ROAD TEST: "The two bottles that turned my 'breast-only' baby into a bottle feeder."

Since about 10 weeks of age, my four-month-old son Axel has been refusing bottles and has been exclusively breastfeeding.

Some babies refuse bottles once the sucking reflex that they are born with disappears and sucking becomes due to conscious effort rather than reflex. Unfortunately for me, my son fit into this category of fussy feeders.

My husband Eddie and I have tried multiple brands of bottles, at different times of the day; expressed milk versus formula; feeding in different locations in the house; various distraction techniques; and changing it up between Mum and Dad feeding – all with no success.

Giving up on this increasingly frustrating exercise for a time, I had accepted that until weaned onto solids, Axel and I would literally be attached at the boob. While in a weird crazy mum way this made me feel kind of special and wanted (don’t judge me!) after four months I have been craving a more substantial break from the little guy.

Being asked to review the Tommee Tippee Advanced Anti Colic bottle and the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature glass bottle gave me the motivation I needed to give bottle feeding another crack.

Bottle #1: The Tommee Tippee Advanced Anti Colic bottle

We had not tried Tommee Tippee bottles before. The first thing I noticed was how cool the bottle looked: it's colourful, and the three-piece anti-colic straw had me intrigued.

Also, the teat shape is unlike the other bottles we have used, which have had much longer teats which are nothing like my nipples.

To be completely honest, we did have a couple of unsuccessful attempts at first, with Axel doing his usual thing - swirling the teat around his mouth and turning his head away from the bottle.

Then one morning Axel had slept for 11 hours overnight without waking for a feed (yes, we may have a fussy feeder but we are lucky to be blessed with an incredible sleeper!) he woke up absolutely ravenous, almost chewing his entire hand off, I knew this was our best chance.

Success! He latched!

For the first time in months Axel successfully consumed 150ml of milk from a bottle. Admittedly hunger played its part, but I have no doubt the breast-like teat helped a lot.

I love the heat-sensing straw - a fantastic new feature making bottle preparation easier. For breastfeeding mums, our milk is like liquid gold, as we know how hard our tired bodies have worked to produce the magical substance. I have literally cried over spilt milk at 4am in the morning!

When heating up expressed milk, this feature will save you from wasting any milk, testing the temperature on your wrist. Alternatively if you’re using formula and heating up cooled boiled water, you can simply keep an eye on the bottle in the microwave or on the stove and pull it out when the tube turns light purple, indicating that the water is warm.

The Advanced Anti-Colic venting technology seemed to make a big difference to the feed as well. I have found that particularly with formula, preparation produces a lot of air and bubbles in the milk, which tend to gather at the teat while bub is drinking. I definitely noticed a reduction in the air trapped at the end of the bottle.

While he may be a good sleeper, Axel is a really vomity baby. He usually vomits multiple times after every feed, which has been to the detriment of my wardrobe and furniture.

After this feed, there was a very noticeable difference in the amount of milk that came back up.

Now let's talk about wind. Axel doesn't generally get uncomfortable from wind as he did in the earlier months, so I can't comment on the change in comfort. But a reduction in burps and vomit is a good sign that the new Tommee Tippee Anti Colic bottle is a winner.

Bottle #2: The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Glass bottle

For our second successful bottle feed in weeks we trialled the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Glass bottle, an environmentally friendly option.

On a Sunday afternoon I decided to go out with some friends for a few hours, comfortable with the knowledge that if Axel is hungry enough he most likely will drink from the Tommee Tippee bottles, and was so happy to walk back into my apartment to find Eddie feeding Axel with the pure glass bottle.

My favourite thing about the pure glass bottle is simply that it is a really nice bottle. It’s slightly bigger than anything else we have, and sparkles next to its plastic counterparts. It looks and feels expensive (and it's only $17 at BIG W).

Again the bottle features the ‘closer to nature’ nipple, ensuring a comfortable latch for my previously 'breast-only' feeder. These teats have been designed to support the transition between bottle and breast and my son Axel is a perfect example of their performance.

Eddie commented on the lack of bubbles in the bottle, particularly at the teat, this time a function of the Anti-Colic valve featured in this bottle, designed to eliminate excessive air flow. And once again, no vomit!

Mums and dads can also rest easy knowing they are using a baby safe, BPA, phthalates and toxin-free product which will no doubt outlast their plastic bottles. The pure glass bottle is also recyclable and made of sustainable material - a bonus for environmentally conscious parents.

I am so happy that I had the opportunity to review these two amazing products, which gave me the motivation I needed to persist with bottle feeding.

They've given me a little more freedom, which for a tired mum, is absolutely priceless.

Have you tried this product? How do you handle your baby's colic?

This content was brought to you with thanks by our brand partner, Tommee Tippee.