Physician-Approved Tips to Choosing Bottles for Breastfed Babies

Dr. Rebecca Berens is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician with expertise in Women's Health and Breastfeeding Medicine. Her holistic approach serves patients from newborns to elderly, focusing on the physical and mental well-being of each family member. She is the practitioner at Vida Family Medicine in Houston, TX, and is an Expert on the SocialMama app!

Many breastfeeding parents need to feed their babies with bottles at times. However, many have concerns about choosing a bottle that the baby will accept but that will not interfere with their breastfeeding relationship. Whether you are bottle feeding to supplement breastmilk feeds or due to separation of the baby from the breastfeeding parent, there are several things to consider that can help make the transition smoother.

When to Introduce Baby to Bottle Feeding

If you are exclusively breastfeeding, it is recommended to avoid offering a bottle in the first couple of weeks until breastfeeding is well-established to help the baby learn how to breastfeed. However, if you know that you plan to introduce bottles at some point, it is recommended that you do so at around at around 3-4 weeks of age. This can help prevent bottle refusal at an older age. Some babies become so accustomed to feeding directly at the breast that they are not willing to feed from a bottle when it is introduced later. It is best if someone other than the breastfeeding parent offers the bottle initially, and it may be easiest if the breastfeeding parent leaves the room or the home while this is attempted to prevent refusal.