air during feeding. However sometimes had issues with leakages which is known for this bottle.
Pros
- Prevents destruction of nutrients in milk
- Comes in variety of colours
- Comes in glass and plastic materials
- It is BPA free
Cons
- Too many parts to disassemble and assemble so cleaning can be quite tiresome
- Sometimes randomly leaks
#3 Comotomo Natural feel baby bottle
The Comotomo Natural Feel baby bottle is among the best baby bottles for gas and colic in the market today. It replicates the natural feel and functioning of breastfeeding. It is suitable for babies who are transitioning from breastfeeding to bottle feeding.
The nipple is shaped like a natural breast to enable your baby to latch well during feeding. The bottole is made from silicone to give it a very soft and tender feeling allowing the baby to squeeze while feeding to increase milk let down.
The Comotomo baby bottle have two anti colic vents near the teat which the allow air to circulate inside the bottle and prevent it from forming bubbles in the milk therefore reducing the chances of your baby getting gas, colic or spitting up/reflux.
Pros
- They have a wide neck that helps in filling and cleaning the bottle
- The lid does not leak if closed tightly enough
- BPA free
Cons
- They do not fit in most bottle warmers and sterilisers due to their wide neck
#4 Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Newborn Starter Kit
Closer to Nature anti colic bottles Tommee Tippee work by eliminating air through the valve when the baby is feeding. The vale prevents air getting into the bottle by allowing the milk to flow slowly through the nipple. The little air that manages to get in is quickly eliminated through the valve.
Closer to Nature Tommee Tippee award winning BPA free anti colic bottle makes the baby feel as close to the mother’s breasts as possible due to their unique design. When switching from breastfeeding to bottle feeding, these bottles can be a good choice. They provide the natural stretch and flex of a breast nipple and therefore make the feeding stress-free.
Closer to Nature anti colic bottles Tommee Tippee bottles are small with a wide neck which enables you to hold your baby as close as possible during feeding. This also helps to maintain the connection and encourage baby’s intuitive feeding.
Closer to Nature Tommee Tippee bottles are highly reputed for providing leak free experience and allowing very little air through the teat.
Pros
- They help the baby to latch very well
- Do not leak
- BPA free
- Easy to clean since they do not have too many parts
- The wide neck helps in filling
- They are compatible with all Tommee Tippee’s nursing necessities like sterilizers, breast pumps and bottle warmers.
Cons
- The softness of the teats makes them prone to collapse during feeding
- Frequent cleaning causes the measurement instructions on the bottle to rub off very fast.
#5 Philips AVENT Natural Newborn Starter Set
The Philips Avent Anti-colic baby bottle has been proven by medical experts to promote comfort in babies by minimising gas in their stomach. This helps to minimise fussiness,especially in the evening. It achieves this through an anti-colic airflex valve present on the nipple/teat.
The valve allows air into the bottle during feeding however it pushes it to the back of the bottle preventing a build up. Do to this unique design the air does not mix with the milk and passed to the baby.
The teat design is very natural and ideal for babies switching between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Another important feature of the Avent bottle is that the teats are extra soft and flexible courtesy the comfort petals inside the teat which will make sure that the teat doesn’t collapse no matter how much stress is put on it by your baby’s mouth.
You get a curved brush for cleaning these bottles. The wide neck opening of the bottles gives you enough manoeuvrability to properly clean the bottles and keep its hygiene.
The bottles however are not exactly portable and are suggested for home use only.
Pros
- Reduces colic and fussiness
- Easy to clean
- Microwave and dishwasher safe
- Wide neck for easy filling and cleaning
- BPA free
Cons
- The slow flow nipples may be too fast for some newborns
What is Colic?
Colic is defined as bouts of inconsolable crying of the baby for no obvious reason for three hours or more a day. Often occur in the evening between 6pm and midnight however may occur anytime in the day. Approx one fifth of all babies are colic. Baby boys and girls are equally affected as is breastfed and formula fed babies. This inconsolable crying usually starts at one month and is worst in baby’s second and third months but length of time colic lasts is different from baby to baby.
Do You Have a Colic Baby?
Whilst is its natural for babies to cry, a baby with colic cry more than usual and sometimes baby crying all day. To help determine if your baby is crying due to colic pain, take note of how long their crying episodes last and how often. Experts agree that colicky babies cry for three hours a day, for at least three days, and within three consecutive weeks from colic pain.
To eliminate other possible causes of your baby crying you can ensure that you have changed his/her nappy, make sure he/she isn’t hungry and the room is a comfortable temperature. Once all these possibilities are stricken off from the list of possible causes of your baby crying, you can be reasonably sure that you are dealing with baby colic pain.
What Causes Colic?
Experts aren’t sure what causes colic, but some explanations are that the baby’s digestive system is still developing, causing discomfort that the baby communicates by crying, acid reflux may be making the baby feel uncomfortable or the baby is gassy, and all that extra wind is causing discomfort which is usually the case with bottle fed babies.
What are the Symptoms of Colic?
The most obvious symptoms associated with colic is intense crying which doesn’t stop regardless of how much you try to calm your baby. You may observe patterns in the way your babies cry on a daily basis and you figure out when they will start crying and when they are likely to stop. Believe me when I say this, my colic baby would start crying uncontrollably exactly at 6 on the dot every day and no matter what I did to try and comfort her she would stop crying around an hour later. Whilst some babies cry intensely at night while others may cry in the evenings. Regardless of the time of crying, the pattern usually remains the same on a daily basis.
Other symptoms that you may notice are arching of the back, clenching of the fists, recoiling when touched and a distended stomach and passes lots of gas. This colic symptom could be because crying babies swallow a lot of extra air, or because gas isn’t released sufficiently by being burped after feeding.
Top Tips to prevent colic baby crying
Many parents feel helpless and confused about what to do to help colic baby crying. Here are some ideas that could help prevent crying before it starts:
- Studies have shown that plenty of skin-on-skin contact in the first few weeks of your baby’s life can help limit the duration of crying spells later.
- Feed your baby whenever he/she seems hungry and not necessarily on a set time to time schedule.
- Burp your baby after every feeding.
- Give your baby a pacifier to help soothe him/her before any crying kicks in.
- During feeding, sit your baby as upright as possible to prevent swallowing air bubbles.
- If you’re bottle feeding and your baby has colic, switch to anti-colic bottles.
After all this, you deserve a good night rest or read a book and to do this whilst being attentive and aware of your newborn, check our list for best baby monitor.
