When it comes down to baby products, especially with baby bottles, your baby’s safety is a must and cleanliness is a big factor. To choose an appropriate bottle for your baby, there can be many factors other than age brackets, such as health conditions (if your baby is prone to colic or gas problems), as well as materials used and durability.
The Comparison: Dr. Brown or Avent Bottle?
In this review, we compare two great baby bottles: Dr. Brown’s Original Bottle and the Philips Avent Bottle, highlighting their best features.
Prevention of Colic Problems
Both Dr. Brown and the Avent bottles have the design to help prevent or fight colic problems that can show up in your baby. Related problems that it might work against include burping, gas, fussing, spit-up and various tummy discomforts. This is because both of them are designed with an anti-colic valve in each of the nipples to prevent gas build-up.
Colic or gas problems is always one of the biggest problems for babies who are newborns, and even those who are a few months older. Colic happens when they suck up too much gas and it forms bubbles in their stomach, causing discomfort. To prevent this from happening, a newborn’s baby bottle should have air vents to prevent the build-up of gas in your baby’s stomach.
The winner in this round: both
BPA-free
When it comes down to being BPA-free, both Dr. Brown and the Avent bottles are deemed BPA-free so they are clearly safe for your child. Having a BPA-free bottle is highly important because BPA or bisphenol A has been linked to various mental development problems for children and babies, such as those relating to behavioral issues.
The winner in this round: both
Dishwasher-safe
An easy to clean set of baby bottles and nipples is crucial for parents who are often busy with work or other commitments. Dr. Brown and the Avent bottles are both dishwasher-safe so you can easily clean them there. In fact, both of them can also be put in the microwave if you really want to disinfect them, and the plastic materials will not melt at all.
Having an easy to clean set of baby bottles is important if you are always struggling to keep up with your baby’s needs while attending to the office or freelance work. Both Dr. Brown and the Avent bottles prove to be great in terms of cleanup ease, which is a common problem for other baby bottles due to having substandard material that might easily crack or deform when you put them in the dishwasher (even more if you microwave them!).
Therefore, it pays to invest just a little bit more if you want a quality set of baby bottles for your baby that will be easy to clean and durable at the same time.
The winner in this round: both
Sizes Available
Dr. Brown’s original bottle is currently available in four sizes: 2 ounces, 4 ounces, 8 ounces and one for preemies (premature babies) at 2 ounces as well. This lets you choose the right size that is intended for your baby’s age and regular formula (or breast milk intake).
On the other hand, the Avent bottle only has three choices so far: 4 ounces, 9 ounces, and 11 ounces, giving fewer choices at hand as compared to Dr. Brown’s bottles. However, it is interesting to note that while Dr. Brown’s bottles are intended for smaller babies, the Avent bottles seem to be ideal for older babies who can take up to 11 ounces of milk or formula in one go.
Choosing the right size of baby bottle for your baby is important. You don’t want your baby to have to consume too much or too little baby formula (or milk), so you should definitely consider finding the right size for them that they can easily feed on without getting discomfort or gas problems in the long run.
The winner in this round: Dr. Brown’s original bottle
Price
When it comes down to price, Dr. Brown’s original bottle is slightly more expensive than the Avent bottles. This is probably because the Avent bottles are more common in the market as compared to Dr. Brown’s original bottles. Even if you do divide the prices for individual bottles and compare them side by side, the Avent bottles are still cheaper for each, as compared to Dr. Brown’s original bottles.
The price of baby products, especially with baby bottles, is one of the most crucial things that awaits first-time parents as a common financial problem. Baby products can be expensive, but investing in good ones can help your baby to stay healthy, strong and comfortable all throughout their developmental stages.
While it is okay to invest in quality products sometimes, consumers are more attuned to lower-priced products, especially if they are on a tight budget, so perhaps Avent bottles may be the best for you if you are trying to cut down your expenses in the long run.
The winner in this round: Philips Avent baby bottles
For Breast Milk
If you are a breastfeeding mom, both Dr. Brown and the Avent bottles can give you a chance to either supplement with formula or pump some milk into the bottles, in case you’re always on the go at work. Unlike other baby bottle brands, these two are definitely okay to use with breast milk and can be a supportive set even for breastfeeding moms.
The reason why other baby bottles may not be suitable for breast milk or for breastfed babies is that of the lack of natural design – something that your baby may be looking for if they should move from a mom’s nipples to synthetic nipples. The design of the nipples should mimic that of a mom’s so that they can latch on easily with less worry and hesitation.
The winner in this round: both
Leak Prevention
When it comes down to keeping leaks at bay, Dr. Brown’s original bottle seems to be okay. However, it is mostly a trial and error process – sometimes, you might not find the bottles functioning well depending on the batch that you get. Some reviewers reported leaks on the bottles, which can be a bit frustrating, but are workable, nonetheless.
On the other hand, many reviewers have claimed that the Philips Avent seems to be better than Dr. Brown bottles in terms of keeping away leaks due to the tight seal around the nipples. There were still a few reports of leaks, but those were due to misuse and bad batches. Overall, more reviewers have concluded that Avent seems to have the upper hand in this factor.
Having a leak-free or leak-resistant baby bottle is important for moms who may be too busy to clean up after their baby. It also saves you the frustration of having to refill the bottle with formula or breast milk, which can waste serious amounts of $$$ and effort overall.
The winner in this round: Philips Avent baby bottles
Color Choices
While not really a big factor, it does matter for some people to have choices in color for the baby bottles. Dr. Brown’s original bottles only come in clear bottles, while with Philips Avent, you can choose two other colors (pink and blue) depending on your preferences (and your baby’s).
The winner in this round: Philips Avent baby bottles
Conclusion
To conclude the comparison, we think that the Philips Avent baby bottles take home the trophy. This is because you get extra leak protection when feeding your baby, a cheaper price, and choices in colors, as compared to Dr. Brown’s original bottle, which, on the other hand, is only advantageous when it comes down to bottle size choices.
Tell us what you think! Which is better for you: Dr. Brown or Avent bottles? Let us know in the comment section below!
