Introducing a bottle to a breastfed baby

When introducing a bottle to a breastfed baby, parents often don’t even know what questions to ask. So let’s just dive into it.

When?

We recommend introducing a bottle when breastfeeding is established. That is typically around the 2 week mark. Give or take a week. When baby is latching consistently and efficiently and when the breastfeeding parent is not feeling engorged/uncomfortable are good indicators that it is an okay time to try a bottle.

If your baby takes a bottle from day one, that is okay! But if you have the option, and exclusively offering breastmilk is your goal…then unfortunately we do recommend to hold off. This will ensure that the milk supply has synced up with baby, and that the baby is used to “putting in the work” at the breast and achieving a milk reward.

Nursing at a breast may take up to even a minute or two before the flow starts, while a bottle has milk readily available. So babies can definitely get lazy at the breast and prefer the bottle if it’s offered too soon.

On the other hand, if you wait until after week 4 to introduce a bottle, they may be so used to the breast that they are not interested in changing their mouth shape to fit around a fake silicone nipple. So there is definitely a sweet spot of introducing a bottle to a breastfed baby between 1-4 weeks.

The other WHEN is choosing a time where your baby is calm, content and not overly hungry. They’ll latch on much better if they aren’t frustrated.

Why?

• If the breastfeeding parent wants to go to an appointment, go to the store, go out with friends, or if they plan on eventually going to work…then offering a bottle is an essential skill that baby needs to learn.
• If the breastfeeding parent ever has an emergency and needs to be away from the baby or needs to take a medication where they cannot breastfeed- it’s important that the baby is able to take a bottle.

How?

Here is the big question. Here is why you probably sought out this blog. The good news is if you are offering your baby a bottle around the 2/3 week mark…you just put the bottle in their mouth! Most of the time the baby will latch on no problem. Make sure that you are choosing the right bottle for your baby.

If your baby is already past the sweet spot, or just having difficulty in general. Let us offer some tips and tricks to help!

• Have someone else offer the bottle. Ideally the breastfeeding parent is out of the room or even out of the BUILDING! Babies know.
• Try a different position than breastfeeding. Ideally put baby on your bent knees facing you, or even in a boppy or inclined position facing you.
• Get some of the milk on the baby’s lips and stimulate their lips to begin sucking.
• Try to get the milk as close to body temperature as possible. If this doesn’t work- trial with it warmer or colder.
• Keep trying different bottles until you find one that your baby recognizes as a nipple.
• And just generally…Keep trying! Have different people that come over try. Try while walking around. Try while outside. Try while baby is sleeping. Try while baby is more or less hungry.

Yay my baby took a bottle!

Amazing. KEEP OFFERING IT. If I had a dime for every parent that told me their infant “used to take a bottle”….I would have many dimes. If you don’t offer a bottle for a few days, your baby can absolutely forget the skill and you have to start from square one. We recommend at a minimum offering a bottle every other day. Sometimes this means that the breastfeeding parent pumps and someone else offers a bottle. Sometimes this means that they use the Haaka during the day and offer a top off at night before bed. Every family finds what works best with their unique dynamic.

Introducing a bottle to a breastfed baby can take time and patience, but it pays off in the end!