Updated 12/6/08
Think Baby introduced a new line of baby bottles earlier this year. We’ve had a little time to learn more about the new kid on the block. Here are a few thoughts on how Think Baby bottles compare to both Born Free and Green to Grow wide neck bottles:
- I really like that all baby bottle and sippy cup parts are interchangeable in both Think Baby and Born Free.
- The Think Baby anti-colic valve is very intriguing. The valve is a simple little tube (also made of silicone) that extends down from the collar of the nipple into the bottle. It allows air to enter the bottle as the baby sucks, which in turn equalizes the pressure within the bottle. It is a simple way to accomplish eliminating a vacuum without the added parts. Born Free has several extra parts to clean and to worry about keeping track of, but has proven to be a reliable air venting system. Green to Grow doesn’t offer a vent at this time.
- I personally like the shape of the Think Baby nipple; it’s wide neck nipple has a shorter base, as compared to Born Free’s taller base. Green to Grow wide neck bottles compare more closely to Think Baby in its shape. All three are wide neck nipples which promote a better latch for baby.
- Green to Grow regular neck bottles work with Medela and Lansinoh breast pumps, where Born Free and Think Baby bottles do not.
- The nipple flows are a little too fast with Think Baby, where Born Free’s is right on the money. Think Baby’s venting system allows more of a free flow than expected. UPDATE 4/24/08: Think Baby has released their reduced flow cross cut nipples. The original flow is still included with the bottle twin pack, but you can order the cross cut to try out here. UPDATE 5/14/08: We’ve given the cross cut nipples a run for their money with some Home Grown Testing. They are excellent!! We’ve received nothing but positive feedback from our customers as well. UPDATE 6/21/08: All of our Think Baby bottles now come with the new slow flow cross cut nipple.
- Think Baby pricing is very competitive, as is Green to Grow. Green to Grow and Born Free are a little pricier.
- An added positive for all three options is knowing that I’m supporting such great charities like Healthy Child Healthy World (through Think Baby and Born Free) and 1% for the Planet and Bottles for Babies (through Green to Grow).
Hopefully this information will help you choose between the front runners on the BPA free market. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences about these bottles too!
Still can’t decide which bottle to buy? Start out with our exclusive Baby Bottle Samplers, which include the most popular bottle styles. That way you can give them a try before buying your whole stash of bottles.
2/6/08 UPDATE: We’ve had an interesting question come up: inquiring minds want to know, “Are the nipples interchangeable between Born Free, Think Baby, and the wide neck Green to Grow bottles?” The answer is a resounding YES!
3/11/08 UPDATE: We just heard from Think Baby that we will soon have access to the new flow rate nipples. We can’t wait to see how they work with the unique venting system.
UPDATE 4/24/08: Think Baby has released their reduced flow cross cut nipples. The original flow is still included with the bottle twin pack, but you can order the cross cut to try out here.
UPDATE 4/24/08: Thanks to a tip from one of our customers, we learned that Born Free has recently switched the plastic in their bottles to PES, just like Green to Grow and Think Baby.
UPDATE 5/14/08: We’ve given the cross cut nipples a run for their money with some Home Grown Testing. They are excellent! We’ve received nothing but positive feedback from our customers as well.
UPDATE 8/16/08: Think Baby has just released the long awaited Handle and Training Spout Conversion Kit for their bottles!
Filed under: Safer Baby Bottles | Tagged: Born Free Baby Bottles, BPA Free Baby Bottle Review, Green to Grow Baby Bottles, Think Baby Bottles
Hi Gina,
The current slow flow Think Baby nipple is probably too fast for a newborn. We will have access to a Stage Zero, slower flow soon.
If you’ll email me at info@thesoftlanding.com I’ll give you more details on that.
Thanks,
Alicia
Are any of these three bottles (Thinkbaby, Green to Grow wide neck, Born free) able to take the Avent nipples?
Hi Cindy,
We don’t carry Avent, so we’ve never had the opportunity to try their nipples. I did read about a little experiment at http://www.ashleybarchas.com/2007/11/30/bornfree-glass-baby-bottles/
“Avent Nipples work with the born free collar and bottle, but not sure how well, and you can’t use the born free vent in that case.”
Hope that helps,
Alicia
BornFree support Healthy Child Healthy World too you know. They’ve been doing it long before the others were even around. I know because that’s the reason I started buying their bottles.
Hi mothertotwins,
Your point is well taken. It was an oversight and we’ve corrected the article to reflect their support of Healthy Child.
We didn’t leave Born Free hanging in their initial intro to our blog, as you can see here.
Alicia
I’m a BornFree mom myself, but I tried Think Baby recently and my youngest (five months) couldn’t keep up with the flow – and that was a Stage One nipple.
I understand that they may not be suitable from newborns, but if that’s the case why do they need an anti-colic device?
Still, I’m delighted that more and more companies are making BPA-free bottles.
Regards
Beth
Do any of the above bottles accept the Avent nipples?
Thanks
Never mind, I read the above comments. Thanks
I tried the Aven nipple on the Green to Grow bottles–they fit OK, but I don’t think they vent. Or may be just a bit.
I got the Think Baby bottles and am SO DISAPPOINTED with them. I wanted to make you aware of some of the issues. I have corresponded with the founder, Kevin, and he said that they are working on some improvements. I think they will probably be great with improvements, but they should not be on the market as they are now.
The cap of the bottle no longer has the colored piece in it – that is shown in the pictures – b/c of a chocking hazard. Without that, the cap is not tight enough and the liquid in the bottle leaks everywhere if the bottle is shaken or tilted.
