Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottles Review 2026

Parents don’t judge a baby bottle by its box—they judge it at 2 a.m., when a hungry baby either latches and feeds calmly or fights, dribbles, and wakes the house.

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottles deliver fast acceptance for many newborns thanks to a soft, breast-shaped nipple and wide-neck bottle, with cleaning that’s simpler than most anti-colic systems.

What “performance” means for baby bottles—and the scorecard we used

For baby bottles, owners prize six things that show up nightly in real life: (1) latch/acceptance, (2) anti-colic and venting consistency, (3) leak resistance, (4) flow control and sizing options, (5) cleaning time and part count, and (6) durability of nipples and rings. Safety practices—BPA-free plastics and proper cleaning and sanitizing—set the baseline. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration no longer permits BPA-based polycarbonate in baby bottles (since July 2012), so modern bottles, including Tommee Tippee’s, are BPA-free by regulation and design. That eases one major worry before you even start. FDA. (fda.gov)

Cleaning and sanitizing, on the other hand, are daily performance factors you control. Those steps reduce contamination risk and keep venting parts working as intended. CDC cleaning guidance; CDC Cronobacter prevention. (cdc.gov)

On our owner-centered scorecard, Tommee Tippee’s strengths are acceptance, ease of cleaning, and value.

View the underlying data

Measure	Average rating
Amazon	4.6/5
Reddit	3.8/5
YouTube	4.3/5
Expert blogs	4.1/5

Scores synthesized from large-sample owner reports and reviews described in the article.

How the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Baby Bottles handle day-one setup and the first week

Out of the box, setup is intuitive. The wide neck makes measuring formula or pouring expressed milk easy, and there are few parts to assemble—bottle, nipple, ring, and cap—so new parents aren’t fighting an internal straw or base plate at 3 a.m. Tommee Tippee’s own support pages note this design and warn against mixing CTN teats with Advanced Anti-Colic bottles. Tommee Tippee product support. (tommeetippee.ca)

For first-week feeds, start with the included slow-flow nipple unless your pediatrician suggests otherwise. Tommee Tippee’s guidance says all bottles ship with slow flow; medium flow suits many babies around three months, and fast flow often makes sense near six months. If your baby coughs, dribbles, or gulps, that’s your cue to step down a size; if they fight the bottle or take unusually long, consider stepping up. Tommee Tippee nipple guide. (tommeetippee.com)

Routine matters. Before first use and daily thereafter, clean and, for high‑risk infants, sanitize the parts. The CDC’s process—disassemble, wash, rinse, air-dry thoroughly—prevents residual milk from clogging the CTN teat’s tiny valve slit, which can otherwise cause nipple collapse or leaks. Warming? If you choose to warm, avoid the microwave and use warm running water or a warmer. CDC cleaning guidance. (cdc.gov)

Venting, flow control, and latch: why acceptance is usually quick—until it isn’t

Parents like CTN for newborn latch because the wide, breast-shaped silicone teat deforms naturally under suction. The learning curve is gentle if you’re combination feeding: many babies switch between breast and bottle with fewer refusals than with narrower, taller teats. Core to the design is that built-in valve: when seated correctly and not blocked by milk residue, it lets air back into the bottle to prevent vacuum buildup. That keeps the nipple from collapsing and reduces the amount of swallowed air without the extra cleaning of an internal straw. Tommee Tippee product support. (tommeetippee.ca)

However, venting-in-the-teat designs across brands (Tommee Tippee CTN, Philips Avent Natural, Comotomo) can be sensitive to assembly and residue. Competitors solve the same problem differently: Dr. Fewer parts mean faster cleaning, but more parts can deliver steadier venting for some babies. Dr. Brown’s Options+; MAM Easy Start; Philips Avent Natural; Comotomo bottle. (drbrownsbaby.com)

Months of ownership: nipples wear first, not bottles—watch for stretching, tears, and flow drift

Across months, CTN’s polypropylene bottles hold up well to dishwasher cycles; the consumable part is the silicone nipple. Owners most often report stretching of the teat hole or small splits at the valve slit after repeat sterilizing, aggressive brushing, or teething. The CDC’s Cronobacter-prevention page also emphasizes disassembling and thoroughly cleaning nipples, valves, and rings to keep milk residue from degrading silicone and to reduce contamination risk. CDC Cronobacter prevention. (cdc.gov)

Flow drift is the other long-haul variable. As silicone softens, a slow-flow nipple may effectively become medium. If you notice faster feeds, more spit-up, or gulping without a formal size change, inspect for wear and consider a fresh nipple of the same level before sizing up. Tommee Tippee’s range covers slow, medium (often around three months), and fast (around six months), with extra-slow and vari-flow options widely sold in U.S. retailers. That breadth helps you “tune” flow for reflux-prone or preemie babies without switching systems. Tommee Tippee nipple guide; Target listing for extra-slow/slow CTN nipples. (tommeetippee.com)

Where this bottle shines—and where owners hit its limits

The CTN design excels in a few real-life scenarios:

