My Baby is Refusing to Breastfeed After Trying a Bottle - What Do I Do?

By: The Willow Editorial Team

Introducing a bottle is a big step in a baby’s feeding journey. It is one of their first external feeding experiences and allows them an opportunity to bond with other people.

Many new parents worry about whether or not their baby will take a bottle, while others are shocked to find that their previously breastfed baby now prefers a bottle!

Oh how the tables have turned!

Never fear, this is a normal transition for babies with a surprising amount of logic backing it!

Why Does My Breastfed Baby Prefer a Bottle?

Though some babies are reluctant to take a bottle, others end up preferring one.

Why?

The bottle gives them the milk faster than the breast - plain and simple.

Breastfeeding has phases of milk flow - a constant flow and the initial let down. Sometimes the milk flows faster, sometimes slower. Bottle feeding is one pace the entire time.

Taking a bottle requires much less work than nursing and some babies want to continue living the bottle life.

But what can be done when you still want your baby to nurse?

Let’s find out!

Tips for Getting a Baby to Breastfeed

If you have introduced your baby to a bottle and now they are refusing your breast, there are plenty of ways to coax them back to the breast.

Here are our top five tips:

1. Don’t Try to Nurse When Your Baby is Frustrated

If your baby is protesting nursing, you want to keep the experiences as calm as possible. If your baby, or you, is becoming frustrated trying to nurse, it’s time to take a break.

Latching is also harder for babies to do when they are frustrated. A poor latch will only result in more frustration as baby tries to nurse and she or he will have a harder time getting milk than they do from your breast than from a bottle.

2. Try to Nurse in Between or After Feedings

As we already talked about, trying to get baby back on the breast while they are frustrated is a no-go. This includes hunger frustration.

When your baby is hungry, they just want to eat. This is not the time to try to get them interested in breastfeeding again. Instead, try to nurse your baby in between their bottle feedings. This offers your baby a no-stake environment to explore nursing again.

Additionally, you can offer less during a bottle feed and try to nurse immediately after. This will ensure your baby is not starving enough to be frustrated but not full enough to be disinterested.

3. Try to Have a Let Down

One of the main frustrations babies face switching between nursing and bottle feeding is the time it takes to get a steady flow of milk from a breast. To solve this problem, try pumping until you start a let down, prior to feedings. Once you start having a let down, see if your baby is willing to nurse.

4. Snuggle Up

Sometimes, you and your baby just need to reconnect. If possible, spend as much time snuggled in bed or on the couch and try to nurse as frequently as possible. Allowing your baby to nurse on demand lowers any pressure for eating and increases the chances that they will take your breast.

5. Pump

If breastfeeding is still a priority for you, you will want to make sure to keep up your supply. Pumping during your baby’s normal nursing sessions will help keep up the demand for milk and give you some much needed relief (hello, engorgement).

Can My Baby Switch to Bottle Feeding?

Yes - absolutely!

There is absolutely no shame in switching to bottle feeding!

Many parents choose to exclusively pump or offer formula to their baby. The only things that matter when feeding your baby is that they are getting enough to eat and that it works for your family.

If you are going to transition from breastmilk to formula, you may consider talking to your pediatrician first. This conversation is not to receive their permission, but to receive guidance on which formula to choose and how to ease your baby’s belly into formula.

Embrace the “Suck” with Willow Pump

We get it. Feeding battles are rough…on everyone!

Whether your feeding journey returns to breastfeeding, switches to bottle feeding, or is a mix of the two, Willow is here to guide you! Our blog has resources for anything and everything feeding related.

We are all about YOU - our pumps are designed to give you the freedom and mobility you need in your busy day-to-day. We know, there are so many options for breast pumps nowadays, but come see what sets Willow apart.