You pull out the dishwasher’s top rack and move a mug to make room. The bottle parts are still waiting: nipples, rings, caps, and perhaps a vent system with its own little pieces. You need somewhere for all of them to go.
I’d start with Dr. Brown’s blue basket if you use Narrow Options+ bottles, wash no more than three sets of parts at a time, and are happy to follow its loading diagram. You still need a suitable spot on the top rack.
OXO Tot’s gray basket is worth considering when you want a more open lower compartment, provided your pieces fit and the basket closes and sits properly. I wouldn’t choose it mainly for straws; owners have reported straws escaping and melting.
And if a suitable closed basket or your handwashing routine already works, you may have nothing to upgrade.
Eight nipples are not eight sets of bottle parts
The capacity labels sound like an easy comparison: eight versus three. But OXO specifies room for up to eight bottle nipples. Dr. Brown’s specifies up to three sets of Narrow Options+ bottle parts. Eight nipples do not tell you how many accompanying rings, caps, and vent pieces will fit. Neither number means complete bottles, with the bottle bodies, go inside the basket.
Before choosing, count everything from a typical wash in your current routine. Use this quick check before either basket goes into your cart:
| Parts in your usual wash | Count separately | Fit detail to check |
|---|---|---|
| Nipples | Number of nipples | Width and shape, not just the number of slots |
| Rings and caps | Number of each | Space left after the nipples are placed |
| Valves and vent pieces, if used | Number of each piece | Length, shape, and the intended loading position |
A basket that holds the nipples but leaves the rest without room may still leave you washing some parts separately.
Use that same batch to consider both baskets. I wouldn’t turn OXO’s nipple count into a promise that one basket replaces several Dr. Brown’s baskets. If you routinely have more than three sets to wash, one Dr. Brown’s basket cannot take the whole batch as intended. You still need to establish whether those parts will fit in OXO.
When Dr. Brown’s fixed layout makes sense
For Narrow Options+ bottles, the assigned positions are the reason I’d choose Dr. Brown’s. Its blue AC825 basket uses posts, cradles, and a side channel. You follow the manufacturer’s diagram to put the bottle’s components in their places, then repeat that arrangement for the next wash.
Look at the manufacturer’s loading diagram before ordering. The upper posts and lower cradles serve different pieces, and the lid needs to close after they are positioned. The basket then goes on the top rack. Plan to learn where each piece goes. Anyone else who regularly handles the bottles will need to learn the arrangement too.
Some owners like having those fixed positions; others describe difficulty getting the parts seated and the lid closed, even with the instructions. The three-set limit also matters when more bottle parts need cleaning than the basket can hold. An owner who likes the arrangement can still find it too small for their household’s washing routine.
I would skip this version for unconfirmed wide-neck or mixed-brand parts. Sharing a brand name does not make every bottle shape compatible, and a few owners fitting other pieces does not establish that yours will fit. There are also complaints about rack fit and water collecting in parts. One owner reported a break on first use. Don’t force in a fourth set to make the purchase work.
View the Dr. Brown’s blue single basket on Amazon
When I’d consider OXO
OXO gives you a more open lower compartment for arranging rings and caps. That’s its appeal to me, provided the pieces fit. The gray single basket covered here is model 62149200; its doors open to either side for loading.
Some wide nipples, including Comotomo nipples, have prompted fit complaints. Owners also report that long Dr. Brown’s vent reservoirs can interfere with closing the doors when placed in the upright straw supports. Don’t treat those supports as slots for any long bottle component. A bottle brand outside Dr. Brown’s intended use does not automatically make OXO the right choice.
The folding straw holders would not be my reason to buy it. In one account, straws escaped and melted; another owner reported the same outcome. Other reviews describe loose or unstable straws. That is enough for me to rule out the promise of an easy upgrade for the straw-cup years. If retaining thin straws is your main need, I would not order either basket on the strength of this comparison.
Those accounts do not show that every nipple or ring will escape, and they do not tell us how often a failure happens. They do mean that the straw holders should not be sold to you as a guarantee.
OXO owners also report broken clasps, doors that do not close properly, and tops that detach too easily during handling. One otherwise positive bottle-part review mentions needing another basket for overflow. Even when someone likes using it, their whole wash may not fit inside.
View the OXO Tot gray single basket on Amazon
Check your parts and your top rack
Before ordering either basket, check the care instructions for your exact bottle parts. Dr. Brown’s says its bottle components, including nipples and vent pieces, are top-rack dishwasher-safe. For other bottles, check their own instructions. A dishwasher-safe basket does not make everything you put inside it dishwasher-safe.
Next, look at the top rack with the cups and glasses you normally wash in place. Exterior dimensions can help you spot an obvious mismatch, but they cannot tell you whether the basket will sit steadily between your rack’s tines. Height matters when the rack slides back in, too. Owner reports of poor fit exist for both baskets; a dishwasher brand name is not enough to settle this.
When the basket arrives, try the manufacturer’s loading arrangement with your own parts before running a wash. Check that pieces cannot pass through the grid, the lid closes normally without pressing against them, and the basket sits securely on the top rack. Slide the rack back in and check that the basket and its contents do not interfere with the spray arm or normal rack movement.
If it is damaged, will not latch, or cannot fit properly, stop and arrange a return or replacement. Don’t bend rack tines, tie loose straws in with rubber bands, or run it partly closed. Passing a simple fit check does not guarantee every wash will go well; it helps you catch a mismatch before using it.
Expect to check and dry the parts
Both baskets have owner reports of parts holding water or coming out wet. An OXO owner who otherwise liked the basket also described nipples sometimes needing another wash. Check for residue as you unload. Dirty or greasy pieces need cleaning again, and wet pieces need to dry fully before storage. If that extra checking and drying is the task you hoped to eliminate, either basket may disappoint you.
The basket itself does not sanitize anything. CDC says a dishwasher cycle using hot water and heated drying (or a sanitizing setting) makes a separate sanitizing step unnecessary. Follow the parts’ care instructions and CDC’s guidance for your baby. Anything still damp should finish air-drying on a clean, unused dish towel or paper towel; don’t rub it dry. For the fuller routine, see our guide to hand-washing and drying baby bottles.
You may already have a routine that works
Think about when you actually run the dishwasher, too. If clean parts are needed before the next household load, more basket space will not solve that timing problem. Keep cleaning bottles after each feeding; do not leave used bottles waiting just to fill a basket. A working handwashing routine can be a better fit than buying more baskets for a dishwasher schedule that does not meet your needs.
At your next normal wash, count the whole batch and look at the space left on the top rack. If your current routine already gets those parts clean and ready for the next feed, you can leave this purchase for another day.