The nipples are not labeled with the levels, so they can all be confused very easily.
The flow is VERY fast. You did mention this on your site, so I was prepared and tried the slow nipple first. Even the slow nipple is a bit too fast for what my daughter is used to.
It is too bad. I will be returning the bottles and have since bought the Born Free.
I eventually bought the Thinkbaby bottles after testing them with Avent nipples in a store. Although both fit, they also both leak. The Green to Grow bottle + Avent nipple starting leaking at the nipple tip & bottle cap junction when I shook it with water inside. The thinkbaby one didn’t leak… until I brought it home… and put in warm milk… what a disaster that was. The thinkbaby bottle + Avent nipple leaked not only at the nipple tip (into the cap), but also at the junction between the nipple and the plastic collar (both into the cap and out of the bottle). So don’t buy either of these brands if you want to fit an Avent nipple. Also, the Avent collars do not screw onto either of these brands.
The only way to use an Avent nipple in a BPA free system is to use it with their Magic cups (which is their version of a sippy cup). The one good thing about Avent is that all their products can be used interchangably.
BTW, I’ve posted a comment on the zrecs site on the pros & cons with the thinkbaby bottles for those interested.
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-bpa-thinkbaby.html
I have the Green to Grow bottles. I have used the Dr.Brown’s nipples with no problems!
Hi Friends,
We’ve been using the Born Free bottles for about 4 months now and they are wonderful. The vent system really helps with gassiness. I did try to use my old Avent nipples at first to help with the transition. The Avent nipples on the Born Free bottle do leak about 75% of the time and I don’t recommend that combo. My only complaint with Born Free is that I wish there were more actual stores where you could purchase them. I’m super pleased with the Born Free bottles and will purchase their version of the sippy cup when we get to that point.
Hi!
I am expecting my first baby for april, and wan’t to make all the best possible choices for him! I had already bought Avent Breastpump Conversion Kit, to allow me to pump directly from my Medela breastpump into the Avent Breastmilk Storage Containers (they are just like the Avent 4oz bottles, but with caps instead of nipples) when i found out this whole Bisphenol problem… Now I want to find a solution that, like this Avent one, will allow me to pump directly into safe storage containers that can be used to feed “without gas” too… I don’t like the idea of the bags, they seem messy and that a lot of milk get lost on the process of transfering milk. Does anyone know if I could use the conversion kit (even being form Avent, they might be safe, it’s hard plastic, I wouldn’t heat it anyway, and are just to make the connection between the Medela pump and the container) with any of this BPA-free bottles and to freeze the bottles as milk storage and when time comes, just attach the nipples, warm the milk and feed my baby? Or if I still use the Avent storage bottles to freeze the milk, but don’t warm or feed in it, I would still have the chance to have chemicals leaked to the milk ? Oh, my God!!! I am so complicated and cannot express myself right! I really hope someone here understands what I am trying to say and can help me! Between the cloth diaper choices, bottles, pacifiers, mattress, etc, etc, every single decision is sooooo overwhelming! Thank you so much for your time and congratulations on your very nice website!
Hi Maria,
I feel for you as a new parent; I completely understand how overwhelming it all is. I have two kids now and the second is a toddler so I no longer have to deal with bottles. My first got milk exclusively from my breast and I was lucky enough to never have to use bottles of any kind. With my second however, I had to go back to work and had to pump and use bottles. The BPA thing hit after the bottles stage, but thank God I used glass bottles. I tried the Born Free for the sippy but did not like it at all because the sipply nipple is too soft and he bit it off. Desperate, I bought a Green to Grow bottle, and an avent sippy (hard) nipple and it worked! I still don’t like the avent product because it is not to my knowledge BPA free, but at least I know the bottle is.
I would not use the avent system unless they can tell you it is BPA and phylate free, which they can’t. Try Medela for milk storage because I think they have BPA free storage systems for milk and get a Green to Grow Bottle-they are great and also super cute.
Start by calling Alicia at the soft landing. She will help you tremendously as she has for me. One call to her and you will be set I am sure. She can help you find the right TOXIC FREE feeding system that fits your needs. That is my recommendation. By the way, it is my understanding from the scientific literature that even if you don’t heat the bottles that do contain BPA, they can still leach because every time you wash or steriize, you are releasing BPA. I hope that helps. For beds, just make sure you at least get an organic cotton mattress because normal ones have formaldehyde in them. I had one made for my guy and it really wasn’t that much more. Let me know if you want the name of a company that makes these beds.
Good Luck and hang in there.
Sapphire
Wow, now I’m wondering if I’m using the wrong nipples. I have 9 Think Baby bottles and purchased fast nipples for my 22 month olds and they keep collapsing the nipples. I’ve also run into the problem of catching the vent straw in the ring when I’m putting it on and it cuts it off and leaks everywhere…so be very careful that the straw is in the bottle and not caught.
Needless to say, we are switching bottles again and I’m just going to use glass.
Hi tripletlyblessed,
We’ve heard that the Thinkbaby nipples will sometimes collapse when the vent opening wasn’t made quite large enough during production. We’ve had people snip the tip of the vent tube ever so slightly and it resolved the problem every time.
Let us know if that works for you, okay?
