5 Pediatrician-Recommended Ways to Facilitate Combo Feeding

Many new moms choose to breast and bottle feed. Read on for Pediatrician Dr. Natasha Burgerts’ tips on making transitioning from breast to bottle easier:

1. Established breast feeder? Time to introduce the bottle.

Most babies are ready to start practicing with the bottle once breastfeeding is established. Signs of this include baby has regained birth weight, has a consistently good latch, is pooping and peeing well, and having confidence with your feeding plan. For most babies, this occurs somewhere between 2-3 weeks of age. Ask your child’s doctor at the 2-week wellness visit if baby is ready. If all things are a go, choose a bottle that mimics the shape and feel of the breast, like the Philips Avent Natural bottle. This bottle system mimics the breast with a wide, breast-shaped nipple that won’t collapse during feeding.

2. Feeding is about more than the milk.

Whether breast or bottle fed, the milk itself is only part of the feeding experience. Creating an environment for you and baby that is relaxed, calm, and consistent will improve milk let down and help to maintain your breastmilk supply. Think about things like a quiet location, physical touch, smells, and sounds. This environment can be replicated by other care providers to encourage successful and productive feeding sessions when using the bottle to feed.

3. Bottle of breastmilk not finished?

Breastmilk can become contaminated during the bottle-feeding process, and any leftover breastmilk should be discarded. To avoid this upsetting waste, offer milk volumes you are sure that baby will finish. You can always “top-off” with a little extra if baby does not seem satisfied after a feed.

4. Let others help.

Allowing your partner to participate in baby care is an important way to promote social bonding and connection with baby. This also allows baby to develop trust and comfort in others while you enjoy a well-deserved rest. When your partner feeds baby, encourage the creation of the same feeding environment that baby is accustomed to. Soft lightening, physical touch, consistent smells and sounds; all these things will increase the success of your partner’s and baby’s feeding time.

5. Choose a bottle system that is a natural fit with the breast.

The Philips Avent Natural bottle has a soft and flexible nipple that mimics the shape and feel of a mother’s breast. The wide, breast-shaped nipple allows baby to create a latch similar to that on the breast and the nipple allows natural tongue movements without collapsing. The bottle is also ergonomically shaped for a secure hold. By more closely resembling the breastfeeding experience, the Philips Avent Natural bottle promotes a comfortable feed for baby as he transitions from the breast to the bottle and back.