Hi Tom, it's a good question and one that we've had a few struggles with ourselves, at least initially. You could always play hard-ball and they'll have to take it eventually but we'd all prefer not to have to resort to that. We certainly had more success with baby taking the bottle when Mum was well clear and it was me (Dad!) giving it to baby. We wonder whether the baby could smell (or otherwise sense?) Mum's breast-milk when she was nearby. Then it was a case of holding the baby for a while, hopefully making them feel as safe as possible and then offering them the bottle very gradually, almost allowing them to welcome it into their space and importantly not tipping it up too much so that they could control the rate. That's probably the sum total of our experience so let us know how you get on, and Godspeed!
slow flow nipple with a wide base and pace feed. There are lots of videos on pace feeding (it mimics let-down at the breast). you may have to try different nipples to find the right one. Be patent and don't force it. Try to avoid nipple confusion by a very slow flow ( drip test!! turn the bottle over and there should be 0 dripping) fyi- nipple confusion is when they prefer the bottle because they realize they don't have to work for it and they will refuse the breast.
I have used a lot of different bottles trying to find the right one and i have to correct you on a few things. 1. you say the " wand" is only in Dr. Brown bottles, that is incorrect. The wand is also found in Tommee Tippee anti colic bottles as well as B Free bottles (formally known as born free) 2. The nipple sizes have nothing to do with the actual size or dimensions of the nipple, just the flow. Newborn nipples have a very slow flow and the flow rate increases with the levels( 1,2,3,4,and x or y-cut for rice cereal). 3. Our ( moms) stream does not change for baby's age, this made me laugh. We have a very naturally slow flow stream and how hard the baby sucks determined our stream, that is why very slow flow nipples are best for nursing babies so they don't develop nipple confusion. The flow for breast is drip, slight increase, then a flow for let down determined by how hard your baby feeds. I appreciate the info, but please do more research.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, welcome to the conversation. 1. I stand corrected. I should've been more specific that between DrB & Mam, the wand is only found in DrB. 2. You are correct but I think you're being a little pendantic really. As far as Dad needs to know, the bigger the nipple, the older the baby. 3. I'm glad you are entertained but would challenge whether it's really helpful for you to 'laugh' at a Dad/Dad's who are trying to tackle this issue. Most would run a mile. And actually, as the baby gets older, they suck harder so the flow-rate is higher. The overall outcome is that as the baby is older, the flow-rate is higher. The mechanism by which this happens isn't overly relevant, is it? But im glad you are entertained 👍😁 Thanks again for your helpful comments.
