Introducing The Bottle After Exclusively Breastfeeding

Mom struggles are a thing and most of these struggles exist because of the
endless transitioning from one phase of parenting to another. Parenting is teamwork but I think we can all agree that the bulk of the work lies with mommy, hence the use of the term ‘Mom Struggles’.

A common ‘mom struggle’ is transitioning to bottle feeding after exclusively
breastfeeding. For babies, it’s a big adjustment because they are used to the taste of the nipple and feel of the breast against their cheek. Moving from warm soft breasts to a warm hard bottle is a gradual transition that is achieved by consistently trying until it becomes the norm.

Last week, we asked our mom community via Instagram stories to share tips on proven ways to transition to bottle-feeding and it was very informative and wild! Moms shared a lot of helpful tips and recommendations. Just in case you aren’t already a part of it, join our very interactive community on Instagram – @pregnantandperfect. This is where all the magic happens.

We understand that every child is unique and that the process of transitioning is
different for each parent and child. This is why we’ve made a compilation of all the
tips shared for you to learn from and choose what works for you and your baby.

Helpful Tips

• Get your partner to offer the bottle
• Let your partner take baby away from Mama for an entire day or
night
• If possible, get your partner to wear mom’s clothes and smell like
mom while bottle feeding
• Offer the bottle for two consecutive feeds
• Use a syringe. It will take a few tries but baby will adjust to it
• Try feeding baby in another position preferably one that doesn’t involve
cradling him against your breasts
• Give baby time to get very hungry. This increases the chances of
accepting the bottle
• Make sure you warm the nipple/teat of the bottle before attempting to
feed
• Try feeding with a sippy cup or an open cup
• Try feeding at night when baby is sleepy
• Buy different bottles, check the flow and try them all until you find the
perfect one
• Get bottles with teats similar to the shape of mom’s nipples
• Once you introduce solids at six months, cut down on the breastfeeding
then introduce the bottle
• Offer the bottle after breastfeeding so there’s no pressure to feed. After a
while, begin to offer the bottle earlier or closer to meal times as you
reduce breastfeeding.
• Be persistent and consistent while introducing the bottle.

Getting the right bottle plays a huge role in your child’s bottle-feeding journey. There are unending brands to choose from thereby making it easy to buy the wrong bottle. You don’t always have to kiss many frogs before you meet the prince so we have taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of bottles/cups worth trying as recommended by experienced mamas;

Comotomo Bottles
Munchkin Latch Transition Cup
Lansinoh Baby Bottle
Minbie Teats
MAM Bottles Tommy Tippee Bottles
Nanobebe Breastmilk Baby Bottle

One fun fact about bottle-feeding is your partner gets to be involved in the act of feeding your baby. This is a great way for them to bond with their babies and also an opportunity for mommy to rest. It is a win-win for everybody!

We hope this helps you and your child’s transition seamless and less stressful. Remember that it is a process and like every process, it takes time. Your little one might not like it at first but in the long run, you’d be happy you did this.