Introducing a bottle to a breastfeeding baby
Introducing a bottle to a breastfeeding baby
Experts recommend feeding your baby only breast milk for the first year. Using a bottle may help all caregivers feed your baby. Talk to your doctor if you plan to switch from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding. Here are some tips:
Slowly reduce the number of times you breastfeed each day. Offer the bottle before each breastfeeding. Each week, choose one more breastfeeding time to replace or shorten with bottle-feeding.
Wean your baby slowly. Pumping breast milk will allow you to save milk to use later in a bottle. Using both breast- and bottle-feeding as needed may help you return to work or do other things.
Current as of: May 1, 2026
Author: WebMD Ignite Staff
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