Alicia
we just switched to the green to grow bottle from avent.
the nipples aren’t labelled, so you have to look closely at the holes to tell them apart. the nipple base is smaller than the avent, which means that the avent nipples don’t fit well– that’s ok though, the nipple is similar enough to the avent that our daughter switched to it with no problem.
the caps are too tight around the collar and are very difficult to remove. they seem too loose against the nipple, because when we travel anywhere with these bottles, milk flows into the cap. they’re ok when shaking them up after filling, but for some reason, whenever I take one somewhere this happens. Because of these two problems, when the cap finally comes off milk often flies everywhere. I deal with it now by always opening these with a burp cloth around the cap when taking it off, even though that makes it a bit more difficult to remove. even so there are usually drips.
when the cap is put back on, milk that stays in the cap often pushes out the top, around the colored insert in the cap. so I use the burp cloth to put it back on as well. if the cap isn’t put on carefully, the nipple will hit the colored insert sideways, and milk will flow into the cap fairly freely when shaking. our daycare providers almost always put the caps on this way.
these problems aren’t so bad that we’ll stop using these bottles at this point, since we seem to be getting used to dealing with them. but I do hope they are addressed in the future.
we loved the avent system, and find the design on these to be a bit behind the curve by comparison. we expected these simple design problems– the unlabeled nipples, two-piece caps, inadequate pressure between nipple and cap, too much room for error when replacing the cap– would have been, since there were such good systems on the market to learn from.
I have the green to grow bottles and although mine don’t leak, I did find the caps difficult to remove. I emailed green to grow and they told me they recently changed their lids based on customer feedback. They sent me some new lids for free and they are definitely easier to get off. And they’re really cute too! The customer service was great. I recommend you contact them and tell them you’re having problems. I’m sure they’ll offer to replace them. My daughter really loves these bottles and I’m so glad I no longer have to worry about the BPA issue.
I’ve been very happy with the Born Free bottles that I purchased. I am using the Dr. Brown’s (wide mouth) venting system (I’m pretty sure those are made of safe materials??), and they work well together without leaking. The bottle itself seems almost identical. The only thing I don’t like about Born Free is that it’s kind of boring in design–but not really a big deal at all.
@Sapphire: You ROCK! You did a fantastic job of answering Maria’s questions – you nailed it!
We also have the Think Baby bottles and noticed that they leak like crazy into the cap when you shake them. The fast flow is the worst and you’ll have a cap full of milk if you’re not careful. You really have to push down in the center of the cap in order to not have it leak much. If the next baby is needing to be bottle fed I am considering different bottles— again.
We bought the fast flow to go with these bottles and it is really fast. Our 7 month old had a hard time with it and finally 2 months later he can handle it. But, with the standard flow he would collapse the nipples.
Do the Green to Grow bottles work with the Dr. Brown’s venting system?
Hi Tori,
Thanks for your great question. Yes, it turns out the the Dr. Brown’s venting system fits the regular neck Green to Grow bottles. It does require the use of a Dr. Brown’s collar (they are taller than a normal collar), and the reservoir tube needs to be trimmed to fit the bottle.
Alicia
Will any of the other BPA free bottles fit the wide neck 8 oz. Dr. Brown’s vent system other than the BORN FREE? I don’t want to spend that much on a bottle system that I don’t plan on using their vent system if there is any other alternative! I have tried ThinkBaby and they will not work. The Dr. Browns collar is too tall and the Thinkbaby threading around the bottle too shallow. Anyone tried the Green to Grow wide neck with the Dr. Brown’s vent system. I know the regular neck fits. I have tried it but, I have about 20-30 Wide-neck Dr. Browns and LOVE thier vent system and the wide-neck but, need a BPA free bottle to use it in. Anyone tried the Gerber GentleFlow bottle with the wide-neck Dr. Browns vent and collar?? If not, this is my next experiment. Will let you all know what happens!
THANKS!
Has anyone tried Second Nature nipples with any of the wide neck BPA free bottles? I loved those nipples with baby #1 and had no problems switching from breast to bottle or milk leaking. I want to get away from their bottles because of the BPA but would like to have other nipple options in case baby #2 doesn’t like the nipple the new bottles come with. Any input??
Thanks
I spent alot of money on bottles trying to find the right one for my son because he was used to the Avent system. What I found out is that Nuby makes a wide neck bottle that the avent nipples , white collar, and dome cap fit perfectly. I even called Avent and they said that the nipples, collar, and dome cap are all BPA free. The nuby bottles are pretty cheap and go about $10 from babiesrus for a 3 pack. But make sure to get the wide neck ones.
I have used the Think Baby bottles for the last 3 months and have been really happy. I chose Think Baby because they were cheaper than Born Free. My daughter (4 months old at the time) easily transitioned to them using the slow and medium flow nipple. I do agree that they occasionally leak, and the nipples aren’t labeled so you will have to look at the hole to determine which one is which if you are using different flow rates. I have never had the nipple collapse while using them as some people have mentioned above.
I just purchased the Think Baby Bottle – because I liked that the 5oz bottle actually held 6oz and the sahpe was great for little hands to hold – but I do notice that the nipple collapses – why is this? I read that you can snip the tip of the tube off – but how much do you snip and does this cause the bottle to leak?
I am also interested in the answer to Christina’s question above, as I purchased the Thinkbaby bottles and am VERY disappointed with the nipples. My 8 mth old collapses the slow flow and the fast flow is too fast for her. I recently ordered the medium flow nipple so I hope that one is better. I can’t believe I had to buy 2 different sets of nipples especially at this late stage.
Christina and Jennifer,
The Think Baby company has had to work through some of their nipple issues to regulate the flow. In our experience, the nipple collapsing seems to happen if the lid is screwed down too tight, which creates a vacuum in the bottle.
We’ve also found that the tiny little venting tube is sometimes not punctured well enough during production. You can remedy that by taking a small, sharp pair of scissors and snipping the end of the tube very slightly to open it up a little. This allows more air to flow and prevents the vacuum from forming in the bottle.
