While some newborns take easily to the bottle, it may take a bit of effort to get others to accept the bottle. Ideally you wait until baby is at least 4 weeks old before introducing the bottle as this helps to ensure that your milk supply is well-established and that baby can transition easily between the bottle and the breast.
Topics this article will cover:
- Tips for getting a breastfed baby to take a bottle
- How the manage bottle refusal
- Recommended bottles to try
- Bottle amounts
- How to feed your baby from a bottle
- How to establish an optimal bottle-feeding schedule
HOW TO INTRODUCE THE BOTTLE TO A BREASTFED BABY:
Here are some tips to help encourage your baby to take a bottle:
- Most babies do best taking a bottle from someone other than mom (they smell you and know they can simply breastfeed!). I advise mom to at the least leave the room while dad or another support person is trying the bottle… or better yet, leave the house for a bit!
- Try to offer the bottle to your baby when they are content- not too hungry, not overtired, etc.
- Warm the nipple under running water before offering to the baby. Make sure the milk is at room or body temperature.
- Try different holding positions- some babies like to be held in the cradle position as though they were nursing, others prefer sitting in a lap and facing away from the caregiver, and sme babies like taking the bottle with movement (walking around).
- If your baby won’t take the bottle, try offering it to them when they are very drowsy or even lightly sleeping. This can be the most effective time to get a baby who is refusing the bottle to accept it.
- If your baby still won’t take the bottle, try nursing them first (take satiate their hunger a little) and then slip in the bottle.
- Try different nipples and bottles (begin with a slow flow nipple, usually labeled Level 1, 0-3 months, or newborn). Bottles that tend to work well include Joovy Minbie, Medela slow flow, and Kiinde Munchkin Latch bottles
- Once your baby starts drinking from the bottle, be sure to use the PACED BOTTLE FEEDING technique (this technique will allow you to use a responsive approach to feeding, which helps to reduce stress on the baby, limits air intake, and closely mimics the flow rate of breastfeeding).
- Once your baby takes milk from a bottle, continue to offer the bottle regularly (at least several times a week) so your baby maintains the skill.
BOTTLE AMOUNTS:
The average bottle amount for breastfed babies between 6 weeks and 6 months is 3 ounces/bottle. Many babies will often take more than what they need to satiate their hunger from a bottle. The average bottle amount for breastfed babies between 6 weeks and 6 months is 3 ounces/bottle (most babies will often take more than what they need to satiate their hunger from a bottle; as such it’s best to limit their bottles to no more than 4 ounces and to always practice paced bottle feeding. Here is a video showing how this method works: https://youtu.be/TuZXD1hIW8Q
Most babies will take 19 to 30 oz (570-900ml) of human milk per 24 hours- with the average being around 25 ounces (750ml). If you are going to make a bottle of expressed milk for your nursing baby, you can estimate the amount by dividing the typical number of feeds per day into 25oz. A 3-4 month old baby typically needs about 8 feedings within a 24 hour period (about every 3-4 hours, especially during the day).
Here’s a great pumped milk calculator tool: https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/
For pumping information and tips for increasing pumping output, check out the Pumping Tips post.
BOTTLE FEEDING SCHEDULE FOR BABY WHILE MOTHER IS AWAY:
The best way to feed baby is directly from the breast, so always strive to maximize on this. Many women prefer to breastfeed baby first thing in the morning, right before they have to depart for work, and then immediately upon returning from work.
Baby should then get a bottle based on her general schedule (likely every 3-4 hours, but this is entirely dependent upon age). Freshly refrigerated milk will maintain more of its live cells than frozen milk (fresh milk can be kept in the fridge for 72 hours), so always use fresh milk for baby before using the frozen milk. When reheating, never use the microwave or stove (as excessive heat can destroy many beneficial properties), thaw in the refrigerator, then warm via warm tap or bowl of warm water and gently swirl the milk to mix all of the layers together. Breast milk should be no warmer than body temperature. If there is milk left in the bottle after a feeding, you may keep that milk until the next feeding (but discard after that).