Glass vs. Plastic Baby Bottles: What I Chose After Trying Both

When I was preparing for my first baby, I chose glass baby bottles. Plastic gets a bad rap, glass felt like the more environmentally friendly option, and honestly, I liked the peace of mind of using glass. We used Dr. Brown’s 8-ounce glass bottles, and for the first several months, I was perfectly happy with them. If you’re trying to decide what size to buy, I also broke down 4 oz vs. 8 oz baby bottles and when we made the switch.

Then my baby got older, started wanting to hold his own bottle, and we started taking bottles everywhere. Eventually, convenience won. We switched to plastic bottles when he was around six months old, and when I had my second baby, I skipped glass entirely and went straight to plastic Dr. Brown’s bottles.

So if you’re trying to decide between glass vs. plastic baby bottles, I’ve actually used both. Here’s what I liked about glass, why we ultimately switched and what I’d choose if I were buying bottles again.

Glass vs. Plastic Baby Bottles: What’s the Difference?

The obvious difference is the material, but in my experience, the bigger difference was how the bottles fit into everyday life. Glass bottles are heavier and can break, but some parents prefer them because they want to minimize their use of plastic. Plastic bottles are much lighter and won’t shatter, which can make them more convenient once you’re regularly leaving the house or your baby starts holding their own bottle.

For us, there wasn’t a difference in how my baby actually fed from the bottles. The decision ultimately came down to convenience, and that became more important as he got older.

Why I Originally Chose Glass Baby Bottles

With my first baby, I gravitated toward glass because I felt better about using it. There are so many conversations about plastic, especially when it comes to products we’re using for babies, and glass also felt like the more environmentally friendly choice to me.

We used Dr. Brown’s 8-ounce glass bottles, and I didn’t have any problems with them. If our bottle-feeding experience had only happened at home with me holding every bottle, I might have continued using glass much longer. But that’s not really what life with a baby looks like.

Why We Switched From Glass to Plastic Bottles

By the time my son was around six months old, he wanted to start holding his own bottle, and that’s when the weight of the glass bottle became much more noticeable. If he was sitting in the stroller drinking a bottle, for example, a heavy glass bottle just wasn’t as practical for him to hold. I also didn’t love the idea of handing him something made of glass while we were out and about.

Then there was travel. Once you’re packing bottles into a diaper bag, bringing them on airplanes, pushing a stroller around and generally taking your baby everywhere, lightweight plastic bottles are simply easier. There was also the possibility of glass breaking. We never had a major issue with our glass bottles, but plastic removed that concern entirely.

Eventually, the convenience of plastic outweighed the reasons I had initially chosen glass. Around this same stage, we were also figuring out when to switch from 4 oz to 8 oz bottles as he started drinking more at each feeding.

Are Glass Baby Bottles Better Than Plastic?

I don’t think there is one answer that’s right for every family. There were things I genuinely liked about using glass. I liked that we weren’t using plastic for every feeding, and glass gave me some peace of mind when my first baby was little.

But I also don’t think using glass made any noticeable difference in his actual feeding experience. Once we switched to plastic, he drank from the same type of Dr. Brown’s bottles. They were just lighter and easier to use in our everyday life. For me, “better” eventually meant the bottle that was easiest for us to actually use.

Are Glass Baby Bottles Too Heavy?

This was probably the biggest downside for us. When you’re feeding a newborn and holding the bottle yourself, the extra weight isn’t necessarily a big deal. It became much more noticeable once my son wanted to hold his own bottle.

A full 8-ounce glass bottle is considerably heavier than the bottle alone, and it just wasn’t something I wanted him trying to manage on his own in the stroller. Plastic bottles made that stage much easier for us.

What About Glass Bottles for Travel?

This is another area where I’d choose plastic. We travel quite a bit with our kids, and bottles already take up a surprising amount of room. I don’t want to add unnecessary weight to the diaper bag, and I don’t want to worry about a glass bottle breaking while we’re on the go.

Plastic bottles are lightweight, easy to throw into a diaper bag and easier for me to manage when I’m traveling with kids and carrying what feels like a million other things. Once travel became a regular part of our lives, plastic made much more sense for us.

