Breastfeeding is not just a way of feeding a baby calories. Breastfeeding provides condolement betwixt feeds, a way to autumn comatose, and a regular connection and cuddle with mum every couple of hours (or more!). Consequently, while some babies are happy to switch between bottle and breast, some babies won't take a bottle at all considering they prefer to breastfeed. This poses a problem if a mother needs to be abroad from her nursling for any length of time. This commodity looks at twelve ideas to encourage a reluctant breastfed baby to accept a bottle whether for occasional feeds or on a more than regular footing and explores alternative ways to feed a baby.

Twelve tips to help baby take a canteen

1. Smile and relax, be patient

Information technology can be natural to start to feel concerned, tense and anxious if the baby in your care is non eating whether you're a parent, grandparent or child minder. If babe starts to cry because they desire the chest and won't have a bottle this tin add to your feelings of helplessness or frustration. Endeavor to comfort baby and stay calm while you work through some ideas on this list. A babe tin can sense if a carer is stressed and this may hinder successful bottle feeding. Singing or talking gently to baby well-nigh what is happening can help comfort her. Endeavor not to add to the stressful situation by forcing a canteen teat into a babe'south mouth, wait until they open up their mouth and take the teat themselves.

father trying to bottle feed baby who is crying
It is be upsetting for everyone when baby won't accept a canteen

ii. Attempt dissimilar bottle teats

It can exist helpful to cull the kind of teat that encourages a similar "latch" (the manner baby attaches to the breast) to breastfeeding. This will as well aid reduce the possibility that introducing a bottle interferes with breastfeeding. You may need to endeavour a few different brands to discover one that your babe likes; often a medium length teat with a medium wide base and a ho-hum flowing teat. Some babies may adopt a softer or firmer teat. For much more than information on choosing a teat shape see Best Canteen for a Breastfed Baby.

three. Copy breastfeeding

Some babies may be persuaded to accept a bottle teat if they are cuddled and snuggled into the breast and held in a breastfeeding position perhaps even with pare-to-skin contact. There are several ways to make a bottle feed more like a breastfeed and these are discussed in Tips to Bottle Feed A Breastfed Babe.

four. Avoid breastfeeding positions

In dissimilarity to #3 above, some babies will be expecting the actual breast in their oral cavity when they are held in a position that mimics breastfeeding and will not be fooled into taking an artificial teat. For these babies it may help to effort canteen feeding in very different positions to breastfeeding:

  • Infant facing outwards from the caregiver's lap (looking into the room)
  • Baby sitting facing the carer supported against their thighs (carer's legs slanted and bent at the knee)
  • Baby sitting commodities upright
  • Offering a bottle in a dissimilar chair or room to usual—exist artistic… the garden or fifty-fifty the bath tub might work!

5. Not also hungry, non likewise total

It can assist to offer a canteen feed before a baby is too hungry. Look for early on feeding cues such equally babe sucking fingers or fists or moving their head side-to-side with an open up oral cavity. Learning a new skill is always harder if you lot're very hungry.

6. Dissimilar temperatures of milk or teat

Some babies will accept a preference whether their milk or the bottle teat is warm or cold. Try different temperatures to see if this helps baby to take a bottle.

7. Mother out of sight?

If a breastfed baby'south female parent is the one offering a canteen, or in the room while another parent, carer or relative is trying to feed a canteen, a baby is more than likely to only desire the breast equally usual. They won't empathize why they are being offered this new matter instead of the breast and may feel frustrated. Conversely some babies might be happiest having their outset bottle feel with their mother.

8. Music and move

Some babies who won't accept a bottle teat can be persuaded by introducing motility while offering a feed. This might include rocking baby in your arms or a rocking chair, walking around, or swivelling gently on an office chair. If movement isn't helpful you lot might try playing music or, if the setting is already noisy, experiment with offering a bottle in a quiet room.

9. Find an experienced bottle feeder

An experienced bottle feeder can often take more than success with getting a reluctant breastfed baby to have a bottle. Call in the expert whether grandma, female parent-in-constabulary or a friendly neighbour or kid minder and watch their techniques. Endeavor not to view this as defeat if you are unable to persuade the baby in your care to take a bottle but somebody else tin. The near important thing is to go baby fed and contented.

ten. Endeavour offer a canteen when baby sleeps

A infant can breastfeed or bottle feed while they are in low-cal slumber. Equally such, some carers have had success with baby accepting a bottle when they elevator a sleeping baby, hold them in a breastfeeding position and castor the teat confronting their lips. A sleeping baby will often open their mouth and suckle.

11. Disguise the bottle

If a baby won't accept a bottle, and is becoming broken-hearted fifty-fifty at the sight of one, it may assist to disguise it in some way. Endeavor putting the bottle itself inside a brightly coloured sock or wrap it in some wearable that smells of his mother. A different shaped bottle, colourful beaker or sippy cup (meet below) that might be mistaken for a toy can break the negative association, especially if you lot can let baby discover the new toy at his own stride.

