Philips Avent Anti-Colic Plastic Baby Bottle

If you suspect your baby might benefit from an anti-colic bottle, the Philips Avent Anti-Colic plastic baby bottle is on our shortlist of options to try. This polypropylene bottle is in the middle range price-wise of all the bottles we tested, and it's easy to assemble, take apart and clean. The bottle's “airflex” venting system, meant to help reduce gas and colic symptoms, is built right into the nipple.

Ease of use

The Anti-Colic’s nipple is a traditional, rounded shape with a ribbed texture that Philips Avent says prevents nipple collapse. Our parent testers didn't report any concerns with the nipple inverting or collapsing, so it seems to do the trick. As your baby feeds, the venting valve flexes so that air flows into the bottle instead of into baby’s tummy, which is meant to reduce reduce gas, burps and spit up. Our parent testers didn't notice any changes in their baby's digestion while they were testing this bottle.

Philips Avent nipples are available in six different flow rates, which gives you lots of options for keeping baby happy. Our parent testers mostly agreed that the flow rate on the nipple recommended for their baby's age was right for their baby, and none reported any leaking while feeding their babies.

The bottle’s neck is a bit narrower that some bottles, so you’ll want to slow down when adding powdered formula, but the volume markers are clear and easy to read. The bottle warms easily in a standard bottle warmer. Our parent testers found the bottle was comfortable to hold, and older babies had no troubles holding it on their own.

With only four pieces, the Philips Avent Anti-Colic keeps things nice and easy. With the smaller neck, you’ll need a good-quality plastic bottle brush for cleaning inside. This bottle didn’t stain when we let it soak overnight in a water, dish soap and spaghetti sauce bath.

In our drop tests from counter height, the travel lid stayed on, and we didn’t notice any leaks after carrying a full bottle around in a diaper bag for 30 minutes. Although one of our parent testers did say the the lid came off in her diaper bag more often than she would have liked.

Final word

Philips Avent has been making baby bottles for decades, and its Anti-Colic bottle is popular with many parents. Our parent testers all agreed it offers good quality, ease of use and value. The simple design and popularity make it a good option if you’re looking for a reasonably priced anti-colic bottle.