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Ok, we just had a breakthrough here, so I am going to get on my soap box and write a how to guide to wean the breastfed baby who hates bottles to the bottle. If your baby is like Evelyn, you might be worrying about your baby starving when you go back to work! As previously stated I am going back to work in 2 months (when Evelyn will be 8 1/2 months old) and I have had no success in introducing any alternative feeding methods. Like most breastfed babies, she knows what she wants and does not react well to imitations. Her reactions were becoming so violent when I held a spoon, bottle or cup to her mouth that I was actually worried she would hurt herself. She will not eat solid food, so I couldn’t rely on that as a source of nourishment during the day. I therefore grudgingly decided we would have to wean her to bottles since she wouldn’t eat any other way. After weeks of frustration and many useless purchases, Evelyn now falls asleep without nursing, tolerates a bottle and can go 6 hours without nursing during the day (during which time I offer bottles).

1. Choosing the bottle system and milk type you will serve. Wait until breastfeeding is established before introducing bottles and don’t wait too long - around 6 weeks is usually about right. Don’t wait until you offer the first bottle to think about how you will do the bottle feeding. Look at the options available ahead of time and buy a few items you think might work. Definitely do not wait until your baby is 6 months with the hope that she will drink from a cup or eat enough solid food to skip nursing during the day. She may, or she may not.

• Do NOT believe the marketing around any one system. We bought some high priced bottles which all claim to be the best thing for your baby (Avent, Dr. Browns’ and even the Adiri Breast bottles) and none of them worked.
• Most importantly, buy a collection of nipples that vary in shape and definitely try the NUK orthodontic nipple by Gerber. As it turns out, this was the ONLY nipple that Evelyn let me put in her mouth. She actually seemed to enjoy sucking on it. This from a baby that would scream, flail and arch backward if I showed her a bottle. One thing to keep in mind about all these different kinds of bottles is there are 2 sizes of nipples and they are not interchangeable. There are the traditional smaller diameter ones (Gerber, Dr. Brown’s etc) and the larger base ones (Avent, Born Free etc). So keep this in mind and don’t buy bottles that won’t fit the nipples you get. The NUK ones I tried were smaller base but other companies may have large base orthodontic nipples.
• My advice would be to seriously consider the material the bottle is made of. Although most companies dismiss concerns about BPA and other chemicals leaching from plastics into milk, it’s an important thing to consider before you buy. At the very least it seems a safer bet to avoid polycarbonate in favour of other plastics or try glass. Two glass alternatives are Born Free (large base nipples) and Evelnflo (small base nipples, only available through special stores like lifewithoutplastic.com).
• If you plan to express milk, get a good breastpump like the Medela Pump in Style. Also the easiest way to store milk is to buy some glass jam jars and freeze the milk in them. It is not recommended that breast milk be frozen in most kinds of plastic due to leaching, so why risk it. Besides, they are cheap, and if you buy jam in those jars you can just reuse the jars after washing and sterilization.
• If you do express milk, don’t be crushed if your baby drinks all the milk you left for the day and is still hungry. Better to give formula when all the milk is gone rather than starve your baby.
• If you plan to use formula, look into the options. Personally, I felt better giving Evelyn “My organic baby” formula when she drank all the expressed milk since all the principal ingredients are organic. Something to consider when one thinks of what chemicals might be in the cow’s milk used to make formula. Also think about where the milk may have come from, as different countries have different rules about what is acceptable in the milk.

2. Figure out what position your baby will accept. As many websites say, some babies want to be held, others won’t take a bottle if held. If your baby wants to be held, simulating a nursing position might work, or not. If the baby refuses to take a bottle when held (like Evelyn) then try different chairs. She got really upset in her high chair and would arch backward. But when I put her in her stroller and reclined it to the lowest setting she couldn’t really squirm away and accepted the bottle with some other techniques (below).

3. Get your baby used to something foreign in her mouth. Although I really disliked the idea of using a pacifier at first, it became essential as she got older for a lot of complicated reasons. Since I waited until she was about 3 months to introduce it (aside from a few attempts when she was very little) she didn’t become totally dependent on it and seemed to understand it was something that would help comfort her if she was uncertain (e.g. meeting new people) or if she wanted to sleep. This accomplished two things: 1. She learned that she could be happy sucking on something artificial (and therefore she could be happy sucking on a bottle nipple too) and 2. She didn’t need to nurse to fall asleep. Yes, pacifiers have drawbacks and this may not work for every baby, but Evelyn would be glued to me half the day if I didn’t use one. Also if you plan ahead you can get a nipple that is about the same shape as the pacifier so the baby may more willingly accept it.

4. If your baby gets very upset at the sight of the bottle, get creative on how to introduce it. Many babies will take a bottle if distracted. Figure out how your baby thinks and trick her.

• Evelyn would never take a bottle from me if she saw it coming, but if I used a toy to distract her or put her in front of the mirror she didn’t mind it.
• If she looked directly at me she would sometimes force the bottle out since she wanted me to nurse her, so I closed my eyes when she looked directly at me if she started to look upset. If she just looked at me in curiosity then I gave her a big smile and said encouraging words.
• Congratulate the baby after feeding from the bottle.
• Try different temperatures of milk, try starting with formula and gradually mixing breast milk in.
• Try feeding the baby when she’s sleepy as she will want to suck and may fight less.
• Let the baby play with the bottle as a toy (empty or just a small amount of milk) so she doesn’t learn to hate the sight of it (plastic bottles only!).
• Hold the bottle so the baby can see it out of the corner of her eye if she always wants to grab what you hold. Pretend you are drinking from it or are interested in it. When she reaches for it, give it to her (do this with plastic bottles!). Later when you take it away, give it back if she objects. She thinks it is hers.

5. Engineer your day. I found it most helpful to encourage Evelyn to eat a lot in the morning and evening and to minimize daytime feedings. I offer feedings first thing in the morning, after I get out of the shower and after breakfast. I let her nurse on demand during the late afternoon and evening. I hold her, read to her, go out with her, play with her and offer bottles during the day. She doesn’t nurse at night between about 8 pm and 6 am, so she is not making up for it a night, which keeps me sane.

All of this is based on what I have figured out with Evelyn, the most difficult eater I have ever known. No guarantees whether it will work for you.