Dr. Brown's vs Avent vs MAM: how to pick a baby bottle
By Myranda Duma, Founder of Tiny Trials
Somewhere around week two, most of us end up standing in the kitchen at an unreasonable hour, holding a bottle our baby has just firmly rejected, wondering if we bought the wrong one. If that is you right now: you did not do anything wrong, and you are in very good company.
Dr. Brown's, Philips Avent and MAM come up in every bottle conversation for a reason, they are genuinely good. But they work in different ways, and here is the thing nobody tells you plainly: there is no single best bottle. There is only the one your baby actually feeds happily with. So let me walk you through how these three really differ, the way I wish someone had done for me.
Dr. Brown's, the one for tummy troubles
If your baby is gassy, colicky or a champion air-swallower, this is the one people point you to. Dr. Brown's has a little internal vent (a tube inside the bottle) that pulls air away from the milk, which is exactly what you want when trapped air is making feeds miserable. The catch, and I will be honest, is that it has more parts. More parts means more washing at midnight, and if it is not put back together just right it can leak. Worth it for a lot of babies. Just know what you are signing up for.
Philips Avent, the easy one
Avent goes simpler. There is an anti-colic valve in the base that lets air in and keeps the nipple full, fewer parts to lose in the dishwasher, and a wide, natural-feeling nipple that a lot of babies latch onto without a fight. If you are moving between breast and bottle, or you just want less fuss at 3am, this is the easygoing pick.
MAM, the happy medium
MAM is the one that quietly gets on with it. A vented base for the anti-colic side, a self-sterilising trick that saves you a step, and a soft nipple shape a lot of babies just accept. It lands somewhere between Dr. Brown's tummy focus and Avent's simplicity, and it is usually kind to your budget too.
So which one wins?
Whichever one your baby says yes to. Truly. If colic is the battle, Dr. Brown's is built for it. If you want easy, Avent. If you want simple and good value, MAM. There is no one-size-fits-all baby, and the bottle that saved your friend's sanity might be the one yours spits across the room.
The honest way to figure it out
Here is the frustrating truth: your baby has not read a single review. The only test that counts is a nipple in their own mouth, and you cannot get that from a product photo. Which is the whole reason Tiny Trials exists, because I got tired of buying full packs of bottles on a hunch and donating most of them.
Our Bottle Box puts newborn bottles from trusted brands, including Philips Avent, in one box, across different nipple shapes and anti-colic systems, so you can let your baby be the judge and keep the winner. No guessing, no drawer of rejects.
Have a look at the Bottle Box and let your baby pick their favourite.
Related reading: Tiny Trials vs Babylist, an honest comparison, and, if you are breastfeeding, lactation consultant Shannon Pratten on when to introduce a bottle. Want to try a few bottles at home first? Our bottle sampler has five newborn bottles from trusted brands.
Anti-colic vent designs described here are based on each brand's documented bottle systems (Dr. Brown's internal vent, Philips Avent base valve, MAM vented base) as of September 2026. This is general information, not medical advice.
Myranda Duma | Founder, Tiny Trials
Myranda is a mom of two who knows the invisible load parents carry, how quickly small decisions add up, and how often you are asked to commit to a product without knowing what will actually work. She built Tiny Trials from that lived experience, so families can discover what suits their baby without the guesswork. One tiny trial at a time.
