After having tried a number of different bottles, this is the only one I would use for my kids. In fact, I bought a set of 6 of these for my first child a few years ago, and they are still in pristine condition. The only reason I'm buying an extra one now is to replace the one bottle that I lost. I initially used plastic bottles for my first child. Functionally, it was fine, but at some point I realized that after milk was heated (daycare was heating it by placing bottles in a crockpot water bath, I heated it at home by putting the bottle in a bowl of boiled water), even the BPA free plastic bottles gave off a weird smell. We switched all of our Tupperware at home to pyrex some years ago, so it suddenly dawned on my that my baby was using bottles multiple times a day, much more frequently than we were using Tupperware, so why would I not use glass bottles for my baby? From that point on, I switched to these glasses bottles and never looked back.
These glasses bottles are durable, easy to use, easy to clean (wide neck helps!). Excluding the bottle cap, the bottle itself only consists of three pieces: bottle (glass), ring (white hard plastic piece that does not touch the contents inside the bottle), and nipple (silicone). The glass bottle is thick and well made. It's easy to assemble and disassemble the bottle (important for busy working parents), and easy to wash. I hand washed them, but they are dish washer safe. The nipple is wide based, which I think is particularly good for breast fed babies, since it mimics latching to the breast. There is a size 0 "first flow" nipple available, which is a premie nipple that drips very slowly, also excellent for breast fed babies to avoid bottle preference. The main perk, above all else, is the safety aspect. Thinking back, when I used plastic bottles, they had a different tint, and had scratches after being used for a short while. And after heating them in a sterilizing bag, they released weird smells. You don't have to worry about any of that with a glass bottle. No scratches, no weird tints, no odor. Glass is the safest for food storage, that's true for adults and babies! Don't wait for scientists to find out years later that some other chemical is just as bad as BPA. These are technically microwave safe, but please note that it is NOT recommended to heat milk/formula in the microwave, because you can have pockets of very hot liquid and burn the baby's GI tract. I heat the bottle by putting it in a small bowl of boiled water (use an electric water heater, it's very fast) for a few minutes, which is both fast and effective.
Now, the flaws. These bottles can leak, if you are not careful about how you put the nipples on. I also found that when the nipples became worn, small amounts started to leak. This was solved by getting new nipples. I did not find a difference in the old vs new types of nipples (swirl at the top vs no swirl). I got new size 0 nipples for the new baby and so far no leakage. These bottles are heavy, so it's going to take longer for the baby to independently hold the bottle. Finally, it is glass so it can shatter. I have not broken one of these bottles, but I try to be careful, using them over carpet, etc. I have on occasion dropped them on wood floors and have not broken them. That said, I would not repeatedly drop them. You could buy bottle covers, I think that should help, but I have not needed them. Despite having a few flaws, I still think the positive far outweigh the negatives. These are minor issues that I can work with. But safety remains my top priority for my baby.
Comparison to other brands:
I also tried a LifeFactory bottle, which are great too except their nipples are much narrower and does not come with a premie nipple (so not an option for my breast fed baby), and the bottle opening is narrower, making the bottle harder to wash. I do like the fact that these come with a protective rubber sleeve, and that you can buy a hard plastic spout to convert the bottle to a sippy cup/ toddler water bottle.
I also tried ComoTomo bottles, which are not plastic, but silicone, which is also very safe for food. My baby did not like these, had a difficult latch. I did not like the fact that these were soft, I thought it was harder to hold them. But some parents swear by these.
Now, a small piece of advice for first time parents, if I may. Buy a few different brands of bottles, just one of each (or borrow from friends), to try. Your baby may have strong preferences for one bottle or another, and you don't want to go through the trouble of buying and sterilizing a bunch of bottles that you end up not using. For my baby in full time daycare, I personally like having a set of 6 bottles, 4 to send for the day, and two to keep at home as extras. And for name label, I like the silicone bands (inchbug or kidaroo), which you can keep later for water bottles even after they stop using baby bottles.
Update: my 2 month old went through a brief period of bottle strike. Instead of trying other brands of bottles, I stuck to this bottle, and figured out that for my baby, the trick is to make the bottle just a touch warmer than the temperature of milk straight from the breast (of course swirl the bottle to make sure there are no pockets of hot liquid, and drip a little on the back of your hand to test temperature before feeding it to baby). And now my little one is taking it again like a champ. If you are breastfeeding but plan on bottle feeding later by a caregiver, make sure to use the bottle every couple of days so baby does not develop a breast preference/bottle aversion. Happy feeding!
***Update #2: the American Academy of Pediatrics just released a new (long overdue) policy statement on limiting exposures to plastics for children. To summarize: no plastics in dish washer (high temperature releases more chemicals), limit storage of foods in plastic containers, and limit use of plastic if possible. I feel even better about my decision to switch over to glass bottles. In addition, I can't believe I just now realized this, but this bottle attaches directly to the Spectra pump, without an adaptor! It is a little heavy but I was able to pump directly into these glass bottles, hands free, using a good pumping bra.
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| Product Dimensions | 2.8 x 2.8 x 5.12 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | SCF701/17 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Material Composition | Glass |
| Material free | BPA Free |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Style | Old Version |
| Batteries required | No |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes |
| Bottle nipple type | Vented |
| Bottle type | Vented Bottle |
| Item Weight | 6.8 ounces |
