Vented bottle

A nipple assembly for use with a baby bottle, the nipple assembly comprising:

• a flexible nipple defining an interior nipple volume;
• a vent bulb disposed within the interior nipple volume and defining an interior bulb volume;
• a tube extending away from the nipple;
• and
• a vent manifold defining:
• a first aperture arranged to provide fluid communication between a bottle and the interior nipple volume with the nipple assembly mounted on the bottle;
• a second aperture providing fluid communication between the tube and the interior bulb volume;
• and
• a vent conduit providing fluid communication between the interior bulb volume and atmosphere, the vent conduit extending to a conduit opening spaced from a lowermost extent of the interior bulb volume with the nipple pointing upward, such that liquid within the vent bulb but below the conduit opening drains into the tube

A method of feeding a baby, the method comprising

• placing liquid in a container having a rim defining an open end;
• securing a nipple assembly to the container at the open end, the nipple assembly comprising:
• a flexible nipple extending away from the container and defining an interior nipple volume;
• a vent bulb disposed within the interior nipple volume and defining an interior bulb volume;
• a tube extending into the container to a distal end disposed in a closed end of the container;
• and
• a vent manifold defining:
• a first aperture providing fluid communication between the container and the interior nipple volume;
• a second aperture providing fluid communication between the tube and the interior bulb volume;
• and
• a vent conduit providing fluid communication between the interior bulb volume and atmosphere, the vent conduit extending to a conduit opening spaced from a lowermost extent of the interior bulb volume with the nipple pointing upward, such that liquid within the vent bulb but below the conduit opening drains into the tube;
• and
• inverting the container such that liquid inside the tube flows into the interior bulb volume;
• positioning the nipple of the inverted container in a mouth of the baby, thereby enabling suckling by the baby to draw liquid from the nipple;
• and then
• righting the container, thereby causing liquid from the interior bulb volume to flow into the tube.