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Why are my bottles leaking?

The vent system in Dr. Brown’s bottles is what gives our bottle the benefits of reduced colic, gas, spit-up and burping – which makes it a great for feeding baby. When the vent, collar, and nipple are on the bottle, it is not a sealed storage container and you may experience leaking in certain situations. Here are three solutions to leaking issues:

Leaking while feeding:

Nipple flow levels can be too fast or slow for baby. If the nipple flow level is too slow, baby will suck harder and harder to get more milk. This can push air into the vent, causing pressure to build up. That pressure may then push liquid out of the collar, causing leaking. Increasing the nipple flow level up to the next level may solve this issue.

Learn more about choosing the right nipple flow level for baby now.

Leaking while traveling:

Because the bottle works the way it does, it is an open system that allows liquid to drip out of the nipple when turned over. When the vent, collar and nipple are on, the bottle needs to remain upright. Placing a bottle cap over the nipple does not prevent liquid from coming out of the nipple when turned over.

  • When traveling short distances like to daycare, keep the parts on, use the included Travel Disk and keep the bottle upright to help prevent leaking.
  • When traveling longer distances, by plane, or when the bottle cannot remain upright, remove the vent, collar and nipple and screw on a Storage Travel Cap. The parts can be stored in a clean storage bag.

For more tips to traveling with Dr. Brown’s bottles, check out our Tips page.

Leaking while preparing:

When warming a bottle or mixing formula by shaking when the parts are in, changes in pressure in the bottle may happen. This could cause leaking to occur out of the collar. When warming your bottles or shaking to mix formula, remove the parts and screw on a storage travel cap.

Some daycares do not allow any modifications to the bottle and will not remove the parts before warming. In this case, ask the daycare to loosen the collar before warming to help release pressure.

For more tips on preparing your bottles, check out our article on how to warm Dr. Brown’s bottles and how to mix formula.

Your experience with Dr. Brown’s products is our top priority. If you’re having issues with your Dr. Brown’s bottles for any reason, please reach out to our customer service team. They are real people, happy to help.

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