I think you can/should introduce the bottle right away, because otherwise, as with your first son, they might never take it... my son took both breast and bottle in the beginning, but at about 3 weeks stopped taking the bottle altogether, even with my own pumped breast milk, which made it very hard to feed him, as I'd always have to be around, always do night feedings, etc... we tried all kinds of nipples/etc, and he just wouldn't take it. (stubborn little man.)

The only 'bottle' he eventually started drinking from (much later, after we started solids at 6 months onward), was a straw-cup (instead of a sippy cup), with a soft straw that he eventually learned how to suck through. They are sold at Zellers (and possibly elsewhere), for about $8. Really great, although I'm not sure that you could try it with a 3 week old?...

Mireille wrote:I am successfully nursing a happy 3 week old and wondering when you introduced a pacifier or bottle of pumped milk? We waited to 2+ months with my first son and he refused, jusr trying to avoid that with our second so (who nurses really wel).

Thanks,


Mireille & Dylan

Hi Mireille

Congrats on your new little one.

We introduced a pacifier (the large rubber ones - they are ugly but FANTASTIC - http://www.nurtured.ca/Natursutten-Natural-Rubber-Pacifier_p_778.html) right away for sleeping with my son. He only uses it to fall asleep, and by five months was finding it in bed when it fell out. When it goes in his mouth he almost immediately closes his eyes, it's quite funny!

We also introduced bottles very quickly -- around a week old. The sooner you do it the better apparently, as they say the baby will always know how to do the primary feeding technique he is introduced to (ie nursing) and the later you do it, the more likely they are to experience nipple confusion. He went back and forth between nursing and different kinds of bottles from the beginning without issue.

Of course it probably depends on each child, but this is what we experienced.

Good luck!

Michelle