Sometimes I think that getting your breastfed baby onto a bottle is one of the worlds great mysteries! Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to help make this happen. From my experience it takes mostly patience – lots of patience and probably lots of wasted milk too! Don’t get discouraged by what I am saying because, it will happen, your baby will one day decide that, they do in fact, like taking a bottle. Trust me, I am speaking from experience and I am going to share with you a few ways that have helped my baby transition from breast to bottle.
I heard very wise words somewhere that said switching from breast to bottle is a process, not a step. This is a very true statement and I think that once you acknowledge that it may not happen overnight then this will help you set yourself up mentally for the fact that it may take a little bit of time. We all have our reasons why we want to switch to bottle feeding, so whether its because you are going back to work or maybe you just want to want to have a bit more time to yourself (and by a bit more I mean ANY little bit of time, breastfeeding is a full time job!), the end result we want is the same – for your baby to happily take a bottle!
Like most things with babies, like sleep training for example, these things take time so don’t feel daunted by starting. Just remember getting your breastfeeding baby to take a bottle can be done! Here are some ways to help get you there:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
1. Pick A Good Time Of Day
I think that this is hugely important and I would recommend that your first step is to try your baby with a bottle first thing in morning. Originally, I was trying to give my daughter her bottle after her nap, as she always woke up happy. After two weeks of trying it at this time of the day, I changed it to start giving her a bottle first thing in the morning and that is when she started taking it!
2. Choose The Right Bottle
Not the easiest thing to do. I tried FOUR different types of bottles and eventually when my daughter did accept a bottle, it was from these Tommy Tippee ones. If you are trialing different bottles don’t go buying 6 of each, just buy one or maybe two of each kind, and then when your baby finds one they like you can buy more.
3. Check The Flow Of The Nipple
Make sure that you baby is not getting frustrated with the flow speed of the nipple. On the boxes the bottles come in it will give you the recommended nipple size and from there you can decide which is the best flow for your baby.
4. Get Someone Else To Try
Baby is so used to been nursed by you, so when you try them with the bottle, they may not want it and will just expect to be nursed. It is definitely good if there is someone else who can also give them the bottle.
5. Take A Break
I tried consistently for two and half weeks, the odd time trying my daughter with a bottle twice a day to try and find a time of day that worked better for her. With feeling like I spent all my time nursing and pumping I found it got too much and I needed to stop for a few days. It also probably didn’t help that I only breastfed on one side (you can read more about that here), so trying to pump extra milk was a challenge If you are feeling stressed out about, it is OK to take a break! I went back to trying again after about 6 or 7 days and that’s when I decided to try her first thing in the morning and she took the bottle. Maybe the break did us both good!
6. Just Keep Trying
Your baby will eventually take the bottle, so don’t give up! Remember its OK to give your self a break from trying for a few days and then try again.
7. The Temperature
Your baby has been used to drinking milk that has been the same perfect temperature for quite a while, in my case just over four months. When I started giving my daughter a bottle first thing in the morning, I pump there and then in the morning and then gave her the bottle straight away. Whereas before I was reheating milk that I had pumped the night before or earlier that day. Now I honestly have no idea did this help with her going from nursing to taking a bottle, but I thought it was worth a mention.
Honestly, the most important thing is to try not stress yourself out. It can be really hard when day after day your baby refuses to take a bottle. Maybe it might not have been that way for you, and our baby takes the bottle straight away, then brilliant! Just remember that you aren’t the only Mum going through this ‘process’. One random day your baby will just decide to take the bottle!
