Your baby refuses to switch to a bottle? This one is for you!

Here are ten gold tips that will lead to real change in a few days:

Who doesn’t know a story of a baby who firmly refuses to move from breastfeeding to a bottle? In most cases, the difficulty of transitioning to a bottle is really created out of habit and protest rather than real and objective difficulty, although sometimes it seems that way. But your maternity leave is over, and you must get your baby to kindergarten and there is no escape. So, here are some ideas and tips:

1. The bottle game. Make the bottle a game. Put it in your baby’s toy box. Make it rattle, put dry pasta inside or anything that has the effective interest (make sure of course it is sealed good). Your baby discovers and explores his or her environment through oral stimulation. It is likely he will make friends with it.

2. No Fear. Approach it with ease and not with fear. A prophecy that fulfills itself is not a cliché. Rapid heart rate and shaking hands will not contribute in this situation. Look at this as it is going to happen don’t say to yourself “he will never eat from a bottle” whatever you say or even think your baby will apply.

3. Imitators – Infants are the imitators of life. It sounds ridiculous and embarrassing but if you show him how to do it, he will imitate you.

4. I am hungry! Don’t try the transformation when your baby is hungry. It’s a mistake. It’s like eating for the first time with Chop Stick when you are starving. Try doing the switch in the middle of breastfeeding.

5. Pacifier stimulation. Playing and stimulating the mouth and tongue with a pacifier are great for stimulating and preparing the mouth for the rubber affect. Place the pacifier in your baby’s mouth and roll it in his mouth and on his tongue. Repeat this activity every day and several times a day. Here is the video how to do it.

6. Try a bean bag. Place your baby in a bean bag at the time of action. Bringing your baby’s hands closer to the middle line of his body will also help the tongue to grip the bottle better.

7. Daddy will do it. Is it better for dad to do it? It depends? And I find it less of a yes or no approach.

8. It’s the wrong nipple. I don’t think it depends on the type of nipple. You may find that if you try 100 nipples you will find one that works better with it. But it also makes sense that if you try something else 100 times it will work too.

9. Well Done 5cc. If your baby sucks only 5 cc from the bottle, that’s a great job and let him know that. How? Even with breastfeeding! I know that some will say that breastfeeding here is not appropriate – but with this action you are signaling that it is good and desirable behavior (by way of reinforcement) – it is worth sucking from a bottle because you will also have breastfeeding after.

10. If he refuses to take the bottle, I would not suggest breastfeeding immediately if he is not hungry (see no. 4). Take a few seconds and try again, no-go? Try next time.

We would love to hear your thoughts and comments below. What helped you? What are you struggling with? We will try to help…

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