Are plastic baby bottles safe to use?

In July 2012 the FDA stopped providing for BPA-based polycarbonate in baby bottles and sippy cups, so new bottles are not made from it, and the FDA's position is that BPA is safe at current levels in foods. The AAP still suggests precautions: avoid microwaving formula or breast milk in plastic, hand-wash plastic rather than using the dishwasher, and use glass when possible. Ask your pediatrician about specific concerns.

Do glass baby bottles break easily?

Glass bottles can break if dropped, and sudden temperature changes can crack them. Manufacturer instructions say to inspect every part before each use and throw the bottle away at the first crack, chip or glass fragment, never pour boiling water into it, and avoid metal utensils inside. Use glass with an adult holding the bottle, and do not let a baby self-feed or a child walk with one.

Can I use the same nipple on glass and plastic bottles?

Often, yes, within one brand. Some systems, such as Dr. Brown's Options+ wide-neck bottle, are sold in both glass and plastic with the same nipple levels, and MAM says its teat fits all MAM bottles. Stay within one brand rather than mixing parts; MAM, for one, tells you to use only its own teats with its bottles. That way a baby who accepts one nipple gets the same flow from every bottle.

How often should baby bottles and nipples be replaced?

Replace any bottle or nipple at the first sign of damage, whatever it is made of. Comotomo recommends replacing its nipples about every 3 months and its silicone bottles every 6 months. Glass bodies are retired the moment they chip or crack. Before every feed, pull the nipple in all directions and look for tears, and follow the replacement guidance that came with your specific bottle.

Feeding

Glass vs Plastic Baby Bottles: Which Material Fits Your Day

Baby Emporium Hawaiʻi · Updated 2026-10-10 · 8 min read

The short versionNo bottle material is the safe one with the others risky. Plastic bottles are light and do not shatter, so they suit daycare, travel and babies who hold their own bottle. Glass is heavier and can break, so inspect it before every feed and keep an adult holding it, but it avoids heat on plastic. Silicone is soft and light. Choose the nipple your baby accepts first, and never warm milk in a microwave, whatever the bottle.

Contents

Glass vs plastic baby bottles: which one should you buy?
What are baby bottles made of today?
Is BPA still a reason to avoid plastic bottles?
What does the AAP say about heat and plastic?
How breakable is a glass bottle?
Which bottle material is easiest to clean?
How often do you replace bottles and nipples?
Glass, plastic or silicone: which fits your day?
Why the nipple matters more than the bottle body
A simple way to decide
Sources

Glass vs plastic baby bottles: which one should you buy?

None of these materials is the safe one with the others risky. Plastic bottles are light and do not shatter, which makes them the easy choice for daycare, travel and a baby who grabs. Glass bottles are heavier and can break, but they handle heat well and sidestep the heat-and-plastic question. Silicone sits in between. Pick the nipple your baby accepts first, then choose the body material that fits where each bottle will actually be used.

Your baby feeds from the nipple, not the glass or the plastic, and many bottle systems sell the same nipple on more than one body, so this is rarely an either-or decision.

What are baby bottles made of today?

Three body materials cover most of the shelf:

Plastic. Mainstream plastic bottles are marketed as BPA-free; Dr. Brown's, for example, lists its plastic Options+ bottle as "BPA free." BPA (bisphenol A) is a chemical used to make polycarbonate, the hard clear plastic that many older bottles were made from.
Glass. Dr. Brown's describes its glass bottles as "heat and thermal shock-resistant, which can withstand hot and cold temperatures". Thermal shock is the cracking that happens when glass changes temperature too fast.
Silicone. Soft, squeezable bodies. Comotomo, a common silicone brand, says its bottle and nipple are made with "hygienic silicone that is free of BPA and other toxic chemicals".

Even a "glass bottle" has parts that are not glass: the MAM glass bottle manual, for instance, warns that food colourings may discolour its "plastic/silicone components."

Is BPA still a reason to avoid plastic bottles?

Not in the way it once was. In July 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended its rules "to no longer provide for the use of BPA-based polycarbonate resins in baby bottles and sippy cups", on the basis that manufacturers had already abandoned that use. The same FDA page states its current position that "BPA is safe at the current levels occurring in foods."

So a new baby bottle sold in the U.S. is not made from BPA-based polycarbonate. The more useful question is how you handle plastic.

What does the AAP say about heat and plastic?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) gives families precautionary advice on plastics. Its reasoning is that "heat can cause plastics to leak BPA and phthalates into food," and its practical tips include:

"Avoid microwaving food or beverages―including infant formula and breastmilk―in plastic, if possible."
"Wash plastic food containers and utensils by hand, rather than in the dishwasher."
Avoid plastics with recycling codes 3, 6 and 7 (the number inside the triangle on the bottom), and use glass or stainless steel instead of plastic "when possible."

The AAP's Plastic Additives page adds: "Make sure pacifiers and bottle nipples are phthalate- and BPA-free."

The microwave point applies to every bottle, glass included: the CDC says "Never thaw or heat breast milk in a microwave" and recommends a bowl of warm water or warm, not hot, running water instead, then testing a few drops on your wrist. The AAP's hand-washing tip also sits alongside labels that call plastic bottles top-rack dishwasher safe. The label says the bottle survives the dishwasher; the AAP tip is a precaution about heat. Glass is where that tension goes away.

