Baby bottle test in the ÖKO-TEST: All products awarded good marks

The well-being of your own child is of course very important to you as a parent. Therefore, you understandably want neither solvents, plasticizers nor bisphenol A in the material of baby bottles. Fortunately, manufacturers of baby bottles have given this a lot of thought over the years and want to avoid this type of pollutant. The experts from ÖKO-TEST are investigating the matter and are therefore testing baby bottles made of plastic, glass and stainless steel for the harmful substances mentioned in the new issue.

The tested products from well-known brands such as Philips, Medela and NUK also include baby bottles from drugstores such as dm and Rossmann. All baby bottles have a silicone teat and can be used from birth. The testers awarded the grade “good” six times and the grade “very good” fourteen times.

Baby bottles at ÖKO-TEST: Experts give good marks

A great result of the baby bottle test, because a total of 14 products scored “very good”. These include the glass and plastic bottles from Babydream (Rossmann), Babylove (dm), MAM and Philips Avent:

• Babydream, The glass bottle 0+ months, p
• Babydream, the classic wide-mouth bottle M, 0+
• Babylove wide neck bottle from birth M (plastic)
• Babylove wide-mouth glass bottle from birth M (glass)
• MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic Bottle, 0+ Months
• MAM Feel Good GlassBottle 1, 0+ months
• Philips Avent Natural bottle glass, 1m+
• Philips Avent Natural bottle, 1m+

In addition, the baby bottles made of plastic from Nürnberg Gummi (Goldstück baby bottle wide neck M and Nip First Moments wide neck bottle M), the Lansinoh wide neck bottle with Natural Wave teat, the Kaufland Kuniboo wide neck bottle from birth, as well as the stainless steel bottles from Klean Kanteen 0-6 months and TB Nappy Pura Stainless Steel Infant Bottle Aqua Sleeve top grade.

Only six products received the grade “good” from the testers. The reasons for this vary. On the one hand, the glass bottle S with the silicone coating Blueberry from Everyday Baby, the glass bottle Natural Wave teat S from Lansinoh and the NUK Nature Sense glass bottle have lead in the color of the decor. Fortunately, the substance does not get inside the bottle and it is unlikely that significant amounts of lead will be released. Nevertheless, other baby bottles show that lead-free is also possible. A second shortcoming with three baby bottles is that they still smelled slightly of plastic despite having been boiled beforehand. This applies to the Beauty Baby wide-mouth bottle Gr. 1 from Müller Drogeriemarkt, the Medela milk bottle with teat S and the NUK First Choice+ baby bottle M 0-6 months.

Bisphenol A: Substance in plastic baby bottles

The hormonal substance bisphenol A, which served as the basis for the production of baby bottles made of polycarbonate plastic, has been banned for some time. For the EU, the end came in 2011 for bottles for infants. Since 2018, the ban has applied to all other bottles for small children and infants. All baby bottles from the current ÖKO-TEST are therefore made of polypropylene.

Spoiled for choice: the right material

Whether made of glass, plastic or stainless steel – every baby bottle has its advantages and disadvantages. While glass bottles are particularly hygienic and less prone to scratches, they are quite heavy and break more easily than plastic baby bottles. However, baby bottles made of polypropylene are suspected of releasing large amounts of microplastics into the liquid when heated in the microwave or when filled with hot water. Although stainless steel baby bottles are lighter in weight than glass bottles, their disadvantage is that they are quite expensive to buy. Another advantage of stainless steel baby bottles: they are particularly sustainable and can grow with your child. Because many manufacturers, like those from the current test, have other closures and attachments in their range for later.