NUK Animal Skins Orthodontic Bottle

My daughter (and I) tried out the fun NUK Animal Skins Orthodontic Bottle in the 10-ounce size with a medium-flow nipple. NUK has been a well–known and trusted name for more than 50 years. My daughter has always been bottle fed due to feeding issues, including reflux, so she has to use slow–flow nipples. We have used only straight nipples. Before the NUK, we used only the lowest-priced bottles I could find.

She’d used the other bottles for seven months, so when she started using NUK, it was a difficult transition. She did not like using it, but I persisted over a few feedings. The design is good for breastfed babies during a transition to bottles. The NUK bottle has an orthodontic silicone nipple with an angled top, extra–wide base and hourglass shape. It also features the drinking hole on the top side instead of the tip, like other brands, because it helps the formula mix better with saliva to ease digestion. I am not a scientist so I will take NUK at its word. Because I use powder formula, I shake the bottle to mix the water and formula. Unfortunately, I did not read the box before shaking the bottle: Formula splashed all over the place. I learned to place my finger over the hole when I shake.

The first time my daughter used the bottle, she did not know what to think: She kept turning it from side to side in her little hands! The nipple features the NUK Air System that allows the nipple to vent, reducing colic. I did not notice a difference: My daughter still spits up quite a bit from the reflux; I do not think the nipple design will change that.

I like the wider neck of the bottle because it makes it easier to clean the bottle and pour powdered formula into it. The bottles are made from glass-like shatterproof plastic and are dishwasher safe. The bottle is truly easier to clean. I also like that it is a 10-ounce bottle so there is enough room to mix 6 ounces of water and three scoops of formula.

Apart from the useful and orthodontic design of the bottle, the designs on the bottle are appealing and fun. The bottles can be coordinated with other products (NUK pacifiers and training cups) as a great little gift basket or for your own coordinated baby!

The parts are interchangeable with other NUK bottles, so you can have more than one look to your bottle. I rated the “comfort” and “appeal to age group” categories a 4 because of my daughter’s difficulty in switching from the straight nipples. Perhaps if she were switching from being breastfed, the transition would have been easier and more comfortable for her. I also said I would not buy the bottles for myself, not because of the bottle itself but because I have successfully used another brand. I will keep using the NUK and see if, perhaps with more time, her feeding issues subside a little.

All ratings on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high).

Meet the Reviewer!

Rose Murphy-Hamlet is a former New York litigation attorney. She is now a stay-at-home mother to two boys (8 and 4 years old) and a girl (8 months). Rose lives in Fairfax with her children and husband but is originally from the Bronx.