Think Baby has just released their improved nipples which use a much smaller cross-cut flow for the opening of the nipple, so hopefully this will take care of the trouble.
Overall, we love our Think Baby bottles and think that they are worth this initial effort.
We would be happy to send you two a new set of cross cut nipples to try, if you’ll do us a favor and let us know how they work for you. Contact me at alicia@thesoftlanding.com with your mailing address and we’ll get them right out.
Thanks!
Alicia
Hi I just purchased the green to grow wide neck bottles, and I’m wondering if this was the best brand to buy for my daughters gassiness?
I was also wondering about the nipple, is it compatible with breastfeeding? Will it be like latching onto the breast, or is there a different nipple that is better?
Hi All,
I just purchased the thinkbaby bottles for my 3 month old baby girl. I was using the NUK Orthodontic bottles with nipples. I took a chance and tried the NUK nipples with the thinkbaby bottles and they work very well. I have had no problem with collapsing, the nipples are very secured. My daughter still uses the slow flow, they are good for newborns, it’s great I won’t have to purcahse all new nipples.
Thanks Alicia! I have sent you an e-mail with my mailing address. In the meantime I will try snipping the venting tube and not screwing it down too tight as well.
Great, Jennifer! We’re sending the new cross cut nipples out today.
We’ll be anxious to hear what you think,
Alicia
OMG, I just recieved the green to grow bottles in the mail today they are sooo cute…:) I had to pry them away from my 3yr old.
Susan,
I’m anxious to see if the Dr. Brown wide-neck venting system works with the Green to Grow bottles. I too have a small fortune invested in Dr. Brown wide necks but want to go BPA-free. Please let me know what you find out. Unless someone els has already done this and knows… I would really appreciate the information.
In reply to Jen about the Second Nature nipples. I bought a whole bunch of nipples & bottles, then this whole BPA thing come up, so I went with the wide neck green to grow. I really liked the idea of the second nature nipple & tried it in the green to grow collar & bottle and it works. I just put water in the bottle to see if it would leak & shook it up a bunch, and didn’t leak at all. (haven’t tried with milk yet though)
So I am glad my purchase of the second natured wasn’t an entire waste of $.
Alicia:
On your last update you state “we learned that Born Free has recently switched the plastic in their bottles to PES” — what is the difference health-wise between the new material and the old? We have been using the Born Free bottles for the last few months (old material); should we buy new ones?
Also, I’m curious about the MilkMate storage bottles — my daughter definitely needs the anti-gas measures BornFree (and others) offer. Does anyone know of an anti-colic nipple/ring system that will fit the Milkmate?
Thank you!!!!
Rebecca,
That’s a great question! No, you don’t need to worry about the switch to PES. The original Born Free bottles are perfectly fine to continue using. Polyamide is BPA free high quality plastic. Born Free has told us that PES is a little more heat durable for use in microwave sterilizers and such, so that’s why they switched.
A couple of thoughts on MM bottles and vented nipples: We tried the Nuby vented nipple with its ring and it screwed on okay, but when we turned to tighten it down, it just popped off of the threads. We did find the the Evenflo collar and vented nipples fit, but we haven’t tested it out to make sure it doesn’t leak.
Alicia
I just got the sampler and had two comments – we just tried the Think baby bottle and the flow was way too fast (baby kept spitting out the formula). The new cross cut slow flow nipples should be included with the sampler, as I now can’t make a good decision about this bottle without spending additional money (plus $10 s&h) if I want to try again with the new nipple.
the second comment is, while I like the adiri design, there is no way I am going to use a system I have to completely replace every three months to get to the advanced stages (instead of replacing just the nipples). I would have rather received a born free bottle instead of the Adiri in the sampler kit, to try all the systems with exchangeable nipples.
just my 2 cents…
Jen,
The Think Baby nipple flow isn’t too much for some babies, so that’s why they decided to offer the cross cut as a secondary option. Since we’d have to bump up the cost of the sampler to cover the addition of the cross cut nipple, we’d have to hear from a lot of parents confirming that they would like the change.
For parents who are lucky enough to have a laid back baby who will take any bottle, I can see why they wouldn’t want to replace the whole bottle. But when you’re desperate and nothing else works, it makes little difference whether you have to change out the whole bottle. It works like a miracle for many babies who are finicky about taking a bottle.
Not only do we love the Adiri, but we removed the Born Free bottle from our sampler simply because we can’t seem to keep them in stock on a regular basis. Born Free just announced to its retailers that they are having a shortage of bottles again, and that all of the their glass bottles and twin packs are unavailable until further notice, with no ETA.
Alicia
I recently ordered two each of Green To Grow (intermediate nipple), ThinkBaby (stage 2, crosscut), and Born Free (stage 2 nipple). The GTG nipple collapses, and the ThinkBaby stage 2 is too slow…my 7 mo old gets frustrated with the flow and doesn’t drink as much as he should. The nipple size is also not labeled and VERY difficult to tell the difference between the nips that came with the bottles and the stage 2’s (my husband opened and I’m still not sure I’m using the correct size!) My advice regarding ThinkBaby would be to order the size appropriate for the age of your baby. The Born Free are also good, but again the nipple is too slow – this is my fault for not ordering the correct nipple size. All together I’m happy with ThinkBaby (which I’ve had no problems re: leaking) and BornFree. I’m sure GTG is great for some babies, it’s really comes down to what they like. Thanks!
I love the thinkbaby nipples despite the two major issues (nipple collapse and leaking cap). I will try snipping the vent today to see if this works but the slow flow is still too fast for my 5 month old and she ends up choking. What is the difference between the xcut slow and med flow nipples. We were using Playtex avance stage 1 nipples which worked great for her. Which one would you recommend? Stage 1 xcut or stage 2 xcut.
