How to Introduce a Bottle to Your Baby

So you’re ready to introduce a bottle to your baby. Where should you start? Some newborns take to a bottle easily, some can refuse it after a few months. Generally the younger the baby the more easily they will adapt to bottle feeding. After you choose a bottle, make sure you then select a bottle teat with the right flow rate for your baby's age and stage. If you’re giving a bottle to a new baby aged 0-3 months, choose a ‘slow flow’ teat so milk flows at the right rate for their suction. For a baby aged 3-6 months, choose a ‘medium flow’ teat, which will speed up the rate they can suck milk out, meeting their demand and development. It is also really important that the baby feels safe and stress free to try a new way of feeding. Offer lots of reassurance and smiles and stop if anyone gets stressed, try again another time. IBCLC Joelleen Winduss Paye recommends you help your baby first get familiar with the teat by letting them play with it, and then dipping it in milk, and then for the very first bottle a very small amount of milk can be helpful.