You may also have seen headlines about microplastics. A 2020 study in Nature Food by Li and colleagues measured particle release from polypropylene bottles during formula preparation, reporting up to 16.2 million particles per liter. One of its co-authors said "we don't have sufficient information on the potential [health] consequences." The researchers suggested an extra washing step after sterilizing and before adding formula, which may reduce exposure.

How breakable is a glass bottle?

Glass bottles can break. The MAM Feel Good glass bottle manual states "Glass bottles may break" and that "Sudden temperature changes can cause glass bottles to crack or break." The same manual tells you to:

Inspect every part before each use and throw the bottle away "at the first signs of damage or wear, cracks or glass fragments inside and outside the bottle."
Never pour boiling water into the bottle.
Not use metal utensils for cleaning or stirring, because they can damage the glass.
Not let babies self-feed with it, and not let children walk with a glass bottle.
Use the bottle with adult supervision.

A silicone sleeve, which some glass bottles include, improves grip. It is not protection: a sleeved bottle still gets the same check before every feed, and a chipped or cracked one is thrown away. Follow the instructions for your specific bottle, because heat limits and care steps differ between brands.

This is why glass suits home feeds with an adult holding the bottle, and plastic or silicone suits the stage when your baby starts holding and throwing it.

Which bottle material is easiest to clean?

All three clean well if you follow the CDC's basic routine, which is the same whatever the bottle is made of: "Clean baby bottles after every feeding," separate all the parts, and if the item is dishwasher-safe, "run the dishwasher using hot water and a heated drying cycle (or sanitizing setting)", with small parts in a closed-top basket or mesh laundry bag. The CDC recommends sanitizing feeding items daily for babies who are less than 2 months old, were born prematurely, or have a weakened immune system. Our step-by-step guide to sterilizing bottles compares boiling, steam and the dishwasher.

Where the materials differ:

Glass is the material the AAP's heat precautions do not apply to, and MAM describes its glass as "hygienic, easy to clean and relatively fragile," which is a fair summary of the trade-off. The MAM manual lists its glass bottle as dishwasher safe on the top rack "(max. 65°C / 149°F)" and recommends boiling the glass body separately and not leaving it in boiling water unattended. It also warns to beware of very hot glass after heating, so let the bottle cool before handling it.
Plastic is dishwasher safe on most labels; Dr. Brown's lists its plastic Options+ bottles as "Safe for use in dishwasher (top rack only), electric and microwave sterilizers or boiling water." If you follow the AAP precaution, you will hand-wash instead.
Silicone bottles often have a wide opening, which makes hand-washing easier. Comotomo calls its bottles "perfectly safe in dishwashers" on the top rack, and suggests boiling with baking soda if a smell lingers.

How often do you replace bottles and nipples?

Replace anything damaged. Beyond that:

Nipples wear out on every type of bottle. Comotomo recommends that "nipples are replaced approximately every 3 months, and that bottles are replaced every 6 months" for its silicone bottles.
Glass bodies are retired the moment you see a crack or chip.
Plastic bodies get retired when they are cracked or damaged. Our editorial view: also replace plastic that has turned cloudy or deeply scratched, since scratches are harder to clean.

Before every feed, pull the nipple in all directions and look at it, as the MAM manual asks.

Glass, plastic or silicone: which fits your day?

Situation	Plastic	Glass	Silicone
Home feeds with an adult holding the bottle	Works well	Works well	Works well
Daycare	Usually the easiest choice; ask your provider about their rules first	Ask first and check their policy on glass	Usually fine; ask first
Diaper bag and travel	Lightest, no breakage worry	Heaviest; breakage risk on hard floors	Light; squishes into a bag
Baby holding or throwing the bottle	Best fit	Not suitable without supervision	Good fit
Avoiding heat on plastic	Hand-wash, never microwave	Easiest	Silicone body; check what the collar is made of
Replacement	Retire when cracked, damaged or badly scratched	Retire at the first chip or crack	Replace on the maker's schedule

In a small home, one bottle system used for everything means one set of nipples, one brush and one drying rack. You need enough bottles for a day of feeds plus a couple of spares, not a cupboard full.

Why the nipple matters more than the bottle body

If your baby takes one nipple happily, keep it; a new body material does not have to mean a new nipple. Dr. Brown's sells its Options+ wide-neck bottle in glass and plastic, both sold with a Level 1 Slow Flow nipple, and states that "flow rates don't change between same-level nipples." MAM's manual says its teat "fits all MAM Bottles," and also tells you to "Always use only MAM teats with the MAM bottles," so stay within one brand rather than mixing parts.

That opens up the most practical answer: a couple of glass bottles for feeds at home, and plastic versions of the same system for daycare, the car and the beach bag. Same nipple, same flow, everywhere.

If a breastfed baby is refusing the bottle, look at nipple shape and flow before the body material. Our guide to the best bottles for breastfed babies covers what actually helps there.

A simple way to decide

Choose the nipple first. Buy one or two bottles from a system before committing to a full set.
Plastic if you need light and drop-proof: daycare, travel, or a baby who holds the bottle.
Glass if most feeds happen at home with an adult holding the bottle, and you want the AAP's heat precautions to be a non-issue.
Silicone if you want soft, light and easy to hand-wash, replaced on the maker's schedule.
Whatever you buy, warm milk in water, not a microwave. If you are weighing gadgets for that, see whether a bottle warmer is worth it for your routine.

Browse our feeding guides for more. For questions about how much your baby feeds, weight or health, ask your pediatrician.