Introducing your breastfed baby to the bottle or cup [2 ]

What do I do if my baby resists taking the bottle?

If your baby isn't having any of it, try these techniques:

• Use a bottle nipple similar to her pacifier. If she sucks on a latex pacifier, use a latex bottle nipple rather than a silicone one, and vice versa. Heat the nipple with warm water to make it more appealing.
• Put some breast milk on the nipple. When your baby tastes it she may start sucking to get more.
• Let your baby play with the nipple so she can familiarize herself with it. If she just chews on it, let her. She may actually start sucking it soon.
• Try holding her in a different position: Put her in an infant or car seat so she is semi-upright, and then feed her the bottle while facing her. Once she is used to taking a bottle, you can hold her as you usually would for feedings. One enterprising father put on his wife's bathrobe and tucked the bottle under his arm while holding the baby in a breastfeeding position. That won't work for you, but it might work for Dad!

Make sure you have lots of time to put your feet up and relax during this process. If she starts crying and pushes the bottle away, back off, comfort her, and then try again. The last thing you want is a bottle battle. If you've tried three times and she's refused three times, then call it a meal. Don't breastfeed her immediately. Wait five or 10 minutes, and do something else before you put her to the breast so she won't associate her refusal to bottle-feed with immediate gratification.

Many babies who have been getting bottles all along will suddenly decide at about 3 months that they don't want a bottle anymore, that they simply prefer breastfeeding. And why not? It's warm, cozy, sweet-smelling, and done with their favorite person — Mom. So early success isn't necessarily an ironclad guarantee that your baby will take the bottle when you really want her to.

What if I want to skip the bottle and start my baby out on a cup?

In some countries, babies who can't nurse are taught to drink from a cup from the get-go — even the tiniest infants can learn to do it. There are some advantages to this method: There's no chance of nipple confusion, you won't be tempted to prop your baby up with a bottle (sucking on a bottle at nap time or bedtime can lead to tooth decay), and you'll never have to break a bottle habit. Of course, helping your baby drink from a cup is time-consuming; unless you use a cup with a spill-proof top (commonly known as sippy cups) or a built-in straw, you'll have to help her drink and be prepared for the inevitable mess. Daycare providers may not be comfortable with this arrangement.

Many of the same principles of introducing your baby to a bottle hold true for the cup. Have your child get used to a cup at an early age (but not until breastfeeding has been well established), and introduce it gradually — one feeding a day. If you are going back to work, start a few weeks before you actually head off to the office; your child needs time to get used to this new feeding method.