1. pick the opportune time for your family

Many babies become more irritable as the day goes on, so offer a bottle when they are at their happiest.

Take your stress level into account. Are you going back to work? Heading away for the weekend? Don’t wait until the day before (or even the week before) you need your baby to drink from a bottle. Plan ahead so that you have time for your baby to learn this new way of eating.

2. let your partner tap-in for the first few feeds

Why? Because babies can smell when they are close to their mom (aka their milk source), and oftentimes the breast is their first preference. Have a co-parent or caregiver try the bottle without mom in the room.

3. wait until baby is hungry, but not overly-hungry

Baby hunger cues include: fists to mouth, head-turning, sucking on hands and lip- smacking. You are more likely to eat readily when you have an appetite, and your baby is no different!

4. mimic the breastfeeding experience

Warm the nipple under running water so it is closer to body temperature. Stroke baby’s lips from top to bottom to illicit a rooting response of a wide-open mouth, and allow your baby to “accept” the nipple rather than poking it in.

Give rest breaks between swallows and allow your baby to pace themselves slowly.

5. start with familiar bottle contents

If your breastfed baby is taking a bottle for the first time, use freshly pumped milk that hasn’t been refrigerated. If that goes well, move on to warmed-up refrigerated milk. Finally, introduce thawed milk from the freezer. This is recommended because your baby may taste the difference between fresh, refrigerated, and frozen milk, which may cause them to reject the bottle.

If you plan to transition to formula and have previously been breastfeeding or feeding your baby breast milk, gradually increase the amount of formula to breast milk ratio. Start with a quarter liquid volume of formula, then half, then all formula for however many ounces your baby drinks.