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Ask
Our Experts: From Breast To Bottle
A unfamilliar rubber teat is very different from mum - no wonder babies
find the changeover difficult! Parenting expert and child psychologist
Dr Pat Spungin, CEO of Raisingkids.co.uk, advises.
Raisingkids
member's problem
I have an 18 week baby who I'm trying to introduce to the bottle before
I go back to work. She cannot get the hang of sucking on the teat. Any
ideas?
Dr Spungin's advice
There are different types of teats - have you tried varying the teat to
see if that makes a difference?
Depending on the size of the hole, the milk will flow more or less quickly
as she sucks. Check that what you have is right for her age. When you
are ready to feed, touch the side of her face or the corner of her mouth
with the teat. She will turn her head and latch onto the teat. If she
latches on and then pushes it out, it's not that she doesn't know what
to do - it's more that she doesn't like what she is being offered.
Are you sure that she isn't just reluctant to give up the breast after
18 weeks and is rejecting the bottle because 'she likes what she likes'?
If your baby is easy-going, try giving her a bottle when she is hungry.
If she is likely to fuss because she's not getting what she wants, substitute
the bottle towards the end of her feed, when she is feeling sleepy and
calm. How does she take water or other liquids? You could try to see if
she will take a cup instead of a bottle. She is young for a cup but it
maybe that she will prefer it.
Other hints - let her hold the bottle and play with it to get used to
it. She may put the teat in her mouth, as she puts other things into her
mouth at this age. At least it will become familiar. Maybe she senses
that you are anxious about it so see if she will take a bottle from another
family member, where there is no disappointment or frustration that she
is not getting the breast. This will also get her used to the idea of
other people feeding her.
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