Introducing a bottle to your baby

How to get a baby to take a bottle:
When I was preparing to become a new mum I would go shopping a lot to make sure I had all my essentials, including bottles of course. I walked in the store and sore some cute looking little baby bottles, ‘these look good’ I thought and purchased them, taking no notice of what teat or flow or brand they were. I just thought a baby will suck milk from a bottle right? Boy was I wrong. 
Giving your baby a bottle is very hard for most people. (Unless you have an angle baby) so below are some tips on how to get your baby to take a bottle  

Select right bottle for your baby; 
Now this is very important, you have to make sure the bottle you chose is for the correct age group (eg. newborn) it will have specific teat and flow that is designed for that age. The bottle also has to fit your babies needs. If you baby has Colic opt for a Colic bottle which reduces the amount of air bubbles you baby sucks in. There are also bottles for premi babies if need be. The list goes on. 
The brand is also very important. 
I myself tried 8 different brands of baby bottles until I found the one my baby likes and would take. All I can say it try until you succeed. 

My baby uses a Pigeon wide neck bottle for (3+ months) but other popular brands include Avent, Tommee Tippee, mimbi and Nuk. 

Prepare bottle correctly;
Whether it be expressed breast milk or formula, preparing your bottle correctly will make a big difference to whether you baby will take the bottle or not. Use the correct amount of scoops of formula and water and make sure the oz you are feeding your baby is right for there age. Now make sure you heat it to the right temperature. A bottle warmer can help with this or you can do it the old school way buy sitting your bottle in hot water until it becomes the desired temperature then test the milk on your wrist to ensure it isn’t to hot. Also do not heat your bottle in the microwave as this can cause hot spots. 

Your bottle should be clean and sterilised. 

Mummy leaves the room;
This may seem strange but it might be a good idea if the breast feeding mother leaves the room. Babies can smell there mum a mile away, this may become a problem when trying to give your baby a bottle for the first time as baby will probably only want mummies boobies and not this strange plastic bottle. When trying with my boy I went into the back yard while my husband was in the nursery persisting as much as he could (it may take a while). 

Timing is everything; 
Try to pick the right time when trying your baby in the bottle. They should be coming up to a feed, so hungry but not starving as they will be more fussy  and frustrated if they are too hungry.  

Be patient: 
Lastly be patient with it. It will take some time and many try’s before your baby becomes comfortable with it. I know my husband used to become frustrated when trying but this just makes baby more upset so stay calm. 
My baby still to this day is fussy with the bottle and at some feeds refused to take it but all we can do it try out best. 

Good luck 

-Mummy R

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