Tips & Steps: How To Wean A Nursed Baby To A Baby Bottle:
1. Start at an early age as possible. Try introducing a baby bottle at around six to eight weeks. During this time, there won't be any risk of nipple confusion and babies are more open to new things.
2. Try not to push or force your baby to take a bottle for the first time you give the baby bottle to your baby. Don't make your baby scared or afraid of the bottle. Try to transition your child into taking the bottle in a slow, smooth paced, so your child is more comfortable with the bottle and not just take the breast away from baby completely.
3. Try to make the weaning process fun for your baby, sing a song, make funny faces, tickle and giggle with your baby. Also, having someone else to introduce the baby bottle for the first time to your baby would be best to do other than mom. It would be harder to transition a baby to bottle if its mom due to babies ability to smell, sound and touch of their mom with the breast and babies will not accept the bottle.
4. Always cuddle your baby while feeding and in your free time or additional time, play with them with different activities and have fun to replace your breastfeeding time and make sure to get just the right baby bottle and nipple hole size. Some babies prefer baby bottles that have the same shape as the breast do. Try to shop around, and maybe get 3 different baby bottles and try it out and see which one your baby will be more comfortable with.
5. I would also recommend giving your baby pumped breast milk in the baby bottle other than baby formula. Breast milk is best and better than formula. Breast milk has just the right amount of protein that is needed for your baby’s growth and development. Also, researchers have established that breast milk contains cells that kill bacteria, viruses and protects babies from illnesses.
6. Try to give your baby formula rather than just cow’s milk if your child is younger than one year old. Baby formula contains more proteins and vitamins than cow’s milk.
7. Remember, you can also breast-feed and bottle-feed your baby. Just because you plan to introduce your baby to a bottle, it doesn’t mean that you are done with breastfeeding. You can do both.