Introduction
As with learning anything new, practice makes perfect. Babies don’t always enjoy changes to their routine, and that’s why it’s essential to take some time and conduct a trial and error period. All of our babies are unique, which makes them both incredibly wonderful and frustratingly mysterious at times. Switching from breast to bottle can be challenging, but your little one likely just needs a bit of support and encouragement.
Nipple Confusion
What to expect describes nipple confusion as “Nipple confusion” is a term used to describe babies who are used to sucking from bottles and have a hard time getting back on the breast. They may protest the different size or texture of a mom’s nipple.” Your baby isn’t confused. She’s just finding the bottle easier to extract milk from than the breast. It isn’t usually an issue, and your baby will likely learn very quickly how to switch between the breast and the bottle.
Your Baby Misses Mum
If you have been breastfeeding and are looking to switch to the bottle, your baby might simply miss the smell, taste and touch of Mum’s body when she feeds. Try wrapping the bottle in a top or blanket that smells like Mum. You might find that baby is much happier to feed from the bottle when she can still feel close to her Mum.
Introduction
As with learning anything new, practice makes perfect. Babies don’t always enjoy changes to their routine, and that’s why it’s essential to take some time and conduct a trial and error period. All of our babies are unique, which makes them both incredibly wonderful and frustratingly mysterious at times. Switching from breast to bottle can be challenging, but your little one likely just needs a bit of support and encouragement.
Nipple Confusion
What to expect describes nipple confusion as “Nipple confusion” is a term used to describe babies who are used to sucking from bottles and have a hard time getting back on the breast. They may protest the different size or texture of a mom’s nipple.” Your baby isn’t confused. She’s just finding the bottle easier to extract milk from than the breast. It isn’t usually an issue, and your baby will likely learn very quickly how to switch between the breast and the bottle.
Your Baby Misses Mum
If you have been breastfeeding and are looking to switch to the bottle, your baby might simply miss the smell, taste and touch of Mum’s body when she feeds. Try wrapping the bottle in a top or blanket that smells like Mum. You might find that baby is much happier to feed from the bottle when she can still feel close to her Mum.
Try “introducing the mouth to the bottle” rather than trying to get the baby to drink
Lacted.org recommends the following solution to support the shift from breast to bottle:
Step 1: Bring the nipple (no bottle attached) to the baby’s mouth and rub it along the baby’s gums and inner cheeks, allowing the baby to get used to the feeling and texture of the nipple. If the baby doesn’t like this, try again later.
Step 2: Once the baby accepts the nipple in her mouth, encourage her to suck on the nipple. Place your finger inside the nipple hole without the bottle attached and rub the nipple gently against the baby’s tongue.
Step 3: When the baby is comfortable with the first two steps, pour some drops of milk into the nipple without attaching the nipple to the bottle. Start by offering small sips of milk, making sure to stop when the baby shows that she has had enough.
Don’t Try To Push Through It’s ok if your baby whines and makes her normal feeding sounds, but don’t force her if she starts to cry and scream in protest. You might be tired or frustrated and want to make this work because you struggle with breastfeeding or need to get back to work. This is all absolutely normal, and you are not alone. We recommend you start by letting baby roll their tongue over the teat to get used to the feeling. Once they feel comfortable with it, encourage them to take a few sucks. It’s important to reward these first small steps from your baby with reassurance and positivity. As with almost everything in parenting, patience is your best support.
Post time: Apr-12-2022