The variety of baby bottles on the market can be totally confusing to

the new parent. It seems that each style of bottle is supposed to be the

very best for your baby, and after all, you want to do what is best

for your baby. Of course, but saying that the type of baby bottle you

choose indicates what type of parent you are is simply ridiculous.

To clear up some of the confusion, a group of mothers were asked what

baby bottles they preferred to use. While some liked the baby bottles

with the drop-in liners, most seemed to prefer the type of bottles with

some type of venting system. As with anything, there are advantages

and disadvantages or pros and cons to both types of bottles.

The voice of experience says that while the drop-in liner bottles help

eliminate the formation of gas in the tummy, the convenience of the

liners is another story. As one mother said, "The liners are so handy

since it eliminates the need for scrubbing bottles." However, from the

opposite corner, another mother says, "Bottles with liners make it too

easy for exhausted parents to skip the all-important sanitizing step."

There are basically three different types of baby bottles with a

venting system: the Ventaire, the Avent and Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow. While

each system is a little different, they are all more complicated than

regular baby bottles or even the liner type.

Here are some testimonies about both the advantages and disadvantages

of the various types of vented baby bottles:

Ventaire by Playtex:

"The Ventaire is great. The bottom unscrews and a pliable diaphragm

goes in place allowing air to move out of the bottle and not into the

baby's belly. They have an angled neck to allow for a more natural

drinking position and they have holes at the bottom to allow for the air to

leave the bottle instead of it being ingested by the baby. It makes

feeding easier on the ear canal, and the tilted shaped bottles allows you to

hold the baby in a more upright position.

While the Ventaire bottles do have more "parts" than some more

traditional bottles, all of the parts are large enough to be washed in the

dishwasher and don’t require a special brush. There is the nipple, top

ring that holds the nipple in place, bottle, gas eliminator filter and

bottom ring to hold it in place. I found if I assembled them after washing

them (instead of when I had a hungry baby) it was much easier.

Avent Bottles by Phillips

Avent Bottles are the best bet, particularly for breastfeeding moms who

need to use bottles. This bottle has a unique air flow system that has

been proven to help prevent gas pain associated with bottle feeding.

These bottles also have a separate adaptor kit available allowing you to

attach the bottle directly to a breast pump. Comes with a variety of

nipple sizes based on age, A good bottle can help prevent stomach upset

and other problems associated with bottles.

Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow

The best baby bottle I ever used was a Dr. Browns bottle. It reduces

colic, gas, and spit up. There are no liners, but there is a piece you

need to insert in the bottle. That piece of the bottle is hard to get

clean, but a cleaning tool is provided with a bottle purchase.

Again it seems that all these bottles promise to reduce gas and its

associated discomfort. So it seems the only difference is the number of

pieces needed to assemble each bottle and the degree of difficulty in

cleaning and sterilizing. The final result is that baby bottles are baby

bottles…or are they? You decide.