Tag: my baby won't take a bottle

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Bottle-feeding for breast-fed babies

love cute kids baby

How can I get my breastfed baby to take a bottle?

To be honest, like so much about birthing and raising children, it’s a lot of trial and error. There’s no one-size-fits-all or quick fix – every baby, and every relationship between baby and parent, is unique.

The suggestions below for introducing a bottle to your breastfed baby come from years of working with new parents.

When should I introduce a bottle?

The timing is up to you, and depends on why you’re introducing a bottle and whether you want to keep breastfeeding or mix feed. Some parents need to stop breastfeeding earlier than they’d hoped for medical reasons, or because they’ll be away from their baby. Others choose to stop, or to start mixed feeding, out of personal preference. Anything is possible, and there’s no single best time – your family and circumstances are unique.

How do I start?

  • Choose a day when your partner or main support person is around. Your baby may accept a bottle more easily from someone other than the breastfeeding parent. They know their milk comes from you, and may not understand why it’s now coming from this new object.
  • Choose a time when your baby is calm and settled. A settled baby is usually more open to new things.
  • Start small. At first, offer the bottle about an hour after a breastfeed, with a small amount (around 15ml/½oz) of breast milk or formula.
  • Get the temperature right. Breastfed babies are used to milk at body temperature (about 37°C) and can be fussy about it. Warm refrigerated breast milk in a bowl of warm water, a bottle warmer or under warm running water. Cool freshly made-up formula in a bowl of cold water or under cold running water.
  • Leave the room (or the house). Sometimes the breastfeeding parent needs to be out of the way so the baby can’t smell their milk.
  • Be patient. Gently touch your baby’s upper lip with the teat and let them ‘latch on’ as they would to the breast. If they get upset and haven’t fed after 10 minutes, stop and try again later or the next day.
  • Bond with your baby. Talk to them and make eye contact. Skin-to-skin can help too – it helps your baby relax and settle, and stimulates their interest in feeding.
  • Try different teats and bottles. You might strike lucky with the first one, but if not, there are plenty more to try:
    • Short, rounded teats with a wide base are thought to give an experience more similar to breastfeeding.
    • Some babies gag on longer teats, so shorter ones may suit them better.
    • Warm the teat with warm water before feeding.
  • Try different positions. The positions babies prefer for bottle feeding are often different from breastfeeding positions. Try a facing-out position so your baby can look around the room, or walk around while feeding.
  • Try a spoon, a free-flow cup, a Doidy Cup or a small open cup. If you’d rather not use a bottle, or you’ve tried everything and it hasn’t worked, you could try one of these instead. Hold your baby upright and well supported on your lap. Bring the spoon or cup to their mouth and touch the milk to their upper lip, letting them take the milk themselves at their own pace. Never pour milk into your baby’s mouth, as this could make them choke.

Responsive (paced) bottle feeding

For anyone feeding their baby with a bottle, responsive or paced bottle feeding is recommended by the NHS.

Recognise feeding cues, and feed your baby when they show signs of hunger.
Hold your baby close, in a semi-upright position, during feeds.
Brush the teat against your baby’s top lip to encourage them to open their mouth wide. Keep the bottle fairly horizontal.
Watch your baby and follow their cues when they need a break.
Your baby knows how much milk they need – follow their lead.
Responsive (paced) bottle feeding
Responsive bottle feeding visual guide
Responsive (paced) bottle feeding – a visual guide

Here is a video on paced bottle feeding:

Sources, references and further reading