Thanks.
Angela
I just switched my 18 month old to the Green to Grow bottles, and I had to stick to the Avent nipple b/c he’s so used to it. (We tried the G2G nipple, but he didn’t like it much, only finished half the bottle).
I know someone said the Avent nipple leaks – and I noticed that it does a bit. However, since my toddler does not like to hold the bottle anyway, and the leak is minimal – one or 2 drops at most for me. So far it has worked for us. I’ll try to find the Gerber NUK nipples and give those a try. But being diligent and “massaging” the avent nipple into the ring (to avoid leaks) seems to work okay for the meantime.
Our baby can easily transition from breast to bottle while using Second Nature nipples. These are the *only* nipples that work for us. The bottles are bad plastic. We’ve had good luck however with the new wide neck Green to Grow bottles. The nipples fit fine with no leaking.
We just received our Think Baby 9oz bottles and we love them. My 1.5 month old twins seem to be very happy with the flow (we are using the nipples that came with the bottle). I am happy with how light the bottles are and the fact that it doesn’t have as many parts to wash as the Born Free. We have the BF Stage 1 nipples which are too slow and Stage 2 nipples which are too fast. The Think Baby are just right (says Mama Bear).
So far, no leaking issues and I was actually just thinking about how great it is to shake formula in these bottles and not get leaking (like I did with the BF).
I am planning on purchasing more of these bottles to supplement the supply of Adiri Stage 1 & 2 bottles we already have.
Hi Alicia,
I received the crosscut nipples in the mail the other day, thank you very much! I tried them on my daughter and they were perfect! Much better than the original slow flow nipples that came with the bottle. We didn’t even have to snip the tube as the slit was perfectly cut. My daughter did not choke and splutter and the nipple did NOT collapse. With these new nipples I now LOVE my Thinkbaby bottles, and am now glad I got them over the Bornfree ones. To everyone whose baby is having problems with the slow flow nipples on the Thinkbaby bottles, I highly recommend getting the crosscut nipples, they absolutely work better!
Thanks again Alicia, I am sooo glad I found your site!
Jennifer
I want to know if there is a posiblity to use the avent nipples with any of these bottles? I already use the Born Free with the avent nipples with the complet venting system from born free and no leaking at all, but since there is a lot of parts to clean with Born Free and my baby does not have any problems with gas or colic I want to use another bottle, that is why I want to know if I can still my avent nipples with either the Think Baby or G2G bottles, or one of the two looks more like the Avent nipples. I do not want to spend more money trying bottles so I want to get some advise before buying it. Please let me know.
Thanks!
Frannys…
Thanks for the report on the new Think Baby cross cut nipples, Jennifer! We’ve had the same experience and we’re thrilled.
Think Baby has been very responsive to their customers’ needs from the beginning, so I’m not surprised that they were able to create such a fantastic upgrade to their nipple system.
And no cleaning or keeping track of extra parts!
Great job Think Baby,
Alicia
Frannys,
We haven’t tried the Avent nipples ourselves with GTG or Think Baby, but a reader named Cindy has (see above). She says that the Avent nipple does not work with those bottles (the nipple causes leaking from the bottle ring).
Alicia
Thanks Alicia, for letting me know, but I have another question for you, which nipples the G2G or Think Baby nipples looks more similiar to the Avent nipples, since what really matters for me is the nipple, my baby does not have any problem with gas or colic, that’s is why I do not like the born free bottles that I have, since there is too many parts to clean, so let me know in your experience with both brands which fo them you think looks more similir to the avent nipple, for me to order it today, I really need it.
Thanks so much!
Frannys
You’re welcome
Since your baby doesn’t have gas troubles and doesn’t need a vent, I think the GTG nipples are shaped the most like Avent.
There is a new bottle set to be released in the next month or so that has an Avent-shaped nipple and also has an anti-colic feature. We’ll spill the beans as soon as we can
Alicia
Thanks so much! Alicia, I am goin to order the G2G bottles today to give it a try.
Frannys
Alicia, I want to know which of the green to grow or think baby holds more than 9oz in the wide neck bottles and wich them last longer, the Green to Grow or the Think Baby bottles.
Thanks
Carlina…
Carlina,
Both bottles actually hold about the same amount, even though GTG is listed as being a 10oz bottle. They’re both made from the same plastic (PES), so each will last the same amount of time.
Alicia
Thanks Alica for your help, this website is very helfull.
I was given a Avent Isis breast pump and am really not wanting to replace it. However I don’t want to use the bpa bottles or the bpa-free disposable Via. So is there a way to find out if a bottle is compatible with my pump? I’ve seen recommendations about the nipples but not about pumps. Or does anyone know of a converter I could get?
i am going to replace my advent bottles, which i love, for my 8 month old. i have spent a fortune on all of hte bottles and accessories i have, so before i buy new ones i want to make sure i get it right. i am thinking the gtg, but you mentioned a new bottle coming soon that is similar to the advent? i want to transition him to a sippy cup soon, any good transition type cups? i also have a 2 1/2 year old who has about 10 sippy cups so i need to replace those too. suggestions for some good, leak proof ones? one more question…should i get rid of my advent binkys? why can’t advent just fix their products! i love their products!
i feel stupid…i kept spelling it advent! sorry, long day, i meant avent!