Bottle feeding while traveling has also taught me to keep things as simple as possible. If you’re flying, I shared exactly how to bring formula and/or breastmilk through TSA and what has worked for us when traveling with babies.

What I Did With My Second Baby

When my second baby was born, I didn’t buy glass bottles at all. We went straight to plastic Dr. Brown’s bottles, and it wasn’t because I’d had a bad experience with glass. I hadn’t. I’d just already learned which option worked better for our family.

That’s one of those funny differences between preparing for your first baby and your second. The first time, I spent more time thinking about what seemed ideal. The second time, I had a much better sense of what we’d actually use, and for us, that was plastic.

Are Plastic Baby Bottles Safe?

This was one of the reasons I initially felt more comfortable choosing glass, so I understand why parents ask this question. If you’re using plastic bottles, look for bottles intended for infant feeding and follow the manufacturer’s directions for use, cleaning, sterilizing and replacement. In the U.S., the FDA no longer allows BPA-based polycarbonate resins in baby bottles and sippy cups.

If reducing your baby’s exposure to plastic is important to you, glass can absolutely be an option. That was part of my reasoning the first time around. For our family, though, I ultimately became comfortable with the tradeoff and preferred the convenience of plastic bottles.

Do Glass Baby Bottles Break Easily?

We personally didn’t have a problem with our glass bottles breaking, so I wouldn’t say that breakage was the reason we stopped using them. It was more that the possibility was always there.

Once my baby was holding his own bottle, we were using the stroller more and we were traveling with bottles, plastic simply felt more practical. I liked not having to think about whether a bottle could break while we were out.

Glass vs. Plastic Baby Bottles for Daycare

This is one area where I’d check with your individual daycare before buying a full set of bottles. Daycares may have their own rules about what types of bottles they’ll accept, including whether glass bottles are allowed, so it’s worth asking before investing heavily in one type.

For us, plastic bottles have been incredibly easy for daycare because they’re lightweight and easy to transport back and forth every day. By the time my second baby started daycare, we were already exclusively using plastic bottles.

If you’re getting ready to start childcare, I also shared how many bottles I send to daycare and what our routine looks like. Bottle temperature is another thing I try not to overcomplicate. I generally prefer room-temperature bottles, and I shared more about whether babies can drink cold formula and why I never wanted my babies to rely on warmed bottles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are glass baby bottles better than plastic?

Neither option is automatically better for every family. Glass bottles may appeal to parents who prefer to minimize their use of plastic, while plastic bottles are lighter, won’t shatter and can be more convenient for travel and when babies begin holding their own bottles. After trying both, plastic ended up being the more practical choice for our family.

Why did you switch from glass to plastic baby bottles?

We switched when my first baby was around six months old. As he started wanting to hold his own bottle, the glass bottles felt too heavy. Plastic was also easier for stroller rides and traveling and eliminated my concern about glass breaking.

Are glass baby bottles heavy?

They can be noticeably heavier than plastic bottles, especially when filled with 8 ounces of formula or milk. This wasn’t an issue for us initially, but it became inconvenient when my baby wanted to hold his bottle himself.

Are plastic baby bottles easier for travel?

In my experience, yes. They’re lightweight, don’t shatter and are easy to throw into a diaper bag. Since we travel frequently with our kids, this became one of the biggest reasons I preferred plastic.

Would I Buy Glass or Plastic Baby Bottles Again?

If I were starting over, I’d buy plastic bottles. I don’t regret buying glass, and there was nothing wrong with our glass Dr. Brown’s bottles. They worked exactly as I needed them to, and I completely understand why some parents prefer them.

But they taught me something I’ve learned about a lot of baby products since becoming a mom: what sounds best before you have the baby isn’t always what ends up being easiest in real life. With my first baby, I started with glass and eventually switched to plastic. With my second, I went straight to plastic. If I were doing it again tomorrow, I’d choose plastic again.

More on bottle feeding: After bottle feeding two babies, I’ve learned that there are a surprising number of little decisions that come with bottles. You can also read my guides to how many baby bottles you actually need, how many bottle nipples you need, when to change bottle nipple flow, and whether you really need a bottle sterilizer.