How to combine breast and bottle feeding
You might find your baby does not want to take a bottle at first. The different sensations may confuse them, and they don’t know the bottle contains food. But there are lots of different things you can try to help your baby:
- Offer a bottle when your baby is relaxed and happy, rather than very hungry.
- Maybe ask someone else to offer a bottle so they can’t smell their mother’s milk.
- Try softening the teat with warm, boiled water.
- Hold your baby in a different position from their usual breastfeeding one. It might help your baby get used to the new way of feeding.
- Try a different bottle or teat, this might make a difference.
UNICEF recommend feeding responsively, which means following your baby’s cues, whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding. They also recommend using paced bottle feeding. The way a baby is fed with the bottle can affect their comfort, their control of the amount of milk they drink, and the transition between breast and bottle.