It’s natural for babies to cry and be fussy. But it’s when babies are inconsolable and keep on crying for hours that you need to look at your other potential culprit — colic.
Dealing with colic can be distressing for both the child and the parent. There is no one cure for it. All babies react differently to different methods of soothing them. Some parents rock their babies, some go for long drives, some give them a warm bath, and some simply use a pacifier.
However, if the colic is a result of acid reflux, one of the best investments you can make to keep your baby happy is to get an anti-colic baby bottle. You read that right! There are anti-colic bottles that can help prevent or alleviate colic.
What Are Anti-colic Baby Bottles?
Anti-colic baby bottles are specially designed to minimize the amount of air being swallowed by the baby during feeding. This reduces gas bubbles in your little one’s tummy by slowing the milk/formula intake.
Although anti-colic baby bottles vary in design based on the brand and manufacturer, most share these common characteristics:
- They have a valve system.
- They have various teat flow options to regulate the milk flow at different speeds.
- They are designed with an upright angle, making feeding easier.
- They have different vent systems to regulate the air during feeding.
5 Best Anti-colic Bottles For Babies With Acid Reflux
There are numerous anti-colic bottles available in the market that promise to help your baby with colic and acid reflux. This can make it overwhelming to settle on a particular brand.
To help you out, here are our top picks for the bestbaby bottles for acid reflux.
#1. Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Options+ Anti-Colic Bottle
Dr. Brown’s bottle is one of the most recommended baby bottles for acid reflux. It features an internal venting system and a consistent flow, which helps reduce air bubbles in the milk.
The vent system sucks the air out of the milk so your baby won’t be gassy by the end of every feed. Additionally, the bottle’s vacuum-free design mimics natural breastfeeding, so it lets your child suck the milk comfortably at their own pace.
- Internal vent system prevents acid reflux, colic, and gas
- Prevents nutrient oxidation
- The nipple is soft and breast-like to prevent nipple confusion
- Available in glass and plastic
- BPA-free and dishwasher and microwave safe
- Some parts of the bottle are harder to clean
- Bottle markings can be tricky to read
#2. Nanobebe Baby Bottle
The Nanobebe feeding bottles are designed to imitate a mother’s breast. This is ideal for babies being weaned off the bottle while simultaneously being naturally breastfed and bottle-fed.
This anti-colic bottle is best for babies with acid reflux because of its 360° and triple-vent nipple design. This ensures your baby won’t swallow any gas as they feed. And thanks to its concave design, your baby can also easily learn to hold onto the bottle.
One of its best features is the quick-cooling design that reduces the risk of bacterial growth. It also comes with a breast pump adapter.
- Ergonomic design for both mom and child
- Advanced anti-colic, triple-vented nipple design
- Warms 2x faster compared to other baby bottles
- Comes with a breast pump adapter, slow flow nipple, and travel and storage caps
- Risk of leaking
#3. Comotomo Baby Bottles
Made of flexible silicone, the Comotomo anti-colic bottles allow your child to feed without interruption. It has a wide neck that makes cleaning all the bottle’s parts easier and more accessible. You don’t even have to use a bottle brush; just pop all the parts into your dishwasher!
This is considered one of the best baby bottles because its nipple features a double anti-colic vent. With this design, your baby won’t be swallowing any air when feeding as any air pressure gets gently pushed back into the bottle.
- Mimics natural and flexible baby feeding
- Features a slow nipple with a single hole
- Non-leaking vents ensure consistent milk flow
- Dishwasher safe
- Markers on the bottle are hard to read
- The shape of the bottle is not too friendly for younger kids
#4. MAM Anti-Colic Bottles
These baby acid reflux baby bottles by MAM have air vents at the bottom of the feeding bottle. This relieves air pressure and keeps any bubbles out of the milk, resulting in less gas intake. The nipple is also semi-flattened, which is comparable to the natural nipple and helps prevent nipple confusion for both bottle-fed and breastfed babies.
Stress-free feeding contributes a lot to preventing colic, and with self-paced feeding, the MAM anti-colic bottles ensure that your little one can feed at their own speed. Although this bottle has more parts than others, you can sterilize everything in your microwave for three minutes without investing in a microwave steamer.
- The vented base design reduces symptoms of colic
- Self-sterilization feature using the microwave
- No nipple confusion due to a semi-flat nipple design
- You will have to purchase slow-flow nipples separately since it comes with medium-flow nipples.
#5. Philips Avent Anti-Colic Baby Bottles
Philips Avent’s anti-colic bottle has an Airflex venting system designed to reduce colic and gas. The incorporated valve flexes so the air will flow inside the bottle and not into your baby’s mouth. The nipple is also soft and flexible, so you don’t have to worry about the nipple collapsing.
This simple setup contains four pieces, including the bottle, cap, nipple, and ring, all of which you can clean in your dishwasher.
- Simple setup with minimal parts
- Airflex vent minimizes burping, colic, and reflux
- BPA-Free
- Slow-flow nipples
- More expensive than other recommended bottles
- The nipple design won’t allow the baby to drink the last drops of the milk
Can Any Baby Use Anti-colic Bottles?
Even if your baby doesn’t have colic, it won’t hurt to use an anti-colic bottle.
Since anti-colic bottles are designed to minimize the air that your baby swallows while feeding, it can help any baby to be more comfortable during and after feeding. Save yourself and your baby from an upset tummy with these anti-colic bottles.
Quick Tips To Help Your Baby’s Acid reflux And Colic
- Establish open communication with your child’s pediatrician and discuss effective methods.
- Always burp your baby after every feeding.
- Check that your baby’s mouth is latched on to the bottle’s nipple.
- Gently massage your baby’s tummy after feeding.
- Feed your baby in an upright or semi-upright position where their head is always higher than their tummy.
Conclusion
Choosing the right bottle for your child can make all the difference and help resolve troubling conditions like acid reflux, colic, and gas. We hope this guide helps you find a safe and comfortable anti-colic bottle. Make sure you observe and listen to your child and make the necessary adjustments to the nipple flow and the vent systems of these bottles to keep your little one happy and comfortable.
