Is the Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Bottle Worth It?
Worth it, if your baby needs the anti-colic help
You know the two a.m. drill: your baby's halfway through the bottle, gulping fast, and then the squirming starts, the arched back, the gassy cry that keeps everyone up another hour. You've heard the Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottle is supposed to fix that, and you're standing in the aisle wondering if a bit of plastic tubing can really do what it promises.
Here's the bit worth understanding before you buy four of these. A standard bottle is basically airtight: as your baby sucks, a vacuum builds inside, and to keep the milk coming they have to suck harder, pulling in extra air along with it. That's the mechanism behind a lot of gas and spit-up. Dr. Brown's Natural Flow gets around this with an internal vent, a narrow tube running down the middle of the bottle that lets air in at the back, away from the milk, instead of through it. The vacuum never builds, so your baby feeds at a steady, breast-like pace instead of gulping to keep up. The Level 1 nipple in this four-pack is the slowest flow Dr. Brown's makes, matched to newborns who are still learning to coordinate sucking and swallowing. Because this is the Options+ version, that vent insert can be lifted out once your baby's older and feeding well without the extra help, so the same bottle keeps working instead of you buying a whole new set in a few months.
So you're not really paying for a bottle, you're paying for that vent, the plastic shell is the same one every bottle on the shelf offers. The real question isn't whether the bottle is good, it's whether your baby's gas and squirming are bad enough that an extra part in the sink is worth solving for.
Worth it if
- Your baby is gassy, spits up often, or seems uncomfortable mid-feed
- You're transitioning between breast and bottle and want a similar latch and pace
- You want a bottle that can adapt as your baby grows, rather than switching systems later
Skip it if
- Your baby feeds easily with no gas or spit-up issues
- You'd rather wash fewer pieces per bottle
- You're already settled on a different bottle system that's working
Parents of babies who feed easily without gas or fuss, who'd rather have fewer parts to wash than a vent system they don't need.
If your baby's gassy, spitty, or you're moving between breast and bottle, this is a quiet yes, it earns the extra piece to wash. If you've got an easy feeder who's never fussed after a bottle, a simpler design with fewer parts will save you time at the sink and do the job just as well.
Amazon shoppers rate it 4 out of 5 across 52,586 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
Before you go
How does Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottle work?
An internal vent tube runs down the middle of the bottle and lets air in at the back instead of through the milk, so no vacuum builds and your baby doesn't have to suck harder or swallow extra air to compensate.
Can you use Dr. Brown's Natural Flow without a vent?
Yes, that's what the Options+ design is for, the vent insert lifts out once your baby feeds well without the extra support, so you can keep using the same bottle.
What's the difference between Dr. Brown's Natural Flow and Options+?
Standard Natural Flow bottles use a fixed two-piece vent, while Options+ bottles use a removable vent insert, letting the same bottle work with or without the anti-colic system as your baby grows.
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By the numbers
earn an unconditional yes at full priceOut of 75 baby products we have reviewed. This one is a yes with a condition attached.
other reviews field the same questionWhat's the difference between Dr. Brown's Natural Flow and Options+?
comes up across our baby coverage, not just here — one of the things worth settling before you choose.
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Full spec sheet
| Capacity | 4 oz / 120 mL |
|---|---|
| Nipple level | Level 1, slow flow |
| Recommended age | 0 months and up |
| Pack count | 4 bottles |
| Neck style | Narrow |
| Vent system | Removable, Options+ |
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