My first baby took a bottle like second nature, we gave it to her and she gulped down my pumped milk. It made leaving the house easy and as a first time mom I needed that little escape whenever I could get it. Fast forward 3 years and my second baby wanted nothing to do with a bottle. With a work trip as a looming deadline I grew increasingly frustrated and worried that she would seemingly NEVER take a bottle. It was foreign territory to me and I needed all the help I could get. I spent way too much money on bottles that everyone suggested were ‘the best’ and were ‘sure to work’ only to be discouraged. I also realized this was a common problem for moms that were exclusively breastfeeding their babies. We eventually got Flora to take a bottle…and many of these tips helped!
ps- one benefit of getting your baby to take a bottle? You can try our bedtime bottle trick :)
Here are some tips crowd sourced from The Mama Notes Community!
Do it early and do it often – don’t wait too long!
Don’t try a million bottles! Pick one kind, stick with it and don’t give up.
Have your partner (or anyone else) do it when baby can’t see mom. Leave the house if you can!
Introduce the bottle when you know your baby is hungry but she’s not starving and desperate for milk (i.e. overly hungry).
Try at least a few times a week before you are ready or planning to be gone and need baby to take bottle.
Pick the same time every day and be consistent.
Keep trying, don’t give up.
Look into Paced Feeding (a method of bottle feeding that mimics breast feeding)
Make sure you’re using the correct nipple size for their age.
Try a slower flow nipple!
Other resources: Kelly Mom Article On Bottle Feeding & La Leche League Article on Introducing A Bottle To A Breastfed Baby
Tips For Introducing A Bottle To A Breastfed Baby
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