Easy Start Anti-Colic Bottle Set, Large

The vented base is the standout feature - rather than relying on a valve inside the teat, air is drawn in through the base and away from the milk, and it's one of the more effective anti-colic designs we've come across for babies who get genuinely windy after feeds. Being self-sterilising in the microwave (steam-clean in around three minutes) is a real time-saver, especially for a middle-of-the-night top-up when you don't want to wait on a full steriliser cycle. The SkinSoft silicone teat has a slightly different texture to standard silicone and most babies accept it readily.

Tommee Tippee's Closer to Nature range is the gentler, more breastfeeding-friendly option and slightly cheaper; MAM's vented-base system is the stronger anti-colic performer, scoring a point higher in our comparison, but it comes at a higher price and with a slightly fiddlier clean because of the extra valve component at the base. If you're choosing based on anti-colic performance alone, MAM edges it; if ease of cleaning and switching from breast are the priority, Tommee Tippee is the simpler option.

Best suited to parents dealing with a genuinely windy or colicky baby, where the venting system's extra effectiveness is worth the higher price and slightly more involved wash routine. Also a good fit for anyone who wants to cut down on steriliser time given the self-sterilising base. Parents on a tighter budget, or whose baby isn't especially colicky, may not need to pay the premium over a standard bottle.

The extra valve piece at the base means there's one more part to take apart, wash and reassemble correctly each time, and a few babies going through teething chewed through the SkinSoft teat faster than we'd expect from a standard silicone teat, meaning more frequent teat replacement. It's also a heavier, bulkier bottle than some slimline alternatives, which some parents find less comfortable to hold one-handed during long feeds.