In this post, I will cover everything you need to know about bottle feeding your baby from the perspective a feeding therapist! From the timing of introduction, bottle recommendations, nipple confusion, to how to feed your baby.
Timing of bottle introduction
If you are planning to bottle feed at any point, it is recommended to introduce a bottle between 3-4 weeks postpartum after you have established breastfeeding, and no later than 6-8 weeks. When introducing the bottle, try to keep some consistency when offering bottles, more often as your baby gets older, between 12-16 weeks. You can try to incorporate at least one bottle a day (or every other day) into your routine. This can be helpful in preventing bottle refusal!
What bottle is best?
Bottles come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and it can be hard to know what bottle is actually best for your baby. Lactation consultants and feeding therapists recommend bottle nipples that have a gradual narrow slope as they are most optimal for oral motor development and support a breast-like latch. Nipples that are short and widen abruptly can promote chomping, which is not ideal for feeding. You can check out my bottle feeding recommendations here! If they are not in stock on Amazon, you should be able to find bottles in stock at Lactation Hub too!
It’s helpful to keep these recommendations in mind when choosing a bottle for your baby. But Ultimately the best bottle for a baby is the bottle they take.
Do you need to move up nipple flow rates?
Did you know there’s basically zero research or regulation that supports increasing bottle nipple flow rates with age? What one company calls a slow flow nipple may drip milk out just as fast as another companies level 2 or 3 nipple..! There can even be variability within flow rates from bottles within the same brand and level of nipple. If you’re interested, check out the research that shows just how variable nipple flow rates are!
What we do know is that babies benefit from slow flow bottle nipples. We want babies to take their bottle slowly, be in control of the feeding pace, and actively suck to get milk out. You also do not have to change the nipple flow rate, from a level 1 to a 2 or 3 a for example as a baby gets older. This is all part of manufacturer marketing. A mother’s breast never changes and there is no need to change the bottle nipple.
What about nipple confusion?
Babies don’t actually get confused between the breast and bottle. What can actually happen though is they may develop a preference. When presented with a bottle, the milk flow is often faster and always available to a baby, whereas at the breast they have to work hard to get their milk. So eventually your baby may think, “wait a second, the bottle is easier, give that back to me!” Because of this, the most helpful thing we can do is make bottle feeding more like breastfeeding with paced bottle feeding!
What is paced bottle feeding?
When we think of bottle feeding, more often than not we envision what we see in movies and tv shows, holding a baby in your arms in a cradle position, tilting the bottle up, and feeding them till the bottle is empty. But in reality this is actually the opposite of what we ideally want to see and do. So what can we do instead? Implement paced bottle feeding!
This technique is beneficial for all babies who bottle feed regardless of whether they breastfeed too or not. It is a way of feeding your baby a bottle that considers baby’s latch, positioning, and feeding pace to closely resemble breastfeeding.
Why is it helpful?
- Helps ease the transition between breast and bottle
- Helps you tune into and follow baby’s cues better
- Helps baby to recognize when they are full and finished with a feed
- Helps improve stability, where baby’s ears, shoulders, hips are in one straight line
- Helps support digestion, as their body is in a nice extension rather than scrunched up
- Helps prevent/reduce reflux
- Helps prevent overfeeding
- Helps baby have control of the flow and best coordinate suck-swallow-breathing
How to pace bottle feed your baby
To pace feed your baby, follow these 5 simple steps ⤵️
- You will hold baby in a semi elevated, upright or side lying supported position,
- Present the bottle nipple horizontally and tickle the baby’s lips until they open, once open you can place the bottle in their mouth!
- Baby will start feeding. If your baby is taking big gulps and not pausing, then we will want to help them. You can slow the flow by gently shifting baby and bottle forward. Allow them to pause and take a breather (but don’t remove it from their mouth, I find this to be a bit disruptive!)
- When they actively start sucking the bottle nipple again, fill the entire nipple with milk again.
- Repeat steps 1-4 until the baby shows fullness cues.
If you’re more of a visual learner, check out this post! Good bottle feeding technique can make a world of a difference and while paced feeding might take a little more time and effort, the benefits are truly more than worth it!
Pro tip: When feeding your baby you’ll want to make sure the vent system (the hole on the side of the nipple) is on top so that air goes through the bottle and not the milk!
TLDR: Bottle Feeding 101
It’s best to introduce a bottle between 3-4 weeks postpartum, after establishing breastfeeding but no later than 6-8 weeks. Consistency is key to prevent bottle refusal. Try to choose slow flow bottles with a gradual narrow slope and cylindrical-shape. Implementing paced bottle feeding to help your baby transition smoothly between breast and bottle, better control their feeding pace, recognize fullness cues, and improve stability, and digestion. And if you’re looking for additional bottle feeding support, contact me today!
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