How to Introduce a Bottle to a Baby

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Erica. We're in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I'm going to talk to you about how to introduce a bottle to your baby. One of the reasons why you would introduce a bottle to your baby is if you're breastfeeding, and you're finished breastfeeding--you want to introduce the bottle to your baby. Be sure that you introduce it slowly, so that they get used to the difference and get used to the bottle and how that flows. Another way is by using the slow nipples. So get a nipple that is slow, so that your baby has a chance to get used to how they need to suck and how they need to get the milk out of the bottle, and once you've picked the nipple and you've picked the right bottle, and you're ready to do it, mix the formula. And after that, be sure that your baby is hungry. You can brush their cheek and see if they start reaching for your finger, then they're hungry, or if they're crying. And what you're going to do, you're just going to move the bottle across their lips, and they'll latch onto it, just like you would with the breast. So you just brush it across their lips and then they'll latch onto it and start sucking. Once they realize that once you do that motion and they grab onto it and start sucking, it'll be easier and easier every time you feed them, because they will already know what's going to happen, how to do that. And after your baby is done eating, be sure to burp them, to reduce gas."