Tommee Tippee Bottles Review: Anti-Colic, First Feed & More

• Unusual tube and valve system that vents the bottle so your baby will get less air as she drinks her milk. In theory, that will help your colicky baby have less spit-up, gas, and overall fussiness.
• The soft, breast-like shaped nipple is designed to feel and move like a mother’s breast during feeding time.
• The bottles are easy to fill and clean. They can be washed in the dishwasher and placed in the microwave.
• BPA free.
• The compact design of the bottles means a baby can be fed in a natural position that allows close contact between parents and their baby.

When I saw the tube and valve system for this bottle – my eyes almost bugged out of my head. If I need a video to figure out how to use a bottle, it’s not a good situation for me. I am notoriously bad at figuring things out, even with instructions.

Seeing a bottle with an insert threw me for a loop, and figuring out to clean it is more than I want to mess with. Women who don’t want to spend the time learning how to operate a bottle will be just as intimidated by this bottle as I am.

The bottles are fairly inexpensive, and one of the main selling points is the anti-colic tube and valve system. There is supposed to be a small slit on the cap at the end of the venting tube, but they don’t always have that. That puts moms in an awkward position – they either have to return the bottles after they’ve already attempted to use them or they have to cut a slit into the cap themselves.

I’m not a fan of having to cut any portion of a baby’s bottle. The bottles that do have the required slits work very well though.

Let’s take a look at the Tommee Tippee anti-colic bottles versus other leading baby bottle brands.

The First Years Breastflow Bottles

To work properly, these bottles need both compression and suction, which makes them a good choice for moms who are promoting breastfeeding techniques even through bottle usage. But moms who don’t want to have to buy more nipples every time their baby reaches a new feeding stage may prefer the Calma because it has an all-stage nipple.

MAM Anti-Colic Bottles

These bottles are similar in price to the Tommee Tippee anti-colic bottles. Moms who haven’t had luck with longer nipples may like the shorter nipples on these. Moms who want babies to use a longer nipple will want to stick with the Tommee Tippee.

Dr. Brown’s Original Wide-Neck Bottle

This kind of bottle also uses an interior venting system, much like the Tommee Tippee. Mom who are watching their money will like that these bottles are a little cheaper than the Tommee Tippee brand. Breastfeeding moms will likely prefer the Tommee Tippee, which makes babies work more for their milk than this Dr. Brown’s bottle does.

If you don’t mind taking a minute or two to piece together a bottle that will help your baby avoid gas and fussiness, this bottle will do the job because of its tube and valve system.

As an added benefit, if you’re breastfeeding, your baby may enjoy that the nipple is meant to move and feel like the real thing.

• The wide-neck nipple is shaped like a breast, which allows babies to latch on easier, especially if they are used to breastfeeding.
• The nipples stretch, elongate, and flex when your baby is sucking, just like breastfeeding.
• The bottles have a compact shape. They are shorter than some other 9-ounce bottles.
• BPA free.
• Not counting the cap, there are three pieces to this bottle – the base, a nipple, and a ring to hold the nipple in place. Having a smaller number of pieces makes them easier to assemble than some bottles.
• The bottles are easy to clean. They can be washed in the dishwasher on the top rack and they are microwave safe.

This bottle doesn’t dodge a common problem with baby bottles – the measurements rub off with repeated washings.

The easy-vent valve is a nice touch and it seems to work well. It helps keep the nipple from collapsing during feeding, which means your baby won’t have to take breaks and possibly lose interest in the bottle before she finishes it. And, as an added bonus, your baby will be swallowing less air with milk, which helps avoid fussiness and possibly some spit-up.

The wide base of the bottle makes them easy to clean and easy to fill up without spilling. Since they aren’t as thin and tall as other baby bottles, they don’t tip over as easily. Because of the wide, short base, they are also simple to clean, and the lids can easily be removed with one hand if you have a hungry baby in the other arm.

Let’s compare how these bottles stack up to similar bottles that are meant to mimic breastfeeding:

Mimijumi Very Hungry Bottles

The thing that makes the Mimijumi bottle stand out is its flesh-colored dome which is meant to look like a human breast. The fact the Mimijumi looks so much like a breast might be a reason for breastfeeding moms to buy this brand. But moms who are worried about money will want to go for Closer to Nature bottles because they are much more affordable.

Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle

These bottles are unique because they are soft and squeezable, even the bottle part. That’s a selling point for moms who want the experience to seem like breastfeeding to avoid confusion in nursing babies. Comotomo bottles are very expensive compared to Closer to Nature bottles, so moms on a budget will want to go with the Tommee Tippee brand.

Medela Calma

The Calma shouldn’t make your baby too lazy to breastfeed like some other bottles might – your baby will have to work hard to get milk out of these bottles. Moms who don’t want their babies to have to work that hard for their milk would prefer Closer to Nature bottles, which give milk with less effort.

Babies are expensive, and that means many mothers have to cut back on all the costs they can.