Hi! My daugther was used to avent bottles and switched to Born Free with no problems, but I did not like to be cleaning all the extra parts so I purchased the Green to Grow but the nipple collapses and she was so frustrated, maybe is because she was used to a bottle with a vented system, so I finally ended up again with Born Free, she loves her born free bottles and they do not leak if you tight them right. So I highly recomend born free for children that were used to avent.
Does anyone know if the new cross-cut slow flow think baby nipples work on the wide neck green to grow bottles?
I know this thread is in regards to the technical merits of Think Baby/Born Free/ Green to Grow but I’m a soon-to-be first time mom… and just need to know what to order… how to start out. Certainly this group is OVER qualified to answer my newbie question. Thank you in advance for your patience!
After loads of research…. I think I will try the Thinkbaby bottle.
What would you order to start out?
How many of each?
____ 5oz baby bottle twin pack
____ 9 oz baby bottle twin pack
_____ Cross Cut (Fast Flow) Nipple – Two Pack
_____ Cross Cut (Medium Flow) Nipple – Two Pack
_____ Cross Cut (Slow flow) Nipple – Two pack
again… thank you for taking the time to answer this newbie’s question.
Sincerely,
Karen
Hi Kona,
I’m a soon-to-be first time mom as well. The advice I’ve been getting from my friends that have children is to just start out with a few bottles and make sure they work with your baby before buying a whole set. You may even want to try 2 brands. I’m starting with two 5oz think baby bottles and 1 pack of the cross cut slow flow nipples. I also have a set of 2 of the 5oz born free bottles i just got as a gift but plan to return them if the think baby bottles work out. They seem great but more work to clean. Hope this helps you.
Thank you Jen.
Do you know what makes them hard to clean specifically. Is it the “anticolic vent”….
does it take extra scrubbing?… I read that they can go in the top rack of your dishwasher.
what extra care is required????
many many thanks,
Karen
Hi Kona,
I don’t think that there are difficult to clean, I wash them with the born free bottle brush or my avent brush with no problem, and yes they can go on the top rack of the dishwasher, but the true is there are two more pieces to clean, which I don’t like but my daugther loves them, and she is only two more months until she would switch to drink only from sippy cups, and born free sippy cups and bottles are interchangeable, that is a plus for me, I already bought the sippy cups spouts and tried them with the bottles and they work perfectly.
..no extra care required, just the ensential.
Thanks,
Frannys…
sorry, I meant essential….
As a mother of five (all boys) I’ve tried nearly every bottle on the market at some time or other. I have to say that it doesn’t surprise me that BornFree are selling out all over the country – its simply a great bottle. From the plastic, to the venting system that reduces vaccum, to the interchangeable cups and bottles – its a great brand. Washing up extra pieces is an extra 15 seconds of my life I’m willing to sacrifice for a great product and my kids’ comfort and wellbeing.
Rose
I am very disappointed with the Thinkbaby bottles nipples. At first I loved them, my 3 month old did fine with the standard nipple it came with, but after a while I noticed that the nipple itself became softer and started collapsing. So I bought some medium crosscut, same thing happened, they were great at first and then started collapsing. I contacted the company and was told I should buy the fast flow nipple, that my son clearly needed a faster flow. But that isn’t true because sometimes it doesn’t collapse and sometimes it does and it doesn’t matter if he is crazy hungry or lazily feeding and the cap is not screwed on to tight nor is there a blockage in the valve as they suggested were all reason for the nipple to collapse. So I wrote an email to the company voicing my disappointment in their customer service the next day the founder of the company actually got back to me himself. He basically reiterated what the girl on the phone told me and made the suggestion that I try the fast flow nipple. Sadly no retailer carries Thinkbaby by me so I had to order them, the problem is that you have to order a minimum and I don’t want to waste anymore money trying yet another nipple I don’t have any trust or faith in. In my opinion the company should have been happy to send me just one fast flow nipple, but they didn’t offer nor did I get a response after I responded back to the founder. Now I am looking for another nipple that will work with the bottles. I have already spent well over $100 on thinkbaby bottles and nipples.
Does anyone know of a nipple that does work with the rings and bottles?
That’s true Rose, I wanted to stay using my avent nipples with my bornfree bottles but my daugther already got use to bornfree and those are great bottles, I tried the green to grow and she refused them, the nipple collapsed all the time. That’s why they are hard to find now, since they are the best.
Frannys…
Kona, are you exclusively bottle-feeding, or will you be breastfeeding, too? If so, how much do you plan to use bottles?
Hi,
I’ve read and learned a lot about this BPA issue.
All of those baby bottles made of plastic out there claim that they are BPA free. However, i just wonder, whether the plastic materials they use (polypropelene, polyamide, PES, etc) are really safe heatlh-wise? Or it is just the matter of time before we find out that the materials will also leach other chemical content(s) which may be as harmful or even more than the BPA today?
Remember, polycarbonate itself has been used for years, before this issue of BPA came out.
I’ve had an issue with the Born Free glass bottles. 3 of them have broken and shards of glass have been found around the house. Anyone else had issues with them? Thanks.
Those of you that are using Avent nipples on Born Free, how do get them to not leak? Mine leak about 80% of the time, I’m not sure if it depends on how old the nipple is, or how tight the bottle is? I’ve been really tightening them down, and had about 4 in a row not leak, then all of a sudden I had a leaker! I orderd GTG nipples, medium flow- they are way too fast! The milk literally pours out the hole in a stream if you turn it upside down!! So now I’m trying to decide if I should try slow flow think babys for my 4 month old twins? I really like the Avent nipples- I wish they wouldn’t leak! ANy other suggestions on nipples for Born Free bottles? I hate paying their highway robbery price for nipples when the other brands are about 2/3 the price for more nipples!
