Which bottle is best for breastfed babies?

Wondering which bottle is best for breastfed babies as you step into the realm of motherhood? Whether you’re about to start this journey or your baby’s already here, the world of feeding can be a delightful yet puzzling adventure. Many mums want to use bottles but worry about how it will impact their breastfeeding journey. Also, sorting through the often misleading and unethical information that’s out there online about bottles and breastfeeding can be tricky and overwhelming! In this post, I’m going to talk about choosing the right bottle, the art of paced bottle feeding, and strategies to ensure as seamless a transition as possible between breast and bottle for both you and your little one.

Why does the bottle type matter?

It’s essential to understand that no bottle can replicate the breast. The sucking action during breastfeeding is very different from bottle feeding and no bottle replicates it exactly. But the right bottle can help

Choosing a bottle

Despite the often-misleading marketing claims, it’s important to realize that no bottle can perfectly mimic breastfeeding. Think about how your baby’s mouth moves while sucking and how your nipple fits during breastfeeding. When breastfeeding is going well, your nipple goes quite far into your baby’s mouth, reaching the point where the hard and soft parts of the mouth meet. You can feel this if you touch that area in your own mouth. Now, compare this to bottle teats. Some bottles and teat shapes resemble this more closely than others. While it’s not exactly the same, bottles with longer teats and narrower necks tend to work more similarly to a breast and nipple. On the other hand, bottles with short teats and wide necks encourage a shallow latch, which is not what we want during breastfeeding.

The Risk of Baby Developing Bottle Preference

Baby developing a bottle preference is a common problem that can happen when introducing a bottle to a breastfed baby. Though it’s usually more a preference for the fast and easy flow of the milk from the bottle, rather than a preference for the actual bottle. When breastfeeding, bub has to do a little work to get the milk flowing. Babies are very clever little creatures, and some decide that it’s just easier to get that milk from the bottle, so they get cranky when they’re offered the breast. Some babies can end up refusing the breast all together! This can be so upsetting and stressful for mums and it’s important to get support from an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) to help get bub comfortable and happy with the breast again.

The hard part is, we never quite know which babies are going to develop a bottle preference and which babies will happily go between breast and bottle with no problems. To reduce the risk of your starting to prefer the bottle, it’s important to use a paced bottle feeding technique which I’ll explain next.

Paced Bottle Feeding Technique

Paced bottle feeding is a way to slow the milk flow so it’s not the EASIEST option. It also helps to avoid overfeeding your baby which can upset their tummy and make them very uncomfortable. Paced bottle feeding involves sitting your baby upright rather than laying them down, trying to keep the bottle as flat as possible instead of tipping it up high and giving frequent breaks during a feed. You can read about paced bottle feeding in more detail here.

Preserving Your Milk Supply

It’s important to note that using bottles without pumping milk can lead to a decrease in your milk supply. When your baby drinks from the bottle and don’t empty your breasts, your breasts see this as a signal to slow down production and produce less milk (supply = demand, so the more milk that is emptied from your breasts, the more you will make). To maintain a healthy milk supply, you may need to pump milk while your baby is feeding from the bottle. This helps signal to your body that the demand for milk remains high, which maintains a steady supply for your little one.

Navigating the realm of feeding as a new mum can be both exciting and overwhelming. Remember, while no bottle can replicate breastfeeding, the right choice can certainly make the transition smoother. Choose bottles with longer teats and practice paced feeding to try and smooth the transition between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. If you found this helpful, pop over to Instagram and send me a DM to let me know what your biggest takeaway was. Can’t wait to hear from you!