One question we are asked often is, when should I start giving bottles?
1) There are SO many choices it can be a bit overwhelming - how do you know what is marketing and what really is a great choice? ⠀
Ideally the bottle nipple should be narrow and not wide - when they are wide "boob" shape the baby just ends up hanging on to the nipple itself and it is less like breast feeding - highly recommend Dr. Brown's standard neck bottles.
2) When to introduce? We recommend to start introducing a daily bottle at 4 weeks this can be a full feed or if you prefer just a snack bottle of 1 ounce - this will prevent any later bottle refusal. Just because the baby takes the bottle easily at 4 weeks DOES NOT mean they will do the same at 12 weeks if you aren't consistent.
3) Pacing the bottle - Giving the bottle this way will help your baby go back and forth from breast to bottle. ⠀
Pacing the bottle- means holding the bottle horizontally to allow the baby to "pace the feeding" ie: not down 2 ounces in 2 min - there should be NO gulping - gulping means air is being swallowed and this can make babies gassy and have a flow preference - like preferring the easy fast bottle over the breast.