Our Top Picks
- Internal vent tube
- Vacuum-free feeding
- Removable vent insert
- Twin-valve nipple
- Only four parts
- Flow rates 1 to 4
- Vented base design
- Self-sterilizing
- Breast-like silicone nipple
- AirFree vent
- Nipple stays full
- Helpful for reflux
- Wide breast-like nipple
- Slow-flow valve
- Self-sterilizing parts
Our Review Criteria: How a bottle routes air away from the milk is the whole anti-colic question, so venting design led our comparison. We also weighed how paced and consistent the nipple flow runs, how well the shape supports a deep latch, how many pieces need cleaning, and how reliably each bottle seals without leaking. We grounded those calls in published research on infant digestion and air ingestion and in the patterns parents report. We confirmed every bottle is currently available, and we swap a discontinued pick for a current equivalent.
There is nothing worse than watching your baby pull up their knees and scream when gas and colic take hold, and nothing you would not try to make it stop. No bottle cures colic, but the right one cuts down the air your baby swallows, and less air usually means less crying.
We dug into the research on why babies gulp air, compared how each leading brand vents its bottles, and confirmed that every pick here is one you can actually buy right now. These are the five best bottles for colic and gas, grouped by the type of venting that suits your baby.
Do Anti-Colic Bottles Work?
To know whether they help, start with the cause. Most infant gas comes from swallowed air: when a baby gulps milk, they gulp air along with it, and if that air stays trapped it builds painful pressure (1).
Colic is the extreme end of that fussiness, and it follows a fairly predictable arc. It affects somewhere between 10 and 40 percent of babies, usually shows up around two to three weeks of age, peaks near six weeks, and eases on its own by three to four months. The exact trigger is still unknown (2), and all that crying makes a baby swallow even more air, which keeps the cycle going.
Anti-colic bottles work on the physics of the feed. By cutting the vacuum inside the bottle and keeping bubbles out of the milk, they limit how much air your baby takes in. Less air in means less gas out.
The right bottle can help break that cycle by:
- Preventing air intake: Vents and valves keep air out of the nipple.
- Reducing bubbles: Keeping air away from the milk stops it from aerating.
- Pacing the feed: Slowing the flow helps prevent tummy upsets.
How to Choose an Anti-Colic Baby Bottle
Most modern baby bottles have some kind of venting technology, but they all go about it differently. Since every baby latches and drinks differently, it helps to know what to look for.
Here is a breakdown of the features manufacturers use to keep air out of your baby’s belly:
Product Reviews
Each pick below targets a different source of swallowed air, so the best one depends on how your baby feeds. Here is what sets each apart.
Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Options+ Anti-Colic Bottle
Best Internal Vent Bottle
Dr. Brown’s is the name a lot of pediatricians reach for first when a baby is truly miserable with gas, and the Options+ Narrow is the current version of that system. A thin vent tube runs down the inside of the bottle and carries air straight to the back, so bubbles never pass through the milk your baby is drinking.
Because no vacuum builds up, your baby sets the pace instead of fighting suction, which is close to how nursing actually works. Keeping air out of the milk also slows the oxidation that degrades nutrients: a University of Nevada study in Maternal and Child Nutrition found vented bottles like Dr. Brown’s held onto more vitamins A, C, and E than bottles that let the milk froth (3). Once the colicky stage passes, the vent lifts out so you can simplify cleanup.
The trade-off is the parts count. The tube and insert add a piece to scrub, and the narrow neck is fiddly to fill with powdered formula at 3 a.m.
Pros
- Internal vent tube keeps air out of the milk.
- Vacuum-free feeding lets your baby set the pace.
- Vent insert lifts out when the gassy stage ends.
- Top-rack dishwasher safe.
Cons
- More parts to wash than a basic bottle.
- Narrow neck is awkward to fill with powder.
