Lots of first time moms want to have the option of bottle feeding their baby once in a while. Perhaps you are going to be heading back to work or perhaps you just want a few hours away from your baby or a night out with your significant other. Getting your baby to take a bottle may not initially seem as easy as you’d hoped. Here are some tips to help you succeed.
First of all, we don’t recommend giving your baby a bottle at all until they are at least 4-6 weeks old. Having any type of artificial nipple (bottle, pacifier, etc) can interfere with breastfeeding success if it is given to the baby too early. You may think that your baby can easily switch back and forth between bottle and breast early on, but many babies will develop “nipple confusion” and this can make breastfeeding success very difficult (not impossible, but difficult) – so we highly recommend enjoying these early days with your baby and avoiding the bottle until your breastfeeding relationship has been well-established.
Now, back to the bottles. You might be wondering what type of bottle is best. There are many different types of bottles and which one is “best” is very subjective. It won’t be you that makes the decision either – it will likely be your little one! I bought about 7 different kinds of bottles for my son and let him pick which one he liked best. The one that everyone told me was “best” he wouldn’t drink from – so we just did it by trial and error. Once we found one that he liked, we stocked up. So don’t go out and buy a bunch of bottles until you know which one your little bundle of joy is going to like.
When you first try to give your baby a bottle, don’t be surprised if they protest. It isn’t nearly as “cozy” as nursing – and they may not understand what this “foreign” object is that you are trying to shove in their mouth! Here are some tips for success:
- Try giving your baby a bottle when they aren’t too hungry. If your baby is starving, they are going to get upset and will just want to nurse – especially if you are nearby – so do it at a time when they are starting to show signs of hunger, but aren’t yet famished.
- Leave the room or even the house! Babies are SMART. They will know if mom is nearby – so you may have to leave the room or even the house before your baby will consent to taking a bottle. If you are nearby, they may refuse until they get their milk from the TAP.
- Be patient. Keep trying – your little one will eventually take a bottle from someone while you are away. Don’t worry – the first time you go away, your little one may have a rough time, but they won’t starve. Once the realize breastfeeding isn’t an option, they will take the bottle.
- Don’t be surprised if your baby reverse cycles. When mom goes back to work, many babies just adjust their nursing times to when mom is home. So don’t be surprised if your baby doesn’t drink much while you are away and instead power-nurses when you are home. (my son did this!) Many babies will nurse all night instead of taking much milk from a bottle while you are away. It is completely normal and acceptable.
Do you have any tips for getting a baby to take a bottle while mom is away? We’d love to hear your stories – please share them by leaving a comment!
**Baby with bottle photograph is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.**
![[co.mments]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/comments.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[MySpace]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Newsvine]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/newsvine.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Twitter]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
This was really tough for me the first time around. I would be certain to introduce the bottle sooner (even though its so much more convenient to breastfeed)
I am worried we waited too long! She’s 8 weeks on tuesday and is fighting the bottle big time when daddy offers it. We’ve been trying for 2 days now and have like 6 different bottles on hand. She isn’t having any of them.
Good news is she does take small amounts of milk from a dropper okay but I am stressing about leaving her with someone else while I work a few hours a week, especially if she isn’t used to a bottle!
.-= Talina of Harvest of Daily Life´s last blog ..Milestones and laziness: The joys of parenthood. =-.
Hi Talina,
Don’t stress – your baby will take a bottle when you are away. It may be difficult the first few times, but she will take one. I waited until 8 weeks with my son too – that is a pretty typical time to start trying – don’t worry. She can sense your stress and she also knows that the “real thing” is nearby. Another thing to try are the baby cups. Many breastfed babies prefer taking milk from a cup instead of a bottle.