How to bottle feed breastfed babies without causing nipple confusion
- jaimiezaki
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
If you’re planning to introduce a bottle but worried about nipple confusion, you’re not alone. Many new moms wonder how to balance bottle feeding with breastfeeding without causing problems. The good news? Nipple confusion is preventable with the right techniques.
How to Bottle Feed Without Causing Nipple Confusion
If you’re planning to introduce a bottle but worried about nipple confusion, you’re not alone. Many new moms wonder how to balance bottle feeding with breastfeeding without causing problems. The good news? Nipple confusion is preventable with the right techniques.
In this episode of The Breastfeeding With Confidence Podcast, Jaimie, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and mom of five, explains how to offer bottles in a way that supports breastfeeding and keeps your baby comfortable at both breast and bottle.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Jaimie covers:
What nipple confusion really is and why it happens
How to prevent nipple confusion when introducing a bottle
The basics of paced bottle feeding and why it matters
How to use side-lying bottle feeding for a natural, breast-like experience
Choosing the best bottle nipple for breastfed babies (slow flow, proper shape, and depth)
Red flags that bottle feeding is interfering with breastfeeding
Why technique matters more than buying the “perfect” bottle brand
Preventing Nipple Confusion
At the heart of preventing nipple confusion is making the bottle as similar to breastfeeding as possible.
That means:
Slowing down the flow with paced feeding
Using positions like side-lying feeding
Picking a nipple that supports a deep latch
Watching your baby for cues and red flags
These small changes make a big difference in helping your baby transition smoothly between breast and bottle.
Resources for Breastfeeding Success
Bottle feeding doesn’t have to sabotage breastfeeding. With the right knowledge, you can feel confident in both. For step-by-step guidance on preventing nipple confusion, supplementing wisely, and protecting your breastfeeding journey, check out Jaimie’s Breastfeeding Resource Library.
00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
00:45 – What Is Nipple Confusion?
01:30 – Preventing Nipple Confusion With Paced Feeding
03:00 – Side-Lying Bottle Feeding Explained
04:00 – Choosing the Best Bottle Nipple for Breastfeeding
05:30 – Red Flags That Bottles Are Causing Problems
07:00 – Encouragement for Moms
08:00 – Resources to Support Your Breastfeeding Journey
Breastfeeding Resource Library
Avoid Mistakes that Sabotage Breastfeeding
Transcript:
Hey Mama Bear. Welcome to the Breastfeeding With Confidence podcast. Do you dream of bonding with your baby through exclusive breastfeeding, but worry about breastfeeding pain or low milk supply? Maybe you're struggling with breastfeeding and no one seems to have any answers. I'm Jamie Doula, international Board certified lactation consultant, and Mom of five, and I have been where you are after working through painful latches, milk supply worries, and postpartum depression, and.
Supporting countless mothers through their breastfeeding journeys for over eight years. I'm here to tell you breastfeeding doesn't have to be perfect to be positive. Each week I'll share breastfeeding tips to help you prevent and overcome unexpected breastfeeding challenges so you can actually enjoy bonding with your baby.
If you are ready to shut out the toxic whispers of the world, embrace your God-given intuition and release your inner fierce Mama bear. Grab some coffee or your favorite herbal tea and let's dive in.
Hey mama. Welcome back to the Breastfeeding With Confidence Podcast. Today we are talking about something that comes up all the time. You've probably heard about it and you're probably worried about it. And that is nipple confusion. You've probably heard that . Introducing a bottle too soon can lead to nipple confusion, and that would be where your baby starts preferring the bottle over the breast.
But here's the truth. It's not really the bottle itself that causes the problems, it's how we use it, and there's really no such thing as nipple confusion. As there is bottle preference and bottle preference can be prevented. Today I'm going to give you a sneak peek into how you can prevent bottle preference with your baby.
All right, so here's why. Quote, nipple confusion or bottle preference happens. Bottles and breasts work very differently. A bottle can deliver milk instantly while the breast actually requires a little more effort and coordination for your baby. So if your baby gets used to that very. Fast, easy flow where they don't have to put in any effort.
It's very common for them to start refusing the breast or getting frustrated when the milk doesn't come as quickly and they actually have to work for it. So that's what some people refer to as nipple confusion. But I feel like that word is kind of misleading because it's really about that flow of milk, and it's a preference for that fast milk.
Your baby's not confused. And it has nothing to do with the nipple. It has everything to do with how they're feeding the mechanics behind it. So the number one way we can prevent nipple confusion or bottle preference is to utilize a paste bottle feeding method. So instead of tipping the bottle straight up and letting the milk just kind of pour out, and your baby's just like go, go, go, go, go.
We get that quick feeding. You are going to wanna slow that feed down and make your baby work for it. One way you can do this is hold your baby upright, keep the bottle more horizontal so the milk flows very slow and you're gonna tap the bottle nipple to the baby's mouth. Let them open like feed at their own pace and pause often.
Let them naturally pace that feed. Don't just try and. Dump it down their throat. It can help if you use a bottle with a slower flow. We don't wanna have it pouring out really, really fast where they don't have to put any effort forth. All right, so this will kind of help keep bottle feeding seem a little more a like breastfeeding.
