The bottle is one of the most important tools parents use to feed their baby. Whether you’re breastfeeding, using formula or both, a high-quality bottle will help your child thrive.
But the world of bottles can be intimidating if you don’t know what you’re looking for. You may not even be sure what size to get or which brand to choose. And that’s not even considering all of the different styles, materials and closures there are to choose from. The options seem endless, and choosing the right bottle for your child can feel overwhelming.
Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you and put together this article to help you find the best bottle for your little one. From what to look for in a bottle to how to properly wash and care for it, we’ve got you covered. We also share our favorite bottle accessories and tips to make your baby feeding experience as easy (and cute!) as possible!
Before we dive into the details, it’s important to be aware of some of the specialized terminology used on this site and throughout bottle collecting in general. Many of these terms are collector based, while others are technical glassmaking jargon. We’ve tried to avoid using these terms unless absolutely necessary, and where possible, have substituted other words for them (like rim and lip). Please refer to our Glossary Page for more information on this subject.
Ejection mark – A circular mark left on the base of a bottle by some press-and-blow, automatic or semi-automatic machines that were used to produce mouth-blown bottles and jars (like the Lynch MB Two Table shown below). This type of mark is produced when the pre-bottle was forced out of the first parison mold through a grasping ring mold by the force of a metal rod. This process was called “ejection” and the person who operated this part of a bottle production line was known as a ‘lear tender’ (Bridgeton Evening News 1889).
Heel – The lowest portion of a bottle where it curves down into the base. Sometimes referred to as the insweep, or heel (see the General Bottle Morphology page for an illustration).
Keyed mold – A variation on a two-piece hinge mold in which the bottom mold seam arches up instead of being straight like on most two-piece molded bottle types. This type of mold was very common for Burgundy bottles and is highly indicative of these bottles being blown between the late 1840s and early 1870s – especially when combined with a squared off rather than arched jog (see the Keyed Mold discussion on the Bottle Bases page).
Laid-on ring – A thin trail of glass, usually a single bead, fused to the inside of a bottle above the bore, or at the neck end as a means of strengthening the weakened area of this area of the bottle. The lay-on ring is a relatively recent development in the manufacture of bottles and jars. See the Lay-on Ring discussion on the Bottle Finishes & Closures page for more information.