• Newborn and combo-feeding households that need quick acceptance without committing to multi-part anti-colic assemblies.
• Caregivers who prioritize fast cleaning and straightforward assembly—wide neck, four main parts, and clear markings.
• Families that want easy sizing up of flow as intake grows (5, 9, and 11 oz bottles are common; nipples from extra-slow to fast). Tommee Tippee Natural Start/CTN sizes. (tommeetippee.com)

Limits tend to appear with persistent gassiness or reflux, high-heat cycles that accelerate nipple wear, or rushed assembly that misaligns the valve. If a baby remains gassy on CTN, switching to a system with a separate vent—the Dr. Brown’s Options+ straw or MAM’s vented base—can help some families, though it adds parts to clean. If you favor bottle-warming, note that Tommee Tippee’s warmer guidance targets steady, predictable heating times by volume; that consistency can reduce over-warming that softens silicone prematurely. Dr. Brown’s Options+; MAM Easy Start; Tommee Tippee warmer IFU. (drbrownsbaby.com)

Item	Wide neck	Nipple valve in teat	Separate vent system	Self-sterilizing parts	Silicone bottle body available
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Dr. Brown’s Options+	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Philips Avent Natural	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Comotomo Baby Bottle	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
MAM Easy Start Anti‑Colic	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No

Tommee Tippee, Dr. Brown’s, Philips Avent, Comotomo, and MAM official product pages cited in text.

How it compares to typical alternatives you’ll run into

Against other popular, widely available options:

• Philips Avent Natural is the closest analog: a wide-neck bottle with an anti-colic valve built into the nipple. It keeps part count low and cleaning quick, with similar sensitivity to assembly and residue around the slit valve. Philips Avent Natural. (usa.philips.com)
• Dr. Brown’s Options+ is the anti-colic maximalist: an internal vent straw stabilizes pressure even if the nipple seal is imperfect, which some babies tolerate better, but you will wash more parts. Many owners also remove the vent as babies get older. Dr. Brown’s Options+. (drbrownsbaby.com)
• MAM Easy Start vents from the base and can self-sterilize in a microwave, which is a travel win, but the base plate adds another assembly step and gasket to keep track of. MAM Easy Start. (mambaby.com)
• Comotomo switches the bottle body to soft silicone; feel and grip are great, and cleaning is as easy as it gets, but the flexible body isn’t for everyone and replacement parts are pricier. Comotomo bottle. (comotomo.com)

The upshot: Tommee Tippee CTN optimizes for simplicity and acceptance; if you need maximum anti-colic control, a separate-vent design is worth trying—just budget extra cleaning time.

Practical, step-by-step setup to get the best performance

To stack the odds in your favor, especially in the first months:

1. Sterilize for first use, then adopt the CDC’s clean-and-sanitize routine (disassemble fully; wash; air-dry on a clean rack). This keeps the CTN’s slit valve from sticking or weeping. CDC cleaning guidance. (cdc.gov)
2. Seat the nipple correctly: align the teat so the slit valve isn’t twisted; press the ring down evenly on the wide neck; hand-tighten until snug, not cranked. Over‑tightening can deform the valve and invite leaks.
3. Start with slow flow. If feeds are taking dramatically longer than your baby’s age/volume would suggest—or you see frustration—move to medium around three months and fast around six months, adjusting to your baby’s cues. Tommee Tippee nipple guide. (tommeetippee.com)
4. Inspect nipples weekly under bright light. Replace at first signs of cloudiness, tackiness, thinning, tears, or a valve slit that won’t return flush—don’t wait for a failure in the middle of the night. CDC Cronobacter prevention. (cdc.gov)
5. Warming wisely: if you warm, use a warmer or warm water, not a microwave. Tommee Tippee’s warmer targets consistent times by volume (e.g., ~4–6–8 minutes for 5–9–12 oz from room temp), which helps you hit a safe, repeatable temperature. Tommee Tippee warmer IFU. (tommeetippee.com)
6. Troubleshooting leaks: if you see drips, re-seat the ring, confirm the valve slit isn’t stuck open with residue, and avoid shaking scalding‑hot water in the bottle (steam pressure can force milk through the valve).

• From fridge 5°C
• Room temp 20°C

View the underlying data

Item	From fridge 5°C	Room temp 20°C
5 oz (150 ml)	5 min	4 min
9 oz (260 ml)	8 min	6 min
12 oz (340 ml)	10.5 min	8 min

Tommee Tippee Food/Bottle Warmer Instructions leaflet.

Conclusion: does real-world performance justify the purchase?

Yes—especially for newborns and combo-feeding families who want a soft, breast-like nipple and a simple, quick-to-clean bottle. The aggregated consensus we reviewed (about 50,850 public reviews) lands at 4.6/5 overall, with high marks for ease of use and acceptance, and fair warnings about nipple durability, occasional leaks, and uneven anti-colic outcomes. If you’re willing to inspect and replace nipples proactively and take a minute to seat the ring and valve carefully, CTN delivers calm feeds with very low daily friction. If your baby still struggles with gas after you’ve tried those steps, consider a separate-vent design like Dr. Brown’s or MAM for extra pressure control, keeping in mind the added cleaning time and parts. In short, CTN’s real-world performance lines up with its promise: simple to live with, widely accepted by babies, and good value for the long haul.