Why do I need bottles if I’m breastfeeding?

You don’t. Plenty of parents all over the world never use a bottle with their baby. But they can also never leave their baby.

This means no going to a doctor’s appointment alone, no having a drink with friends and not going back to work. It can feel very limiting to not be able to travel far distances from your baby and to always be watching the clock even if you go for a walk or bike ride. 

It also means if an emergency happens and you need to be away from your baby that they may protest and not eat. We don’t like to think about these events but they do happen. 

We support attachment parenting and not using bottles…but we’ve found for the vast majority of the breastfeeding parents we work with, they want the OPTION to give their baby a bottle.

When to introduce a bottle to your breastfed baby

We recommend introducing a bottle around week 3, and doing at least 1 bottle every 2-3 days so your baby can continue to practice this skill. We can’t tell you how many parents give their baby a bottle but then they stop offering and the baby refuses a bottle on date night! 

In conclusion, make your own decisions, but make INFORMED decisions. Giving a baby a bottle doesn’t make you less of an attached parent, it won’t negatively affect your breastfeeding relationship or your supply. If you use the haaka regularly or hand express after a feeding you may never even have to pump!