Another method that can be really helpful is to use an inclined sideline position for bottle feeding where baby is on their side just like they would be, , in a lot of breastfeeding positions, and the the bottle is held horizontally. So this keeps feeding comfortable, it prevents that gulping and really makes the transition between breast and bottle a little smoother.
Hey mama. Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to tell you that when I had my first baby, I really thought I was ready to breastfeed. And the truth is I struggled and the people I expected to help me didn't actually have the answers. That is why I created the breastfeeding resource library, so you don't have to leave breastfeeding to chance Inside you will learn how to avoid unnecessary formula, protect your milk supply.
And get a pain-free latch. You'll also learn how to fix common struggles before they become big problems. Visit little bear lactation.com/library and use code podcast 50 to save. Now I.
Here's where a lot of moms get tripped up. Not all bottle nipples are the same, and so there are some that can cause more problems than others. So first of all, we wanna look for one that has a slower flow. So milk is not pouring out too quickly, but we also don't want it to be too slow of a flow that they're working really hard and still not getting enough milk.
There are some bottles on the market that can actually contribute to. Low weight gain for your baby because they have to work so hard to get milk out of that nipple. Um, you wanna make sure that the nipple is like that triangular shape. So we love the ebb and flow bottles, the pigeon nipples, um, lactation hub bottles, the.
Lazano has just created the triangular ones as well. You do wanna look at the flow rate on all of these as well, but that triangular, , shape actually is much more supportive than that kind of elongated or, , short or anything that says like most like the breast, like the, um. Uh, what is it like como tomo and those ones that are like really promoting, looking like a boob, but actually not filling your baby's mouth the way the breast would, because the breast reshapes the, the breast that you see that perfectly round breast with a little nipple pointing out is not what a breast looks like when it's in a baby's mouth.
It takes on a more triangular shape as it swells and fills the oral cavity. And so those triangular shaped nipple bottles nipple. Bottle nipples are much more. Like the breast quote, unquote, I hate that term. It's a marketing term, but those are much more quote like the breast than a lot of these kind of gimmicky ones.
, Some red flags to watch out for that. You know, if the baby is starting to prefer the bottle and resist the breast, there's probably a reason why, and it's probably just that it's. Easier with the bottle, so we have to make it a little harder for them. It's also usually a sign that we need to check and see what's going on, if there's any oral function stuff, because baby, I mean, babies are gonna take the path of least resistance, right?
But if they really are not wanting to work at the breast and they're not going back and forth kind of easily, sometimes that's a sign that the bottle is just easier for them. Not because it's easier or you're doing something wrong or you're not pacing the feeds right. But because it's just. Easier for them.
And so the breast is hard for them and sometimes that is one of the first red flags we have to look for an oral function issue. . If you are seeing during bottle feeds, you know that maybe the baby is clicking and leaking milk or getting gassy and spitting up, those are all signs that we might need to slow those feeds down and we might need to look for functional issues on the bottle as well.
And so sometimes, like I said before, a baby might be more prone to bottle preference if they have a functional issue. So the good news is all this nipple confusion, bottle preference, whatever you wanna call it, it's preventable. It is preventable with paste feeding side. Lying the right nipple shape, and just be mindful when you are bottle feeding your breastfed baby.
It is very possible to move between breast and bottle without losing breastfeeding skills. It is not this high risk thing, like one bottle is gonna ruin it all, but it is a sign that if we are getting there, you might need a little bit of help. And we might wanna check this, their oral function, and if they're oral.
Oral function seems really great. Then we wanna start getting creative on how to bring them back to the breast. And I have helped so many babies do that. So if you are in this position, please reach out. We have the breastfeeding resource library as a great start for preparing yourself for breastfeeding.
But if you are in this situation and you are struggling with a bottle preference and you wanna get back to more breastfeeding with your baby, you can book a lactation consultation with me, where we just kind of flesh out exactly what you need and get you some instant answers, and then we can decide what plan would be best for you and create a custom support package.
But that initial consultation can be littlebearlactation.com/support
And it's a great way to just set yourself up for real success, get answers to your questions and figure out. What you need the next step to be because most of you are sitting here listening like, I know there's a problem and I need help, but I don't even know what help looks like. So that is the first step to help is booking this 20 minute q and a session.
It is going to help you get clarity on moving forward with your breastfeeding goals. Thank you so much for joining me, and I will see you in the next episode.
Alright, mama bear. That is a wrap for today. If this episode helps you feel a little more confident or a little more prepared for breastfeeding, can I ask you a quick favor? Go ahead and leave me a review. It helps other moms find this podcast and join us in this amazing community of fierce and confident Mama bears.
And hey, if you know a friend who could use some encouragement or real talk about pregnancy, breastfeeding, and all things motherhood, share this episode with her. You've got this Mama Bear Trust your instincts, stay fierce, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
Jaimie Zaki is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and mom of 5! Jaimie has volunteered as a La Leche League Leader, worked as a nurse, doula, and birth photographer, and is the host of the Breastfeeding With Confidence Podcast and founder of the Confident MamaBear Society. Jaimie provides holistic breastfeeding advice for pregnant & new moms, helping them overcome unexpected latching trouble and milk supply issues. She empowers mothers to make informed decisions from a place of confidence and intuition.
Breastfeeding Resources Available:
