In-depth reviews guided by a Pediatrician

Philips AVENT Natural Glass Review

Well-made w/ one flaw that causes leaks
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Price:   $10.00 List | $9.23 each (in 4-pack) at Amazon
Pros:  Glass, few parts, nipple
Cons:  Assembly, leaks, no sleeve
Manufacturer:   Philips AVENT
By Ruth Traxler, Ben Traxler, & Juliet Spurrier, MD  ⋅  Jul 1, 2016
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71
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Leakage - 30% 5
  • Nipple - 25% 7
  • Ease of Cleaning - 20% 9
  • Ease of Use - 15% 8
  • Eco-Health - 10% 8

The Skinny

The Philips AVENT Natural Glass is a high-quality glass bottle with one major design flaw that leads to frequent, and often unexpected, leaking during baby's feedings. While there were many features that we (and our babies) were enthusiastic about, like the Easy-to-clean wide mouth shape and innovative nipple design, we were disappointed by its performance in the leakage category. However, the Natural Glass is a great value for a glass bottle, and parents on a budget with a focus on eco-health might find the additional practice to perfect the fit between the bottle and the collar worth it. For others, we'd recommend the leak-free Editor's Choice winner, the Lifefactory Glass Bottle.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Philips AVENT Natural Glass came in fifth place in our head-to-head test of baby bottles.
The Philips AVENT Natural Glass came in fifth place in our head-to-head test of baby bottles.

Philips is a well-respected provider of quality baby products, ranging from pacifiers to baby monitors. The Philips AVENT Natural Glass bottle is a part of their Natural bottles line and features a wide, breast-shaped nipple with "comfort petals" inside that allow flexibility without the common issue of nipple collapse. The nipple is also designed with a twin valve aimed at reducing colic by venting air into the bottle. The bottle itself is made of borosilicate glass and is BPA free.

Performance Comparison


This comparison chart includes the overall scores for each bottle tested in this review, with the Natural Glass in blue for easier comparison.


The sections below include details on what we liked and disliked about the Natural Glass during testing.

Philips AVENT Natural Glass in action with a 6 month old boy who initially used Level 1 nipple and then progressed to a Level 2 during testing.
Philips AVENT Natural Glass in action with a 6 month old boy who initially used Level 1 nipple and then progressed to a Level 2 during testing.

Likes


We liked the nipple on this bottle and it ranked about average compared to the competition. The bottle itself is technically a wide mouth bottle, but the nipple itself is smaller and narrower than some of the competition like the Comotomo or the Tommee Tippee. We did find it was easy enough for baby to latch onto and use with minimal if any leaking from the nipple during feeding. We did like the comfort "petals" on the inside of the nipple that prevented nipple deformation as the manufacturer claimed they would. Much of the competition suffered from inverted or collapsed nipples so it was nice to see a design actively working to prevent this problem.

While the neck of the AVENT bottle is fairly wide the nipple is not as large as some of the competition like the Comotomo or the Tommee Tippee.
The contour petals on the inside of the AVENT nipple helped prevent nipple deformation while feeding.

We also like that this bottle is easy to clean. While it might not be as easy as the Kiinde Squeeze that only has 1 part to clean, it still ranked high in our tests and doesn't have any disposable parts you'll need to replace or stick in a landfill.

The limited number of parts for the AVENT are strangely hard to put together thanks to a hard to thread collar and bottle neck.
The limited number of parts for the AVENT are strangely hard to put together thanks to a hard to thread collar and bottle neck.

This bottle has a wide mouth that makes cleaning with a bottle brush straightforward and efficient. It has no sharp internal edges for food to hide and it only has 4 components so hand washing is quick and fairly painless. Glass also has the advantage over plastic that it doesn't retain any smells and it isn't easily scratched during cleaning or use.

Philips AVENT Natural Glass has volume indicators clearly marked on the glass bottle itself.
Philips AVENT Natural Glass has volume indicators clearly marked on the glass bottle itself.

This bottle also scored well in ease of use thanks in part to the wide mouth that makes cleaning and filling very easy. We also liked the petal design in the nipple and appreciated that it was thoughtfully designed, did what it claimed to do, and didn't create other problems with its design. We also liked that the volume markings are clearly printed on the side and are easy to read, even from a distance.

This bottle earned a relatively high score of 8 of 10 in eco-health. It's made from the best materials currently in use in bottles, borosilicate glass bottle, and a silicone nipple, and it is made in France. This means it is free of the usual suspects parents will be looking for and then some, including BPA, Phthalate, Latex, and Lead. Unfortunately, it doesn't include a silicone sleeve for safety, which are used by the more highly rated Lifefactory bottles to help reduce the risk of breakage and make it easier for baby to hold onto.

4 month boy using Philips AVENT Natural Glass bottle with Level 1 nipple. Although the wide mouth this tester tended to choke on even the slow flow nipple and you can see the leaking on his chin from being unable to keep up with the flow.
4 month boy using Philips AVENT Natural Glass bottle with Level 1 nipple. Although the wide mouth, this tester tended to choke on even the slow flow nipple, and you can see the leaking on his chin from being unable to keep up with the flow.

Dislikes


One of the biggest complaints of any bottle is leakage and we found the Philips to be one of the worst offenders in the bunch. Had it not scored so poorly for leaking it might have been one of our favorites thanks to the eco-healthy glass body and the nipple that retained its shape during feeding. We had difficulty getting a tight seal between the bottle and the nipple with the collar. Our testers noted that it is difficult to thread the collar on just right and that it leaked if it was over or under tightened, leaving only a narrow tightening window where the bottle wouldn't leak.

Philips AVENT Natural Glass in action with a 6 month old boy who initially used Level 1 nipple and then progressed to a Level 2 during testing. Without the silicone sleeve the heavier glass bottle can be hard to manage.
Philips AVENT Natural Glass in action with a 6 month old boy who initially used Level 1 nipple and then progressed to a Level 2 during testing. Without the silicone sleeve the heavier glass bottle can be hard to manage.

We didn't necessarily like that this bottle is on the heavier side. While this is expected when considering glass over plastic, many of the other glass options on the market come with silicone sleeves that making holding the heavier body a little easier for little hands.

Philips AVENT Natural Glass in action with a 6 month old boy who initially used Level 1 nipple and then progressed to a Level 2 during testing.
Philips AVENT Natural Glass in action with a 6 month old boy who initially used Level 1 nipple and then progressed to a Level 2 during testing.

Conclusion


The AVENT is a glass bottle with silicone nipple and plastic collar.
The AVENT is a glass bottle with silicone nipple and plastic collar.
The Philips AVENT Natural Glass is a well-made, eco-friendly glass bottle that will please parents who are looking to avoid the potential risks associated with plastics. The wide-mouth, ergonomic shape of the bottle and associated nipple are easy for breastfed babies to use who are also using the occasional bottle. This bottle is priced competitively with the Best Value winner, the Tommee Tippee, but just doesn't perform as well overall, due to the problems with leaking and the difficulty we experienced threading the collar over the nipple onto the glass body. It is, however, priced well for a glass bottle, which typically cost twice as much as the advertised cost of the Philips AVENT Natural Glass, and this lower price might make it worthwhile to practice the delicate art of collar threading to avoid leaking. But for most glass bottle fans, we'd suggest the leak-free Editor's Choice winner, the Lifefactory bottle.

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— Ruth Traxler, Ben Traxler, & Juliet Spurrier, MD