# Weaning Your Baby from Breast to Bottle

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/family/baby/transitioning-from-breast-to-bottle/
- Published: 2013-11-02T05:00:26+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

#### _**Weaning your baby from breast to bottle –  yes you’ve heard it all before breast is best. Everyone rams that down your throat.  But, there comes a time in any mother’s life when you need your baby to take a bottle.** _

Whether this is because you are returning to work, whether this is because you are
having a few drinks at night or whether this is because you are ready to stop breastfeeding
your infant completely, what is the best way to get your child to go from breast
to bottle? Every child is completely different but here are some suggestions. Don’t
get discouraged if one method doesn’t work for you; some babies will refuse the 
bottle completely and go straight to a cup while others will latch on to anything
with a teat on it.

## **Some Babies Hate the Bottle…**

Even if you plan on exclusively breastfeeding you can still offer your baby a bottle
early on. You may wish to wait a few weeks until your supply is sorted or you may
wish to start right away. Letting your baby feel the silicon in her mouth and try
to latch on will help her adjust when the time comes. However, only do this after
she has had her regular feed so she is not already hungry and frustrated. You may
want to only express a small amount into the bottle each night to let her get used
to it. Or, you may find that she takes the bottle without a problem on the first
go.

## **Test out Different Teats**

If your baby doesn’t like the bottle it might be because the teat is wrong. Teats
come with different numbers to determine the flow as well as different shapes designed
to help babies with different sucking refluxes. The Medela Calma bottle is designed
to match the flow of breastfeeding but you may have just as much success with other
names such as Tommy Tippee and Avent. If one bottle doesn’t work, consider opting
for a different type.

## **Let Someone Else Take Over**

Your baby may also be hesitant to take the bottle from you as she is used to your
breasts. If someone else feeds her she may be more willing to actually suck. Babies
associate mum with milk from an early age and thus if you are not offering her the
breast, she is probably going to wonder why not.

## **Express Your Milk**

If you have missed a feed you may need to express in order to remain comfortable
and keep your supply up. However, this will all depend on how much milk you are 
producing and how much milk baby is taking each feed. It is a good idea to set aside
a half an hour to express the missed feed if you are planning on giving baby a bottle.

## **Take Baby Steps**

There is a big difference between letting your baby have both the breast and the
bottle and weaning your baby completely off the breast. Many mothers will continue
to breast feed and give a bottle for several months at the same time. However, if
you want to wean your baby off the breast permanently, then this is another story.
You cannot simply say “that’s it, I’m done breastfeeding now” and switch to formula
or full cream milk. Your body will not get the message quick enough and your breasts
will continue to produce milk.

What this means is that you can expect painful engorgement and possible mastitis
as well. Instead, you need to take baby steps when weaning your baby. You need to
start by eliminating one feed at a time and over time. It may take you several weeks
to completely wean your baby off the breast and you may still feel pain and engorgement
during this long process.

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)