Medela Calma Bottle Review

Medela deserves major credit for bottle innovation with the introduction of the Calma bottle. Lots of bottles try to mimic the human body to make bottle feeding more like breastfeeding, but Calma gets much closer to the real deal than most. The main difference between this and other bottles is the nipple. The first thing you'll notice is that the nipple is completely open on the top. The nipple itself isn't the part that requires suction to make the bottle work. The little valve is down lower in the nipple base. Milk only flows when the baby sucks properly.

The Calma bottle comes in just one size - 5 ounces - for about $17. A replacement nipple set is also available for about $15.

This bottle is one that you'll either love or hate. It seems like there's no in between. It's definitely designed for a niche market, too. Babies who are primarily breastfed but need to take a bottle sometimes are the prime audience. Due to the cost, the bottle size, and the extra work involved with these bottles, you'll probably want to skip Calma if your baby is on formula exclusively. Formula fed babies will progress to bigger meals as they grow. Breastfed babies tend to max out at smaller meals, so the 5-ounce bottle size will probably work well with breastmilk.

My son struggled with nursing for the first month. Bottles became a necessity for us after he figured out how to circumvent the supplemental feeding system. He needed to eat, but I didn't want to do anything else to damage our already precarious breastfeeding relationship. The Calma bottle filled a need for us at that time. The nipple style didn't allow him to have a lazy latch, and he couldn't just lay there and let milk drip into his mouth. He had to work for it, just like when he was nursing.

Calma is by far the most expensive bottle we've tried. At about $17, it's more of a specialty feeding device than a regular bottle. It works in some situations, though, which may make that cost worthwhile for many families.

There are a lot of pieces to this bottle. You have to put several pieces together to form the nipple, and it doesn't just pull through a hole like a standard bottle. Fortunately, it comes with a base cap so you can assemble the whole thing after cleaning, and the bottom will be protected from dust or grime until the next feeding. Once it's disassembled, this bottle was very easy to clean.

If you're breastfeeding and only need to give a bottle occasionally, the Medela Calma bottle might be a good choice for your baby. For added convenience, you can use the Calma nipples on Medela breast pump bottles.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.