If you love the AVENT nipples, buy Nuby wide neck bottles which are BPA-free and work really well with the Avent nipple, o-ring, and dome cap. They did not leak at all with the avent nipple. They are also very cheap. 3pack 8oz wide neck bottles from babiesrus for $10.
Is the neck of thinkbaby bottle and born free the same with regular neck green to grow bottle? Can thinkbaby and born free bottle fits with medela breast pump?
I am still confused after reading all of the comments regarding these bottles. Overall, out of the green to grow and think baby bottles, which one leaks more and which brand’s nipple collapses more?? Is the think baby a better bottle(using the new nipple over the green to grow ??)
We have been using the green to grow bottles for a week now (babe is 4 weeks old) and so far we’ve had really good luck! She collapsed the nipple once but I had the top scewed on too tight.
They are crazy cute!! I got the wide bottle and love that they can be filled to 5oz.
2 thumbs UP from me and daughter!
I have a question about the Think Baby bottles: I love them, and the easy venting system, but the nipples I got are way too fast. They were not ordered from this site (I hadn’t found it yet, alas) and the nipples do have the cross cut, but I’m wondering if maybe the bottles came with medium flow nipples. They aren’t labeled so I can’t tell. Is there any way I could tell the difference? The bottles are the larger size. I like the nipple and the venting system better than the Born Free, so I would like to make these work.
Also, how is the flow rate of the Evenflo Comfort Select Nipples? The #3 BF nipples are too fast, but the #2s are too slow and I’m wondering how these would compare.
I just bought the Green 2 Grow wide neck 10 oz bottle. My son is 7 months and use to the avent bottles. Normally it takes him 10 minutes to drink 10 oz and very he drinks it very comfortably, I used the G2G 0-3 month nipple (and thought it to be fast) and he drank 10 oz in 5 minutes, and at the end he spit up because I guess he drank it too fast. What is the average time a baby drinks 10 oz around 7 months, I don’t want to hurt his digestive system by him gulping the milk down too quickly.
I have to renege on my glowing comments regarding the Green To Grow.
After a LONG weekend of projectile barf, gagging and spitting up I discovered that the flow of the nipple is WAY TO FAST! If you tip it upside down it flows out non-stop where as the Playtex Drop In nipples barely drip per 10 secs.
NOT a nipple that should be used for a newborn!!!! (especially as a BF-ing supplement)
Boo! Boo! BOO!
I use Dr. Brown nipples with G2G bottles when we’re out (Evenflo Glass bottles at home). No problems with the nipple but the Dr. Brown vent system makes it leak (we cut the tubing to fit the Evenflo bottles and so they also fit in G2G). I was considering putting an order for a couple of Think Baby bottles but with the response above from Jaimi, I’m not sure anymore.
Nicole,
I emailed the company and they are sending me G2G new Xsmall size nipples!!! They arent on the market yet apparently.
Oh cool! I’ll email them too! Thanks!
I love the Think Baby bottles with cross-cut nipples (very important because the old nipples were terrible, as many mentioned). Everything about them is perfect… except for the leaking cap. This happens every time we go out. But fortunately, the ring doesn’t leak at all, the bottle is easy to clean and my son loves it. Previously, I used the Playtex Advance bottles. I liked them but cleaning them was tedious.
I am expecting baby #2 in a few weeks, and have realized I need to ditch the dozens of Avent bottles we have from baby #1. That said, does anyone know if the thinkbaby bottles (yes, I know I need to order the new lower-flow nipples) are compatible with the Ameda breast pumps? I’d hate to have to pump into one bottle then switch to another for milk storage. Thanks so much for any info!
The Sassy MAM nipples work great with the Think Baby bottles – no leaks!. The flow is just right for my 2 month old. The original Think Baby nipples were too fast. The Avent nipples work with the Sassy MAM (BPA Free) & Born Free bottles. Dr. Brown’s nipples worked with the Born Free but they collapsed too much for me. The Green to Grow nipples don’t collapse but I haven’t found a nipple that is interchangeable. My baby prefers the wide neck bottle/nipple systems.
The Gerber Nuk nipples fit both the Green to Grow and the Think Baby. I bought something like 7 different bottle systems (BPA free) hoping to find a fit for the avent nipples that my first son used. But once my son was born, and he did not have a good latch to the breast or bottle, and a powerful suck, I had to search for a suitable nipple that would fit a BPA free bottle and had a slow enogh flow. The 5 oz Green to Grow wide neck also fits nicely into a thermos of hot water for heating on the go.
PS So far the NUK nipples seem to do their anti vacuum job. No bubbles eminating from the mouth.
Hi Alicia,
I’m still not clear how to best clean BPA free bottles? Sounds like I should be avoiding the microwave and the dishwasher for even these? How do I simplify this process? Do I just go to glass bottles and put them in the dishwasher? Please advise.
Also, are there any regular neck BPA free bottles on the market that have the vent system like Dr. Browns but with less parts? I love Dr. Browns but all the parts are so annoying! I purchased Green to Grow but this is assuming my kid has no gas issues
Hi Lee,
That’s a great question! Many parents have been concerned about how to clean BPA free baby bottles. The question arises from the information we first heard about polycarbonate bottles, stating that BPA can leach from them if scratched or heated.
This is not the case with BPA free bottles, so you can wash them as you would normally on the top rack of the dishwasher. They are supposed to be microwave safe as well, but we don’t recommend placing any plastics in the microwave, because it’s not know what happens to any type of plastic when exposed to hot-spots and over-heating in the microwave.