Product Specs
| Vent System | Internal vent tube (removable) |
|---|---|
| Nipple Flow | Level 1 slow flow (0m+) |
| Nipple Material | Silicone |
| Bottle Material | BPA-free plastic |
| Sizes Available | 8 oz (also 4 oz) |
| Pieces to Clean | 5 (includes vent tube and insert) |
| Dishwasher Safe | Yes (top rack) |
Philips Avent Anti-Colic Baby Bottles
Best Nipple Vent Bottle
If the Dr. Brown’s system feels like too many pieces, the Philips Avent Anti-Colic bottle keeps it to four: bottle, nipple, screw ring, and cap. The anti-colic work happens in the nipple, where a twin valve flexes to send air back into the bottle instead of into your baby, and the nipple is shaped so it will not collapse mid-feed.
Philips reports that babies fed with its anti-colic bottles fussed about 60 percent less at night than babies on a leading competitor’s vented bottle (4). The nipples come in flow rates 1 through 4, and the parts swap across most of the wider Avent range, so bottles, spouts, and toddler cups mix and match as you go.
You do have to seat the nipple and ring squarely or the valve can weep, and the slowest flow may still be a touch quick for a small preemie.
Pros
- Only four parts to assemble and wash.
- Twin-valve nipple flexes to release pressure.
- Flow rates 1 to 4 grow with your baby.
- Compatible with the wider Avent range.
Cons
- Nipple must be seated squarely to avoid leaks.
- Slowest flow can still be fast for preemies.
Product Specs
| Vent System | Twin-valve anti-colic nipple |
|---|---|
| Nipple Flow | Rates 1 to 4 (starts slow) |
| Nipple Material | Silicone |
| Bottle Material | BPA-free plastic |
| Sizes Available | 9 oz (also 4 oz, 11 oz) |
| Pieces to Clean | 4 |
| Dishwasher Safe | Yes |
MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic+ Bottles
Best Vented Base Bottle
MAM moves the vent out of the nipple and down to the bottom of the bottle. As your baby drinks, the vented base lets air in low, away from the milk, so bubbles do not churn through the feed. MAM points to a survey in which 80 percent of mothers reported less colic after switching, and says 94 percent of babies take to its SkinSoft nipple (5). Treat those as the maker’s figures, but the bottom-vent approach is a genuinely different tool from a nipple valve.
The silicone nipple is short and flat rather than round, closer to the shape of a breast, which is why babies who move between nursing and bottles tend to accept it. The real convenience is cleanup: the base unscrews so you can reach inside, and the parts self-sterilize in the microwave in about three minutes, with no separate steamer.
The flip side of a two-part bottle is more assembly, and if the base gasket is not seated cleanly it can leak.
Pros
- Vented base keeps air out of the milk.
- SkinSoft silicone nipple mimics a breast shape.
- Self-sterilizes in the microwave in about three minutes.
- Base unscrews for easy cleaning.
Cons
- More pieces to line up than a one-part bottle.
- Base gasket must seat correctly or it leaks.
Product Specs
| Vent System | Vented base (bottom vent) |
|---|---|
| Nipple Flow | Extra slow flow (0m+) |
| Nipple Material | SkinSoft silicone |
| Bottle Material | BPA-free plastic |
| Sizes Available | 4.5 oz (also 9 oz) |
| Self-Sterilizing | Yes (microwave, about 3 minutes) |
| Dishwasher Safe | Yes |
Philips Avent Anti-Colic Bottle With AirFree Vent
Best Bottle for Upright Feeding
The AirFree version of the Philips Avent bottle solves one specific problem: the air pocket that sits in the tip of the nipple when you tilt a bottle down. Its AirFree vent keeps the nipple full of milk even when the bottle is nearly horizontal, so you can feed your baby sitting more upright instead of lying back (6).
That upright angle is what pediatricians often suggest for babies with reflux or heavy gas, because it lets gravity help keep milk down and bubbles rising. The bottle uses the standard Avent slow-flow 1 nipple and the same wide, easy-clean neck, and you can pop the AirFree insert out and use it as a plain bottle once the reflux stage passes.