12. Let baby copy you

Babies, especially older babies, savor copying older siblings and adults. Try having a second bottle or colourful sippy cup for yourself and show your baby how y'all casually potable from, or pretend to drink from it. An older sibling might like to aid with this game. Think not to get the two bottles/cups confused for hygiene reasons!

Alternatives to a bottle

A bottle teat is not the only way to offering a infant their milk feeds fifty-fifty with a very immature baby. If a baby won't take a bottle—or y'all would prefer not to innovate one—alternatives to endeavour include:

An open cup

Even a very young babe tin can lap milk from a little cup. It's important that babe is alert and awake and that milk is never poured into their mouth. Run across Cup Feeding a Newborn Babe for much more than data about cup feeding pros and cons and how to practise it.

A sippy loving cup

A sippy cup or baby beaker is a hard or soft spouted spill resistant cup with holes in the spout. An older babe tin often manage a sippy cup—some cups are suitable from 4-6 months of age. A brightly coloured sippy cup looks more similar a toy or something to chew and can capture a babe'south interest. Allow them notice on their ain that there is something to potable inside. As with an open cup, it is important not to get out a infant unattended as if the catamenia is besides fast they could choke. Sit baby in your lap and guide the sippy cup so that information technology isn't tipped upwards too far or too fast. If the cup has handles and your baby wants to concord the cup, guide them so that the flow is not too fast. First Steps Nutrition advocates using a loving cup or beaker from half-dozen months of historic period instead of a bottle:

From vi months of age, infants should be introduced to drinking from a cup or chalice, and from the age of 12 months they should exist discouraged from drinking from a bottle. It is best to employ cups that are open-topped or which have a spout that is complimentary-running, so that at that place is no need to 'suck'. Sucking drinks from a bottle teat or spout means the drinkable spends more time in contact with the teeth and this tin pb to dental problems. Baby cups tin be useful for introducing drinking from a cup as they can be held easily and offering a pocket-size book of liquid. Water given to children under 6 months should be boiled and cooled showtime, but tap water is fine for all infants over 6 months of age. There is no need for drinks other than milk or water in the first twelvemonth.

Cleaning caution. Bear in mind that feeding cups with valves, spouts or straws are very hard to clean properly and black mould tin can build up inside over time if y'all can't get into the mechanism.

baby with a yellow sippy cup and toy
An older baby might adopt a sippy cup

Finger feeding

If baby is happy to suck on a finger then a finger feed is a possible culling for occasional feeds for a young babe. This involves a very narrow feeding tube taped to your finger with one stop in babe's milk. Milk is sucked up the tube much similar a straw. Finger feeding is explained in more detail in What is Finger Feeding?

Syringe or spoon

Although a spoon or syringe (such equally a edgeless ended medicine syringe) can only deliver small amounts of milk, if a baby is happy to sip from a spoon or for the syringe to baste milk into the corner of their mouth this could be a possible means to keep them hydrated.

Creative solutions

In some circumstances information technology may be possible to be creative with working or studying arrangements if a baby refuses to eat when they are away from the breastfeeding parent. Ideas to consider include:

Opposite cycling

Some babies who turn down to feed from a bottle while they are away from their mother tend to breastfeed all evening, and go along to feed frequently through the night one time they are back together. This is sometimes called contrary cycling (switching days with nights). Bear in mind that some older babies who sleep through the night may go viii-10 hours without a feed. So although not ideal, and frustrating for the carer, some babies will exist able to safely make up their calories by opposite cycling when back with their mother. Finding safety sleep solutions such as having babe shut at dark can help with this, see Bed-Sharing with Baby. Continuing to offering small regular feeds in a bottle or loving cup will give a baby who is opposite cycling the opportunity to take a drink if they volition. Ever sentinel for signs of aridity such every bit strong coloured urine, hardly whatever wet nappies, and dry mouth and lipsi. Note that this strategy is non appropriate for very young babies who need to feed every few hours around the clock.

Bring infant to female parent

Depending on the circumstances it may be possible for the carer to bring infant to his female parent for a breastfeed during her lunch pause. Or for the mother to visit her baby in a creche or nursery to breastfeed him during a pumping break or lunch break. Breastfeeding directly will often be quicker than pumping and won't require whatever equipment or storage facilities.

Shorter work day

Arrangements such as shorter working hours, or working from home may exist possible for some families. Choosing childcare that is shut to the mother'southward place of work volition avoid the additional separation of a long commute and then that baby could have his last breastfeed at kid care instead of at home.

Delay work/higher

Breastfeeding happens for a comparatively short time in an infant's life. Some families are able to delay returning to work or report or find work with shorter shifts until their piffling one is less dependent on his mother.

Frequently asked questions

When should I introduce a canteen?