As for regular neck BPA free bottles with a venting system – that’s a tough one. Our best recommendation is to try anti-colic nipples, such as Evenflo or Nuby, that have a small venting system in the nipple itself.
Alicia
I just wanted to comment on the post by Sindy in this thread. I would not recommend using Avent nipples in wide neck Nuby bottles. The nipple fits through the hole of the ring but then you can’t screw the ring on to the bottle properly.
Hi Lo and Sindy,
We now carry Avent bottle collars and nipples, so we had the chance to test them out ourselves. They worked perfectly with the Nuby wide neck bottles – so long as you use the Avent collar. The Nuby collar will not make a complete seal with the Avent nipple.
I encourage you to give it a try . . .
Alicia
Hi there. I have 8 month old twin girls who are currently using the playtex drop in system with the rubber nipples. We have now run into the issue that the girls are sometimes refusing to eat from the bottles and have started a new game of pusing the nipples inwards so they leak everywhere. The slow nipples are too slow for them and the fast ones with we are currently using often are too fast for them as well. I can never win!
Unfortunately the avent system as well as many others (gerber, nipple to small) have not worked for us this time around. My oldest used the playtex system and my middle child used avent. The twins do not like the shape of the nipple. Two square with the flat end. I also think they hate it because they cannot collapse it as they can with the playtex system. I have been trying to get away from the playtex as I am tired of buying boxes of liners every week for them. It is such as wate with two little ones in the house.
Also the paediatrician has asked us to cut back on their milk as a way to promote them eating more solids. Which they seem to hate also. I cannot justify buying the 8 oz liners when I only need one to hold 5 oz and the 4 oz liners are too small.
I was thinking of trying the Think Baby bottles as the shape of the top of the nipple is rounded much like the playtex. My husband is concerned about nipple confusion, but I think we are well past that issue at this point at 8 months. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am at a loss. With 4 kids in the house, money is tight and do not want to spend a fortune trying out new bottles. We have already tried a few brands to no avail. HELP!
“It does require the use of a Dr. Brown’s collar (they are taller than a normal collar), and the reservoir tube needs to be trimmed to fit the bottle.”
How does one go about trimming this? I want to buy some for the Evenflo glass bottles I already have…
I was using the Born Free bottles for a few months, and was quite happy, but tried Think Baby just for a change of pace. We did not like them at all. Because the base of the Think Baby nipple is dome shaped (as opposed to Born Free, which are a bit more “square”), my son’s mouth could not form a firm seal around the base of the nipple – there were little gaps at the corner of his mouth where the dome sloped away. The result was that tons of milk flowed out the corners of his mouth. It’s a shame, b/c I liked that the Think Baby bottles did not have the two extra filter pieces which come with the Born Free bottles.
When you say snip the tube on the thinkbaby bottles to keep the nipple from collapsing. Do you mean make the slit bigger or actually cutting the tip of the tube off?
Oh and I have one more question. Sometimes I have problems with the nipple leaking where the nipple and cap meet. Do I have a defective nipple or is there something I am doing wrong? Thanks.
Hi. I recently purchased the thinkbaby bottles. My son was previously on the born free but the level one nipples were too slow and the level two were too fast. The born free level one cross cut seems to be just right, however, I am having problems with the nipple leaking where it snaps into the cap. Any suggestions? Also, as for snipping the tube do you mean making the slit bigger on the tube or cutting the tip off? Thanks!
I just bought the Born Free bottles and am wondering the best way to warm them up. We have an Avent bottle warmer that I have been using with the Drop In system, but I prefer to microwave, since it’s much faster (particularly in the middle of the night).
Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks.
So have all of the old problems with the Green to Grow bottles been fixed now, do they still leak?… Think baby? Born free?
First I just want to thank chanla and Jen for putting me onto the Second nature nipples. I’ve been worrying recently about bottle & breastfeeding and these nipples seems to be the answer and they’re phthalate-free and latex-free. I’ll be using those niplles with the GTG wide-neck bottles and I’m getting a twin pack of the Think Baby bottles to see if they’ll work as well. Thanks everybody for all the information!
I’ve been reading this wonderful blog about the Born Free vs. Think Baby Bottles. I like the fact that Born Free leaks less and the multi pieces to clean don’t bother me. But when I check out the website to see the safety of the Born Free vs. Think Baby, I question, does Born Free contain Lead and Nitrosamines on their plastic. Think Baby has on their website it is BPA Free, PVC Free, Lead Free, Pthalates Free and Nitosamines free. Born free only has on their website BPA Free, PVC Free and Pthalates Free, but not Lead Free and Nitrosamines Free. Is there anyway to find out if the Born Free bottles have these toxins in them?
Hi Tara,
Thank you for the wonderful compliment on our blog!
Both Thinkbaby and Bornfree do third party testing for lead safety. Neither company uses synthetic latex in their products, so there’s not much concern of a nitrosamines.
Best,
Alicia
Hi,
I am desperately trying to find a nipple that works with the thinkbaby bottles…we don’t like the thinkbaby nipples at all (my daughter and I) – even the new crosscut ones. I always get leaking from around the cap…SOOO FRUSTRATING…and they are constantly collapsing – highest flow level and I have made sure to snip the valve (they came with no holes in them at all).
Anyways – enough of my rant. I’ve tried the Gerber Nuk nipples but she doesn’t like the shape and all unvented nipples collapse. I’ve read (from this blog) that second nature nipples work with Thinkbaby – is this true? If yes, where can I buy them. I live in Canada but am completely willing to buy online as long as shipping to Canada is available. I tried a google search but didn’t have much luck.
thanks in advance for your help! (and listening to me rant and rave!!)
Cheers, Crystal