The variety of baby bottles on the market can be totally confusing to the new parent. It seems that each style of bottle is supposed to be the very best for your baby, and after all, you want to do what is best for your baby. Of course, but saying that the type of baby bottle you choose indicates what type of parent you are is simply ridiculous.

To clear up some of the confusion, a group of mothers were asked what baby bottles they preferred to use. While some liked the baby bottles with the drop-in liners, most seemed to prefer the type of bottles with some type of venting system. As with anything, there are advantages and disadvantages or pros and cons to both types of bottles.

The voice of experience says that while the drop-in liner bottles help eliminate the formation of gas in the tummy, the convenience of the liners is another story. As one mother said, "The liners are so handy since it eliminates the need for scrubbing bottles." However, from the opposite corner, another mother says, "Bottles with liners make it too easy for exhausted parents to skip the all-important sanitizing step."

There are basically three different types of baby bottles with a venting system: the Ventaire, the Avent and Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow. While each system is a little different, they are all more complicated than regular baby bottles or even the liner type.

Here are some testimonies about both the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of vented baby bottles:

Ventaire by Playtex:

"The Ventaire is great. The bottom unscrews and a pliable diaphragm goes in place allowing air to move out of the bottle and not into the baby's belly. They have an angled neck to allow for a more natural drinking position and they have holes at the bottom to allow for the air to leave the bottle instead of it being ingested by the baby. It makes feeding easier on the ear canal, and the tilted shaped bottles allows you to hold the baby in a more upright position.

While the Ventaire bottles do have more "parts" than some more traditional bottles, all of the parts are large enough to be washed in the dishwasher and don’t require a special brush. There is the nipple, top ring that holds the nipple in place, bottle, gas eliminator filter and bottom ring to hold it in place. I found if I assembled them after washing them (instead of when I had a hungry baby) it was much easier.

Avent Bottles by Phillips

Avent Bottles are the best bet, particularly for breastfeeding moms who need to use bottles. This bottle has a unique air flow system that has been proven to help prevent gas pain associated with bottle feeding. These bottles also have a separate adaptor kit available allowing you to attach the bottle directly to a breast pump. Comes with a variety of nipple sizes based on age, A good bottle can help prevent stomach upset and other problems associated with bottles.

Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow

The best baby bottle I ever used was a Dr. Browns bottle. It reduces colic, gas, and spit up. There are no liners, but there is a piece you need to insert in the bottle. That piece of the bottle is hard to get clean, but a cleaning tool is provided with a bottle purchase.

Again it seems that all these bottles promise to reduce gas and its associated discomfort. So it seems the only difference is the number of pieces needed to assemble each bottle and the degree of difficulty in cleaning and sterilizing. The final result is that baby bottles are baby bottles…or are they? You decide.