When to introduce the bottle?

[birthjunkiemom]

My baby is 3 weeks old, and I am returning to work when she is 8 weeks old. We had some latch difficulties at first, and they are mostly worked out, I still have to work with her to get her to bring her tongue down.

I'm not sure when the best time to introduce to bottle is, to make sure that she doesn't get nipple confusion, but that she has enough time to get used to the bottle before I go back to work.

[jaguglia930]

i recently heard that nipple confusion was a myth. i always stick with the level 1 nipple so baby actually has to suck to get milk out.
neither one of my babies liked taking a bottle,

[IowaGold]

I introduced the bottle to DD at around 2 weeks (went back to work at 6 weeks). I only gave her a couple of ounces a week until work started. We didn't have any real problems with bottle preference. A little at around 4 months but only on days she'd been at daycare and only at the end of the day. We pushed through and now we're dealing with breast preference at 10 months!

[UVASahm]

I have also heard from many reliable sources that nipple confusion is a myth. I introduced the bottle from day one bc we supplemented. I would do some research as to which bottle might work best and buy one of each before investing in one over the other. I used the avent bottles with size 1 and it went well!

[RachelFlores]

Since you need her to take a bottle, I would start asap once a day (maybe have it be bonding time for the baby and your partner). I waited six weeks with my first and she refused to take a bottle unless she was starving and only if I was nowhere arround. With my second, I had him take a bottle simi regularly starting at two weeks, he prefered to be bf, but would take a bottle even from me. I haven't been as good about giving my current baby a bottle as regularly as my second and while he won't take one from me, he will take it from anyone who watches him. So... all that to say don't wait until the last minute, start now.

[Alikhlas]

My dd was in the nicu for a few days where she got a bottle and paci before she got me and it took 5-6 hard days of crying and screaming to get her to nurse. She just wanted the bottle. She would take both for 2-3 months then randomly refused the bottle and never looked back. She's still nursing at 21 months and never took a sippy either. All that to say I do think nipple confusion is real.

[Nerissa]

I have returned to work at 8 weeks with all three of my kids. I introduce the bottle at about 3 weeks. I have DH give the baby a bottle about once a week. While ideally once a day would be great, he isnt' home enough (crazy work schedule) and i haven't had a problem yet.