These bottles are by far some of the cheapest on the market if you’re looking for a bottle that imitates the breastfeeding experience and won’t encourage babies to give up breastfeeding in favor of the easier route of bottle feeding.

• This bottle comes with a breast milk storage pot that lets moms pump milk and feed right from the bottle.
• The First Feed bottle has an optimum venting valve which, along with the extra slow flow nipple, lets your baby take in less air. That means your baby shouldn’t have as much gas and fussiness.
• The bottles hold 5 ounces and can only be bought in single packs.
• The bottle has an easy latch nipple, which is supposed to feel like the real thing, which will help babies who are splitting their time between bottle feeding and breastfeeding.
• Both BPA and phthalate free for moms who are worried about the safety of the bottle’s material.

Even though there’s six pieces to this bottle, it isn’t hard to assemble. It might look intimidating at first because of the breast milk pot that comes with it, but the bottle can be used with or without the pot.

You can pump directly into the pot and feed your baby straight from that same bottle. Or you can take the pot out of the bottle and store milk in it in the refrigerator and just use your bottle like you would if it didn’t have the pot.

This is a sturdy bottle. And although I like it when bottles don’t have a lot of parts to them, the breast milk pot is a nice touch. When your baby outgrows this bottle, you can save the pot and use it for feeding him baby food – it makes a great little container for that.

The extra slow-flow nipple delivers on its promises. It works well at slowly providing milk so even the youngest of babies won’t be choking while they are trying to drink.

How do the First Feed bottles stack up against their competitors?

Philips Avent Natural Bottle for Newborns

These 4-ounce bottles stand almost 5-inches tall. That would be fine for moms who have small hands, but dads might find the taller Tommee Tippee First Feed bottles easier to handle.

Comotomo Natural Feel Bottles

The slow flow nipples on these bottles work for newborns up to 3 months. Moms who want to be able to fit their hand in a bottle for easier cleaning may like Comotomo bottles. Moms who like a firmer material will want to stick with First Feed because Comotomo bottles are squeezable, like a real breast.

Mimijumi 4-ounce Not So Hungry Bottle

Moms who want to mimic the look and feel of breastfeeding may want Mimijumi bottles with their flesh-color dome. Moms who don’t have much money to spend on bottles will be better served by Tommee Tippee First Feed bottles, which are much less expensive.

Feeding a preemie or a newborn can be challenging, especially for the ones who can’t quite keep up with the flow of their bottles. They’ll get there eventually, but for right now, you need a bottle that delivers milk slowly to avoid making them cough and choke during feedings. This bottle will help even the smallest of babies eat at a comfortable pace with its extra slow-flow nipple.

When your baby has outgrown this bottle, you can still find uses for the breast milk pot that comes with it, which gives you added value for your purchase.

• The Y cut nipple will allow cereal to get through, which traditional bottles struggle to do.
• The nipple design is made to look and feel like a real breast while it allows thicker liquid, which should let babies continue to breastfeed without confusion in conjunction with having bottles.
• This bottle holds 11 ounces, which is enough for the biggest of baby appetites.
• BPA free.
• This bottle uses an integrated easi-vent valve, which cuts back on the air that is delivered with milk. That helps cut down on gassiness and fussiness in babies.
• Easy to assemble and wash.

This bottle is super easy to use, with only three pieces to assemble. You just put the nipple through the ring and screw it onto the base. The compact, wider design of the bottle makes it easy to use without spills, and it isn’t as easy to tip over as taller, thinner bottles, which leads to less spills and less frustrations.

These wide bottles still fit with Tommee Tippee breast pumps, baby bottle sterilizers and baby bottle warmers, which is convenient for moms who want their product lines to be compatible with the other merchandise they own from that line.

For a large bottle, this one is surprisingly easy to hold, thanks to its smaller grip area that gradually increases in diameter at the top part of the bottle. The Y cut nipple does what it is advertised to do – cereal certainly flows through the hole, even thicker cereal.

Let’s compare the Added Cereal bottles versus other popular brands.

NUK Elephants Baby Bottle

These bottles hold 10 ounces, and they come with a Perfect Fit nipple that has been improved. Moms who like fun designs on their bottles may love the colorful elephants on the NUK bottles. Moms who want a slightly larger bottle will prefer the Tommee Tippee bottle.

Avent Natural Polypropylene Bottles

These 9-ounce bottles hold a lot of milk, just like the Tommee Tippee added cereal bottles, but these are better for beginners with their slow-flow nipples, while the added cereal bottles are better for babies at least 6 months old.

Medela Breastmilk Bottle Set

These bottles hold a respectable 8 ounces, and moms who want to pump, store and feed with one single bottle will prefer the Medela bottles. Moms who want to feed cereal through a bottle will prefer the Tommee Tippee because of the large hole in the nipple, compared to the Medela’s medium flow nipple.

Not many bottles allow moms to feed cereal to their babies. The hole in the nipple usually isn’t big enough. This Tommee Tippee bottle makes cereal fitting through the nipple a breeze, and it’s easy to assembly and clean. Since it holds 11 ounces, no baby will have to go back for seconds.