Why Nipple Confusion Occurs (Introduction to Weaning Problems continued)
The reason why a baby may prefer their mother’s nipple over the artificial teat is because they are used to the nipple, and are comfortable feeding from their mother’s breasts. This usually happens to babies who are exclusively breastfed up until six weeks of age or longer. The baby has become accustomed to the mother’s nipple, smells and comfort that they get from being with the mother.
Even if your baby is exclusively breastfed, they already show signs of preferring one nipple or one breast over the other. Many mothers report that their baby prefers the right breast over the left, and vice versa. Some people use this as an example of proof that nipple confusion does happen.
If you need to wean your child from breastfeeding, and they were exclusively breastfed for at least four weeks, nipple confusion with preference for the breast may occur. In this case, you can try giving your child Orthodontic teats, which is more similar to a human nipple, though not quite the same. Expect that your baby will reject the bottle the first few times it is offered. This will be especially true if the baby is hungry and frustrated, or if the mother is offering the bottle. Many times babies do not accept the bottle from the mother because they know that she is available for breastfeeding.
To remedy this, give your child the bottle before they become too hungry. If, for example, your baby feeds once every four hours, give your baby the bottle an hour before their next feeding session. This will give them time to familiarize themselves with the bottle and how it works. If your baby doesn’t want to accept the bottle when you are around, try getting someone else to give them the bottle, and have them be fed in a place that you do not use for breastfeeding. The change in person and environment will help the baby associate bottle feeding with this person and place, while associating breastfeeding with you and a different place.
Some babies refuse to be fed by anyone else but their mother. This can be a very big challenge in weaning, and for nipple confusion, especially if the baby prefers the breast. In order to get them used to being fed by others, familiarize them with the bottle, and ask the person who will be feeding them while you are gone to join a few feeding sessions. Familiarizing your baby with the person that will feed them can help them accept this person and the food.
Page Three: Dealing With Nipple Confusion (Preference for the Bottle) (Introduction to Weaning Problems continued)
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