The insert is one more small part to wash and keep track of, and holding a young baby fully upright takes a little practice before it feels natural.
Pros
- AirFree vent keeps the nipple full of milk when tilted.
- Supports upright feeding for reflux and gas.
- Insert removes for use as a standard bottle.
- Wide neck is easy to fill and clean.
Cons
- AirFree insert is an extra part to wash.
- Upright hold takes practice with a newborn.
Product Specs
| Vent System | AirFree vent (nipple stays full) |
|---|---|
| Nipple Flow | Slow flow 1 (0m+) |
| Nipple Material | Silicone |
| Bottle Material | BPA-free plastic |
| Sizes Available | 4 oz (also 9 oz) |
| Pieces to Clean | 5 (includes AirFree vent) |
| Dishwasher Safe | Yes |
Tommee Tippee Natural Start Anti-Colic Bottles
Best Anti-Colic Bottle for Breastfed Babies
Tommee Tippee built the Natural Start around the latch. The nipple is extra wide and short with a flexible, breast-like shape, so a baby who goes back and forth between the breast and a bottle gets a familiar seal and is less likely to reject one or the other. A deep latch over that wide base also closes the gaps at the corners of the mouth where air usually slips in.
A slow-flow anti-colic valve keeps the milk from rushing, and the nipple is designed to flex and stretch with your baby’s tongue rather than push against it. The bottle is short and curved so you can hold your baby close, and the parts self-sterilize, which is one less gadget on the counter.
If the valve sticks, the nipple can flatten mid-feed, and the wide, curvy body takes up more room in a diaper bag than a slim bottle.
Pros
- Wide, breast-like nipple eases breast-to-bottle switching.
- Deep latch closes the gaps where air gets in.
- Slow-flow valve paces the feed.
- Parts self-sterilize.
Cons
- Nipple can flatten if the valve sticks.
- Curvy body is bulky in a bag.
Product Specs
| Vent System | Anti-colic venting nipple |
|---|---|
| Nipple Flow | Slow flow (0m+) |
| Nipple Material | Silicone (breast-like) |
| Bottle Material | BPA-free plastic |
| Sizes Available | 5 oz (also 9 oz) |
| Self-Sterilizing | Yes |
| Dishwasher Safe | Yes |
| Product | Best | Vent Type | Nipple Flow | Material | Pieces to Clean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Options+ | Best Internal Vent | Internal vent tube | Level 1 slow | BPA-free plastic | 5 |
| Philips Avent Anti-Colic | Best Nipple Vent | Twin-valve nipple | Rates 1 to 4 | BPA-free plastic | 4 |
| MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic+ | Best Vented Base | Vented base | Extra slow | BPA-free plastic | 5 |
| Philips Avent AirFree | Best for Upright Feeding | AirFree vent | Slow flow 1 | BPA-free plastic | 5 |
| Tommee Tippee Natural Start | Best for Breastfed Babies | Venting nipple | Slow flow | BPA-free plastic | 4 |
Tips for Reducing Colic While Bottlefeeding
Buying the bottle is step one. Using it well is step two. Even the best gear will not help if the technique is off.
Here is how to set your baby up for success:
- Watch the angle: Never feed your baby flat on their back. Keep their head above their tummy so gravity helps the gas bubbles rise and escape.
- Tilt the bottle: Keep the nipple full of milk, not air. If you see an air pocket in the tip, tilt the bottle up a little more.
- Check the latch: Aim for wide “fish lips.” Your baby’s mouth should be open and flanged outward over the wider base of the nipple, not pinched on the tip like a straw.
- Listen for noise: Feeding should be fairly quiet. Clicking or smacking means the latch has broken and your baby is swallowing air.
- Match the flow: If your baby chokes or is spitting up milk, the flow is too fast. If they get frustrated or fall asleep before finishing, it is too slow.
- Burp mid-meal: Do not wait until the bottle is empty. Pause halfway to burp your baby and release pressure before it builds up and hurts (7).
