How to Switch to Bottles

While in the hospital, over 80 percent of mothers attempt to breastfeed reports a 2008 study in "Pediatrics." But this number quickly drops so that at six months only 50 percent of babies receive any breast milk and by 12 months only 24 percent do. Like many other mothers, you may decide to transition your breastfed baby to formula-feeding -- or may simply want your breastfed baby to take a bottle of formula or expressed breast milk some of the time. It is not always easy to convince a breastfed baby to accept a bottle, but by using certain techniques you can gently help your baby make the adjustment.

Instructions

1

Let your baby play with the bottle before you use it for a feeding. If he has a chance to hold the bottle and chew or suck on the nipple, the bottle won't seem so foreign when you introduce it.

2

Choose the best time to introduce the bottle. Give your baby a bottle shortly before her usual nursing time. If she is a little hungry -- but not starving -- she won't feel as frustrated by the change. Make sure she isn't overtired or feeling stressed, which can also make it harder for her to accept a bottle.

3

Experiment with different nipples. Keep several varieties on hand, so if your baby doesn't like one you can try another. Pick bottle nipples that have a similar shape to your nipples or are made from the same material as his pacifier, so they will seem more familiar.

4

Make the bottle appealing. Put a drop of breast milk on the nipple or warm it with water. Fill the bottle with expressed breast milk so your baby's food will have the taste she is used to. You can switch to formula once she has adjusted to drinking from a bottle.

5

Change the position you use for feeding. Some babies prefer to be held the same way you did to breastfeed. Others have trouble adjusting to a bottle without a change in position. Feed your baby while walking around, letting him sit on your lap or even putting him in his car seat.

6

Let someone else give your baby her first bottles until she becomes used to the new feeding method. Your baby may refuse to accept a bottle from Mom, since she associates Mom with breastfeeding. Often it's best for Mom to not even be in the same room or house. Babies can smell their mothers at least 20 feet away and may insist on breastfeeding if they know Mom is nearby.

7

Replace one breastfeeding session with a bottle-feed every few days. Start with the breastfeeding session your baby is the least attached to and save his favorite -- often the bedtime feeding -- for last. Making the transition gradually gives your baby time to adjust and helps you avoid becoming physically uncomfortable from the engorgement that results from stopping breastfeeding too abruptly.