Holistic Babies London

22. Jan, 2021

My Baby Won't Take a Bottle! HELP!

The breastfeeding is going well, you feel good about it, CONGRATUALTIONS! But now, you feel it is time to introduce a bottle and your baby just won't take it. Here are some tips to help out:

Steps: 

1- Introduce when she is happy, playful to avoid negative association with bottle feeding.

2- Do not insist, introducing bottles can take time, and it is better to try for a few minutes daily than spending a long time trying to bottle feed.

3- Use expressed breast milk (warm) rather than formula as your baby is used to the taste of breastmilk and only put a little amount in the bottle; this is just a playtime introduction.

4- For a few days before you introduce bottles, give your baby the teat and or bottle to play with: with hand to mouth coordination developing, she will play & suck on the teat (you can put a little milk in it too or water. 

5- Rub her lip with the bottle, smile, talk to her.

6- Warm up the teat: your baby is used to the milk coming out of warm breasts, it may ease the feed. (But if teething, a cold teat may help, it is about trying and see what works). 

7- Dip the teat in warm milk, so she knows it is her milk, not a dummy, for example, or she may refuse/ get frustrated. 

8- Avoid pushing the teat in her mouth, rather allow her to take it in.

9- You can place the bottle teat over your nipple and let her suck, play with it at the breast to “trick” her – but babies are super smart so she may not be dupped! If she fusses, stop. 

10- Sometimes having her dad or someone she knows who is not mum to give the bottle can help. (She knows the milk comes from mum).

11- Try when she is sleepy, just as she wakes for naps, for example. Pick her up before she wakes and cuddle her before offering the bottle.

12- Try other means to offer milk: cup/ Sippy cup is a good alternative. 

13- If she keeps getting frustrated, take a break for a couple of days and try again.

Note: 

Note:

The first week is about play, discovery and no pressure. The calmer you are, the calmer your baby will be. 

For the first year, milk will continue to be a large portion of her diet. It is important to remember that food babies receive at this age are low in calories but fill their stomach in volume (for example, a carrot pouch is about 35 calories breastmilk is around 69 calories per 100 ml) may get hungry more often. 

The food at this stage is about trying out and play rather than nutrition. 

Many parents are confused about the amount of milk a baby who is being weaned should get. Formula-fed babies should take around 600 ml of milk a day when they are introduced to solid food (7 to 9 months) and decrease to 400 ml at 9 to 12 months, much less than what the formula company recommend (WHO).

A breastfed baby of 6 months will take anything between 50 ml and 120 ml of breastmilk per feed. 

Plan:

- Playtime with the bottle: give your baby a bottle to play with, you can get her a doll and show her how to feed the doll with a bottle, it is all about play.

- After a few days, give her the bottle with a little milk in it and let her play with it, put it in her mouth, dip milk on the tip and let her lick it. Do this for a few days.

- Towards the end of the week, introduce the bottle following the steps above.

If you have a history of mastitis, you have to be really gentle in weaning.  

Remember the 3P:

- Patience 

- Play

- Perseverance

Avoiding negative feeding association is important, if your baby cries, fusses, fight, stop, reassure her and try again later. 

Stephanie is the founder of Holistic Babies London and has worked for the past 12 years supporting mothers with breastfeeding challenges, both in the NHS and in the private sector. She has completed her required 90 hours of lactation theory and continues to support women in the London area as well as online.

For more information or to book an appointment, please contact admin@holisticbabies.co.uk