There are a gazillion different baby bottles out there--different brands, different sizes, different styles, and different materials. Bottle materials can easily be categorized into three groups: plastic, silicone, and glass. To help you figure out which type is right for your baby, we've come up with a quick rundown of what these different types are good for, who might use them, and pros and cons to using each material.
First, let's start with glass bottles:
Years and years ago, glass was about the only option when it came to bottles. Once plastic came along, glass bottles became less and less popular, until a few years ago when a BPA issue (that has since been resolved) reduced plastic bottle’s popularity.
Cons:
Glass bottles are commonly the most expensive choice. They are heavier than plastic or silicone, they tend to be harder for babies to hold on their own, and the obvious downside--when dropped, they’ll break!
Pros:
But on a more positive note, glass bottles are all-natural and free of chemicals, they're hard to scratch, easy to clean, and certainly have a long lifespan. You can buy silicone sleeves that slide over glass bottles to make them easier to grip and to lessen the chance of them shattering if dropped. Since glass is the most natural choice, they tend to be the favorite of our environmentally-conscious mothers!
Next up are silicone bottles:
Cons:
There aren’t many downsides to silicone bottles except that they’re often hard to come across; luckily we sell some ComoTomo bottles at The Baby Cubby! If you’d like to find out more about ComoTomo, read here!
Pros:
Silicone bottles are rare but adored. I would classify these as medium-priced. They are soft, easy for babes to hold, dishwasher safe, BPA free, and very lightweight. Silicone bottles are like a happy medium between glass and plastic. They're not as sterile or heavy as glass, but they are not as porous and prone to stains as plastic. They are perfect for the mom looking for something at a lower price point than glass but with the safety features involved.
Last, and most popular, are plastic bottles:
Cons:
Plastic bottles have the shortest lifespan, mostly from wear and scratches, but they can still last a fairly long time. Plastic bottles can also get stains or cloudy after a lot of use since they are more porous.
Pros:
Plastic bottles are certainly the cheapest and the most common option. They have the largest variety, they travel well, and they should all be BPA free – a safe choice for your babe! Due to their versatility, they offer a lot of different options for parents, from nipples to venting to bottles that make formula feeding incredibly easy for parents who need to go that route! Because of all these things they will most likely continue to be the most popular bottles in the market.
In the end, it’s all up to how and where you want to spend your money. They each serve the same purpose and are safe options for baby. Bottles are simply one choice among many that we must make as parents, and if you ask me, you can’t go wrong no matter which one you choose!
