Do you have a wonderful little nurser, but struggle to get your breastfed baby to take a bottle?
Being able to breastfeed our babies is such an incredible blessing! But sometimes we need them to also be able feed from a bottle!
Maybe you’re returning back to work or needing to supplement with expressed milk or formula.
Or maybe you simply need a much deserved break.
I struggled at different times to get both of my breastfed babies to take bottles.
With my first, she reluctantly took her first bottle of pumped breast milk at 3 weeks old.
When she was a couple months old I did have to go back to work. But at that time, I was working at my nursing job very part time, only once a week, if that.
So I simply wasn’t away from her enough the first 6 months to sufficiently practice her taking a bottle .
I do remember several instances of calling my husband to check on them while I was at work. In the background, I could hear my baby screaming, refusing her bottle of my hard-earned pumped milk.
If you’ve ever experienced this as a Momma, you know just how gut wrenching that can be. It’s so anxiety inducing to hear your baby screaming because they want you. And ONLY you!
When she turned 6 months old though, the entire game changed.
Mommy not only still worked at my part time job, but I also had to go back to nursing school.
This meant being away from her 2 evenings a week while I was in class. Then one full day a week while in clinicals or lab. As well as that one 12 hour work shift every weekend.
I was so anxious and worried about how we would make this work and what it meant for our breastfeeding journey.
To my surprise and relief however, this seemed to be just what my breastfed baby girl needed to be able to get in enough practice with the bottle.
She quickly became not only my expert little nurser, but also able to do great with taking bottles of my breastmilk while I was away from her.
If your breastfed baby struggles to take a bottle, I hope these 11 tried and true tips will help you and your little one be able to have the best of both worlds.
1. Make sure to sufficiently warm the bottle.
While some babies don’t seem to mind what temperature their milk is, others prefer the warmth that’s similar to when they nurse.
I always joke that both of my babies preferred their milk “straight from the tap”.
So warming their milk to resemble what they were used to was a necessity in getting my breastfed babies to take bottles.
While it might seem like the quickest fix when you have a screaming baby, you never want to microwave breastmilk.
Not only can it break down the proteins and other nutrients in Mom’s liquid gold, but it can also leave hot spots. Those in turn can actually burn the baby’s mouth.
When it comes to warming breastmilk to give to your baby in a bottle, there’s a few options.
- You can warm breastmilk by submerging the bottle or bag in a bowl of warm water.
- Or you can use a bottle warmer. This bottle warmer works great and heats milk to the right temperature FAST!
You want to make sure to test the temperature of the expressed breastmilk first before feeding your baby.
You can do this by dropping a small amount on your wrist before feeding Baby.
2. Don’t force the nipple of the bottle into the baby’s mouth.
When trying to get a baby to take a bottle, if you simply try to force the nipple of the bottle into the baby’s mouth, this can cause them to pull back and fight against it.
All babies are born with a very strong natural instinct to suck.
Whether breastfed or not, touching the nipple of a bottle to the baby’s top lip typically stimulates them to open their mouth. This is especially true if they’re already hungry.
Once the baby opens wide, this allows them to better latch onto the nipple. This happens whether it’s an artificial one on a bottle, or a mother’s breast.
3. Positioning
Hold baby in a position similar to nursing to allow eye contact and familiarity.
If that upsets baby, try holding him/her in more of an upright position or even facing away from you.
This may take some practice and trial and error.
Not only is every baby different, but often times even the same baby will respond differently to positioning at different times depending on their mood.
But if you’re struggling to get your baby to take a bottle, a simple change in positioning may be all it takes to get them to better cooperate.
4. Try using paced feeding to get a breastfed baby to take a bottle.
The flow of milk from an artificial nipple of a bottle is much faster than the flow of milk from the breast.
Sometimes when a baby that is used to breastfeeding latches on to a bottle, that sudden high flow of milk can be too much for them.
Paced feeding can really help to remedy this.
How To Pace Bottle Feed A Baby
- Hold the baby in an upright position.
- Hold bottle at a 90 degree angle to allow a slower flow.
- Sway back and forth to assist in slowing the milk flow to allow paced feeding and better resemble the slower flow of milk from the breast.
