Not all babies agree to receive food from a bottle the first time. But often mom has no choice. In order to accustom a child to drink from a bottle, you need ingenuity and patience. And if you use some tips, then the problem will be solved quickly and calmly, both for you and for the child himself.
Unfortunately, a mother cannot always attach her baby to her breast. Sometimes this is prevented by her illness or forced weaning from the child for a long time, and there are also cases when breastfeeding is contraindicated.
Also, the mother can give the child from a bottle herbal tea, water, children's fees. However, the main reason for accustoming a baby to bottle feeding is the transition to another type of feeding - mixed or artificial.
Why is your baby giving up the bottle?
It is absolutely normal for babies to dislike drinking from a bottle. After all, nature has decreed that the basis of his diet is breast milk, and the best means of feeding is the female breast. Therefore, from birth, the baby subconsciously reaches for the breast, and the nipple is more convenient for him than any of the most expensive nipples. But the bottle itself is not always the reason for refusal:
- baby is not hungry
This is a commonplace reason, but sometimes parents do not take this fact into account. It is also worth considering that the need for fluids in children increases in proportion to their age. In addition, the older child also moves more often. Therefore, do not be surprised when a six-month-old baby drinks with pleasure from a bottle, which he stubbornly did not want to admit at two months.
- the child does not like the drink that is given from the bottle
The fact is that each adapted milk mixture has its own taste. It can be sweeter or more bland. Therefore, let your baby try several types of mixtures.
Water, tea or medicine may be even more unpleasant for the baby. In these cases, it takes ingenuity and imagination to water the child.
- cold or too hot liquid
Remember that the mucous membrane of a child's mouth is much more sensitive than that of adults. Therefore, always heat the drink to a temperature of 36-37 degrees. This is the temperature that mother's milk has. Consequently, this indicator is the most optimal for young children.
- unsuitable nipple
The nipple you like may not suit your baby at all. He may not like the rate of fluid flow, which depends on the size of the hole, as well as the shape of the product itself. It happens that the child refuses the nipple, although he used to drink from it with pleasure. Most likely, you recently changed a nipple, the shape of which he did not like. Or maybe a sharp smell of rubber emanates from her, interrupting the child's appetite.
- wrong posture and wrong setting
A position that is comfortable for the mother during feeding may be uncomfortable for the newborn. Try giving him the bottle while sitting, lying down, sideways, and other positions. Change your environment. Perhaps very soon you will find a position and a place where the baby will agree to drink from a bottle.
Recommendations
If your child is breastfed, and you need a bottle solely for taking medicine or supplementing, then it is not at all necessary to accustom your baby to it. Moreover, many pediatricians and pediatric dentists speak out about the negative influence of nipples and bottles on bite formation. Therefore, in this case, you can use a beaker, spoon or syringe without a needle. And if you can't do without a bottle, then you have to try.
What to do to get your baby to drink from a bottle:
- act gradually
To familiarize the crumbs with a new object, let him examine the bottle and hold it in the handles when he is not yet hungry. Train bottle feeding gradually, starting once a day and gradually increasing the number of feedings. If you go to work, you should teach your child to drink from a bottle no later than two weeks before the event. When offering a drink, squeeze a drop of milk from the nipple into your baby's mouth.
- simulate breastfeeding
Mom's breasts are a source of maternal care, comfort and protection. Therefore, if it is convenient for the child himself, drinking from a bottle should be associated with breastfeeding. While breastfeeding, hold it the way you would hold it when breastfeeding. The nipple of the bottle should be level with the nipple of the breast. It is most convenient to place the baby on your lap and, holding it with one hand, hold the bottle with the other.
- experiment
If you are faced with a firm refusal of a newborn from a bottle, it makes sense to offer him a bottle with different nipples, the range of which is large today. Have your toddler try out a silicone, latex, standard round, flat and orthodontic nipple that resembles a female breast. Sometimes, surprising their parents, children choose the cheapest regular pacifier. You can also offer a bottle, slightly varying the temperature of the liquid. After all, some kids love warm drinks, while others are better at cool ones.
- choose the optimal time
Naturally, there is no point in offering a bottle to a well-fed child. But you shouldn't wait until he gets very hungry either. A hungry baby will be nervous and capricious. And, as you can imagine, he is unlikely to want to study a new means of feeding, but will demand that he be fed as before.
- ask for help
The presence of the mother when trying to water the baby from the bottle is not always conducive to success, especially if he is still breastfeeding. Therefore, ask a grandmother, nanny, or other woman with experience in caring for small children for help. Fathers of children are far from always able to withstand children's whims. Therefore, at the initial stage of accustoming to a bottle, it is better not to involve dad.
- be unobtrusive and patient
In such a responsible process as bottle training, the main thing is care and patience. At the very first feeding, try to gently run the nipple over the crumbs' lips. It is possible that, following instinct, he himself will take it in his mouth, as he would take the nipple of the breast. Make sure that the nipple is completely removed. If the baby is not taking the initiative, gently place the pacifier in his mouth.
When your efforts bear fruit and your child agrees to accept food and drinks from the bottle, be sure to be hygienic and safe. Be present during the entire feeding process. If your goal is to supplement the infant with formula while continuing to breastfeed, buy nipples with a gentle flow so that he has to "work", as during breastfeeding.