There tend to be ii bones opinions about when to introduce a bottle to a breastfed babe and in that location are pros and cons for both options:

1. Introduce a bottle between 4 to half-dozen weeks of age

Rationale: Introducing a canteen also early on can interfere with breastfeeding e.g. it could cause nipple preference (where a baby begins to prefer the canteen) or nipple confusion (where a bottle teat interferes with a baby'due south latch). Breastfeeding is often established by four to half dozen weeks of age and a babe of this age is oftentimes more open to a bottle teat than an older baby. A regular bottle from this historic period is said to familiarise a baby with bottle feeding and so that they don't forget and begin to turn down it.

Downside: It isn't possible to generalise at what signal breastfeeding is going smoothly for an private baby or which infant might exist negatively affected by introducing a bottle teat when they are only a few weeks old. Sometimes it doesn't seem to make a difference that a baby was used to occasional bottles from an early age. In one case their female parent is out of the house for long periods—a infant may miss their mother so much that they refuse to feed until she is dwelling house.

ii. Introduce a bottle a week or 2 before separation starts

Rationale: Delaying introducing a canteen ensures that the breastfeeding relationship is not negatively affected i.e. past interfering with milk supply (the mechanics of supply and demand) or nipple confusion/preference. An experienced care giver tin frequently persuade a baby to accept a bottle in one case they are away from their mother.

Downside: There is not much time to figure out alternatives if a baby refuses to take a bottle and female parent is going to be separated for long periods due to work or report.

My babe was having bottles fine but now she is refusing them. Why?

Possible reasons to refuse a bottle include:

  • Change in gustatory modality of milk. Over fourth dimension the fatty digesting enzymes in stored chest milk can modify the taste of milk. While some babies don't mind this change, others refuse to drink the milk which may sometimes be described as tainted or soapy. For much more information about what to exercise in this situation see My Breast Milk Smells Soapy or Sour.
  • Unpleasant experience. A negative experience with bottle feeding can cause bottle refusal. Possibilities include a carer forcing the canteen teat into a baby's mouth. Or a very fast milk flow causing a scary choking episode.
  • Poorly baby. If your baby is not feeling well this may be the reason he is refusing to eat.
  • Missing mum. Breastfeeding is a babe's whole earth at first: providing comfort between feeds, a way to fall asleep, and a regular connectedness with mother. Even though a baby has had occasional bottles previously without a hitch, being abroad from his mother tin can unsettle a infant then that they refuse to feed until mum returns.

Is it true that a infant won't starve themselves?

It is often said that a infant won't starve themselves and volition take a bottle when they are hungry enough. Although this may exist true for some healthy older babies, it doesn't seem very helpful advice as a full general rule for the following reasons:

  • A immature baby could become dehydrated if they are not feeding often (be enlightened of the signs of dehydration)
  • It is very upsetting for both baby, female parent and carer when a infant is refusing to eat
  • A poorly babe may refuse to feed and then waiting until baby is "hungry plenty" could cause a health outcome to be missed
  • Some babies continue to refuse to eat until their female parent returns from work in the evening for several weeks
  • A infant could get used to not taking much milk which could reduce their ambition more often than not (go along an centre on weight gain)
  • Very underweight babies ofttimes announced quite contented and may slumber well despite needing more calories, see Baby Not Gaining Weight for further information

How much milk volition my baby demand per feed?

The book a breastfed baby may need when they are away from their mother tin vary.

  • Breast milk. Between the ages of one calendar month and half dozen months of age this might be 90-150ml (3-5oz) breast milk per feed or a full of 750-1035ml per day (25-35oz) ii. There is more than information in How Often Should a Newborn Feed? under the section headed How much milk do newborn babies need?
  • Formula.For guidance on volumes of formula needed see How much milk do babies demand, and how oftentimes should I offer milk feeds? on page 16 of First Steps Nutrition Trust'south Infant milks: A simple guide to infant formula, follow-on formula and other infant milks 2019.

Once a baby has started having substantial amounts of solid food the volume of chest milk or formula needed per day will begin to decrease (note, breast milk continues to be nutritious at all ages).

How often will I need to pump?

Exactly how many times you volition need to limited your milk when you lot are away from your baby volition depend on how many hours you lot are separated, how often you normally breastfeed and the storage capacity of your breasts (how much milk the breasts can hold). If you normally feed every two to three hours you will probably observe you need to pump every two to iii hours at get-go to stay comfortable. See Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk for more guidance most pumping and pumping intervals and How Long Does Breast Milk Last? for storage data.

Summary

Some breastfed babies are very reluctant to drinkable from a canteen and teat. Some babies volition pass up to eat until they can breastfeed again. This can exist very stressful for parents, carers and babies when a breastfeeding mother has to leave her baby for many hours due to to piece of work, higher or university. There are several ideas that tin can help to persuade a baby to have a bottle and there are as well various other alternatives and work around solutions. Given time and patience families can find a solution that works for them to meet everyone's needs.