If you’re worried about your baby taking in too much excess air from using this method, simply make sure to burp them well after the feeding.
5. Try to not wait to feed a breastfed baby a bottle until baby is HANGRY!
If your baby is used to breastfeeding and you’re trying to get them to take a bottle, it’s best to not wait until baby is TOO hungry.
Typically, if a baby gets to that point, they aren’t going to be in the mood to be very cooperative with anything other than what THEY want and WHEN they want it!
I mean, you can’t really blame them. I’m very much the same in that way when I’m hangry. Just ask my husband, he’ll tell you all about it! Haha
If you plan to introduce your baby to taking a bottle, try to do so within an hour or two after their last nursing session.
They may not take as much from the bottle at first, but you may be surprised that the baby may not fight it as much.
6. Touch the bottle nipple to the soft palette in the back roof of the baby’s mouth.
Like I mentioned earlier, all babies are born with the very strong, innate instinct to suck.
It’s their only way to receive nutrition for the first several months of their life!
However, that sucking reflex isn’t fully in effect until the soft palette at the back roof of their mouth is stimulated.
Because of this, when Baby does open their mouth to latch onto a bottle, you want to make sure to stroke the roof of their mouth with the nipple of the bottle to activate that sucking reflex.
7. Try having someone other than Mom feed a breastfed baby a bottle.
I know of some babies who don’t seem to mind who offers them a bottle.
But the majority of breastfed babies typically refuse to take a bottle from Mom.
If you’re a momma trying to get your breastfed baby to take a bottle, try having someone else offer the bottle instead.
It may actually be best if you leave the room. Or maybe even the house during that time if you’re comfortable with it.
You’d be amazed how differently a baby may behave if Mom isn’t around. (Heck, that starts young and never seems to go away! Haha)
When Baby can smell Mom, they know their preferred food source is near. So they may not be so keen on taking an alternative form of their meal.
If baby can’t smell Mommy’s delicious scent however, you may find them to be more willing to take a bottle.
If it seems like I’m making babies sound like instinct driven little creatures, it’s because that’s exactly what they are! In the most beautiful way of course.
8. Try feeding baby with recently expressed milk soon after it’s pumped. Or immediately freeze it.
The longer breastmilk sits in the refrigerator, the more lipase builds up in it. This can cause the milk to have a soapy taste.
While it is still safe for the baby to drink the milk as long as it hasn’t been sitting in the fridge longer than the recommended time (4-6 days), some babies seem to not like the taste.
This was the main cause of my first breastfed baby refusing to take a bottle. Once I figured this out, I started either immediately freezing my breastmilk, or I made sure she drank it within a day or 2 of me pumping it.
Once I started doing that, it made a huge difference in her willingness to feed from a bottle.
9. Use a bottle made for breastfed babies.
With so many different types of baby bottles out on the market, it can be overwhelming to know which type would be best to offer your baby.
If you plan to offer your breastfed baby to feed from a bottle, I suggest purchasing 2-3 different types of bottles that are made specifically for nursing babies.
Over the years, these are the brands I have found to be the best bottles for breastfed babies:
10. Burp every ounce or two or if your baby begins to fuss.
If your baby starts to arch their back while feeding, or starts getting fussy, it’s likely they are taking in some excess air. Stopping the feed and burping your baby can really help with this.
I recommend stopping every ounce or two to try burping your baby, especially if they aren’t used to taking a bottle yet.
11. Don’t give up if your baby acts like they don’t want the bottle. Keep going, and stay patient.
I know from experience that it can be frustrating, exhausting, and emotional for all involved when your breastfed baby refuses to take a bottle.
My first baby didn’t take a bottle well until she was 6 months old and I had to go back to nursing school.
My second baby took a bottle great as a newborn! But then she refused to bottle feed and only wanted to nurse until she was a year old. At that point we started implementing these tips and they worked really well for us.
Sometimes it really does take staying consistent and not giving up before you find success. Continue trying to offer your baby a bottle.
Then all of a sudden, it can be as if one day the stars align. And they may decide to quit fighting you and bottle feed like a champ!
I hope these 11 tips were helpful for you in getting your breastfed baby to take a bottle! If you know of any other helpful tips or tricks, please leave a comment letting us know!
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Thank you so much for reading!