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The right bottle nipple can help your baby achieve a deeper, more comfortable latch to make feeds calmer and reduce the amount of air they swallow.
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Bottle nipples come in different shapes and flow rates to support bottle feeding, so choosing one that matches your baby's feeding style is important.
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If you're combination feeding, a breast-like nipple with a slower flow may help your baby move more easily between breast and bottle by encouraging a similar latch and feeding pace.
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Signs your baby may need a new nipple include frustration during feeds, taking much longer to finish a bottle, collapsing the nipple, or coughing and spluttering if the milk flows too quickly.
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As your baby grows, sizing up to the next nipple flow can help them feed more comfortably, but always follow their feeding cues rather than age alone.
Many parents are surprised to learn how much nipple shape can affect feeding comfort, bottle acceptance, and feeding pace.
Since every baby feeds differently, finding the right bottle nipple often takes a little trial and error.
For parents searching for answers about baby feeding preferences, why babies reject bottles, and bottle refusal help, this guide is for you.
What is a good bottle latch?
A good bottle latch often involves a...
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Deep latch: Allows the baby to use the middle of their tongue to create strong suction
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Natural rhythm: Reaching soft palate stimulates the sucking reflex
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Good lip seal: Reduce air intake for less stress/gas
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Easy positioning: Softness and flexibility allow nipple to be manipulated to a comfortable position
Signs of a good latch:
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Baby feeds calmly and rhythmically
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Minimal milk leakage from the mouth
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No signs of distress or pulling away
Why won’t my baby take a bottle?
One common reason a baby rejects a bottle nipple is nipple shape. Nipple shape affects how a baby latches, sucks, and controls milk flow during feeding.
If a bottle nipple doesn’t support their natural or usual latch and sucking pattern, they may struggle to coordinate feeding comfortably.
By not being able to reach the soft palate with the nipple, they might not be able to maintain suction or create a smooth, rhythmic flow of milk – causing feeding frustration.
Why babies prefer different nipples
Nipple preference can vary based on a baby’s feeding skills, previous feeding experience, and oral anatomy. Some babies find certain nipple shapes easier to latch onto or more comfortable to feed from, especially if they are switching between breast and bottle. Differences in tongue movement, mouth shape, and sucking strength can all affect which a baby prefers.
Wide vs deep nipples: What's the difference?
Some babies prefer wide, breast-shaped nipples, while others feed more comfortably from deeper or triangular designs.
When comparing wide vs narrow nipple options, it helps to focus on your baby’s feeding style rather than appearance alone.
That’s why we have a choice of two breast-like nipple shapes, so you can find the perfect nipple for your baby.
You can try both nipple shapes and find the shape your baby prefers with our Perfect Latch Trial Kit that has been developed with Healthcare Professionals^ for simple first bottle feeds.
Tommee Tippee Wide Latch nipple
Our original Wide Latch nipple is breast-like and flexible, designed to help reduce nipple confusion when switching between breast and bottle.
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Special ridges flex and stretch like a breast
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Supple pronounced slope for easy movement
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Wide base offers more space for a good seal for less air intake
Tommee Tippee Deep Latch nipple
Developed with Healthcare Professionals^, our Deep Latch nipple has a triangular shape for a deep latch and natural pace.
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Shaped to easily reach the soft palate
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Gradual taper to wrap lips around fully for good lip seal
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Nipple-like to fill whole mouth for less air intake
Nipple features to look for
The right nipple should allow your baby to latch deeply and feed comfortably without gulping, leaking milk, or collapsing the nipple during sucking.
You want the nipple to be able to reach the soft palate so that baby can create a sucking rhythm flow of milk.
Parents may want to look for:
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Soft silicone that flexes like a breast
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A nipple shape that supports deeper latching
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An extra slow or slow flow rate option
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Anti-colic venting systems to reduce air intake
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Nipples designed to reduce nipple confusion for combination feeding
Anti-colic bottles explained simply
Anti-colic valves like the valves in our Natural Start nipples are designed to reduce the amount of air babies swallow during bottle feeding. The small vent allows air into the bottle to stop the nipple from collapsing, which reduces the amount of air ingested.
For some babies, anti-colic bottles may help reduce wind, gassiness, and discomfort after feeds. They can also support smoother feeding by helping milk flow more consistently.
Nipples for combo-feeding
Parents combining breastfeeding and bottle feeding often look for nipples that support a feeding experience closer to breastfeeding.
During mixed feeding or the start of introducing bottle to breastfed baby, slower flow rates and paced feeding techniques are commonly recommended.
The best baby bottle for breastfed babies is usually one that allows babies to control the pace of the milk more naturally and maintain a deeper latch.
This can also help reduce nipple confusion, which happens when babies struggle to switch between the different sucking techniques needed for breastfeeding and bottle feeding.
If your breastfed baby won’t take bottle, read our combo-feeding guide or our bottle latching tips for help.
How bottle-feeding mechanics differ from breastfeeding
Breastfeeding allows babies to actively control milk flow through sucking and pauses. Bottle feeding mechanics differ because milk flow can continue more passively depending on nipple shape and bottle design.
This difference is one reason some breastfed babies prefer certain nipple shapes and flow rates over others.
What flow rate should I be using for my baby?
Flow rate is the speed at which milk flows out of a baby bottle. It can make feeding easier and more comfortable for babies, so it’s important for bottle acceptance.
All babies are different, that’s why we have a choice of two nipple shapes and a range of flow rates, so you can find the right combination for your baby at every stage.
Many babies will prefer a slower flow rate to begin their bottle feeding journey, whether they’re newborn or breastfeeding and using bottles.
Tommee Tippee’s nipples are available in: Extra Slow, Slow, Medium, and Fast for both nipples, and also Thick for our Wide Latch.
Why nipple shape and flow rate both matter
Nipple shape affects how babies latch, while flow rate affects how quickly milk is delivered.
If the nippleshape doesn’t suit your baby’s feeding style, even with the correct flow rate, they may struggle to latch and feed successfully.
If the flow rate is too slow or too fast, it can cause frustration and long feeds, or excess air intake and coughing.
Choosing the right combination of shape and flow can support calmer, more comfortable feeds.
If your baby’s frustrated feeding behaviors continue despite a good latch, read our nipple flow rate guide for help.
How many nipples and bottles does a newborn need?
The number of infant bottles and nipples you need depends on how often you plan to use them to feed your baby.
If you're only going to be using bottles once a day or just occasionally, then you might decide to buy one main bottle and nipple set, and maybe one extra as a backup. It's probably best to have at least two so that if lost, damaged, or unclean you have a backup.
Newborn babies can feed anywhere between 8-12 times over 24 hours. So, if you're exclusively bottle feeding a newborn, then you should have four to six bottles and nipples to get started with.
Signs your baby needs a different nipple
Some common signs that your baby needs a different nipple shape or flow rate are frequent unlatching, clicking sounds, baby gulping milk, milk spilling from the mouth, or a slow feeding baby who struggles to finish bottles in 20 minutes.
Watching feeding behavior is often the best way to tell whether the current nipple is working well.
We recommend replacing your bottle nipples every two months or at the first sign of any damage or weakness.
When to move up a nipple size
Babies may need a faster nipple flow if they become frustrated during feeds, suck very hard without getting enough milk, or their nipple collapses while feeding.
^ Applicable to the Deep Latch nipple and the 60ml Natural Start® bottle. To learn more about our work with Healthcare Professionals, see tommeetippee.com/hcp-claims-explained
