Bottle Refusal support - Liz Farrant IBCLC

So, you’ve navigated the early weeks of breastfeeding, made it through any challenges you may have faced and your supply has settled to your baby’s needs. Now you are considering the option of offering your baby a bottle, and assumed that this would be so easy in comparison to establishing breastfeeding. You have tried to offer the bottle but not had any success, baby turns away; simply chews the teat; gags as soon as the teat is in their mouth; cries as soon as you bring the teat near.

Perhaps…..

You’ve got a cupboard/drawer full of varying teats and bottles;
Your most searched topic online currently is ‘which bottle is best for a breastfed baby’;
You are returning to work soon;
You are wanting to reduce breastfeeding and change to combination feeding for reasons personal to you;
You have an event or occasion coming up that you are not able to take baby to and you are feeling the pressure to ensure they can feed in another way other than breastfeeding;

If any of these resonate with you, but you are finding that your baby is not taking the bottle, you are in the right place!

Bottle feeding is another skill that your baby needs to master, just as it can take some infants time to become proficient at breastfeeding it can also take some little one’s time and practice to become skilled at bottle feeding

‘But my baby used to take the bottle just fine, they’ve only just recently started to refuse the bottle’

Under 8 weeks of age, the sucking reflex is an innate reflex, this means that your baby is hardwired to suck anything that come into their mouth – think of it as an inbuilt survival instinct ensuring they come into the world ready to feed. Around 8 weeks of age, sucking changes from being an instinctive reflex, to being something your baby has to learn to do. Breastfeeding and bottle feeding are very different processes and require the use of oral muscles in very different ways. For this reason, many breastfed babies, even those who have had regular bottles from a young age, may suddenly become confused and disorientated when being offered a bottle.

Please understand that your baby’s refusal to take the bottle is not a matter of wilfulness; they are not being fussy or deliberately opting for breastfeeding instead. Young babies simply lack the cognitive development to make such calculations, regardless of what Aunt Nora might suggest! Instead, your baby is unable to take the bottle because they can’t do so at this time.

Expressed breastmilk in bottle in foreground, young baby laying on tummy in background

So what can you do?

I offer bottle refusal consultations to help explore what may be going on for your baby and support you with coming up with an appropriate, gentle plan to help your baby with learning this skill. This is individualised to you, your baby and your family and will always involve responsive and nurturing approaches to support your little one with this new skill. Together we will explore the following

Your feeding journey so far and any relevant history via my detailed registration form
Your goals and individual needs
Your little one’s oral function and possible reasons they are finding feeding from a bottle challenging
Types of teat that may best suit your individual baby (spoiler alert…there is no ‘best’ teat for all breastfed babies despite all the claims!!)
A staged plan that will support this learning for your baby and empower you to know how to recognise progress and when to move on to the next step
Ongoing WhatsApp support for 2 weeks after your consultation

Anna Millar

Liz was SO helpful, kind and reassuring. After feeling a bit let down in my breastfeeding journey I was keen to learn more and Liz’s expertise and support has meant I feel confident moving forward. 100% recommend!! X

Phoebe Homer

I booked a Lactation Consultant session with Liz when my son was 5 days old and her support helped shape my breastfeeding journey. Before meeting with Liz all the advice on feeding positions I had received in the hospital were not working for myself and my baby and I was finding it extremely uncomfortable and overwhelming. After my meeting with Liz she was able to suggest a feeding position that worked for me and my baby, as well incredibly helpful guidance. We had a follow up appointment at 6 weeks and Liz was also available to answer any questions via WhatsApp. Liz’s caring and informed approach transformed my breastfeeding experience and overall confidence as a first time mum. I now have a chunky 97th percentile baby, and more importantly complete trust and confidence that my body and my baby know what they’re doing when it comes to breastfeeding. It is thanks to Liz and her support during the vulnerable early days of postpartum, I’m so grateful that I had her to support my breastfeeding journey from the start.

Mel Forrest

An appointment with Liz was included in our doula package for my first baby’s birth and organised for Day 4 post partum I didn’t really know what to expect nor know how much I’d need Liz that day but it was perfectly timed. Liz helped us refine the latch and gave tips on how to manage pain with milk coming in. If I didn’t have support at the time, I may have given up breastfeeding due to the pain Her ongoing support with questions have been extremely valuable too. I feel I have a plan of action going forward. She was also extremely understanding and supportive in general not just regarding breastfeeding which is rare to find. Thank you Liz!

Roxana Stingu

As first time parents, we tried everything we found on the web to help our little one start bottle feeding as she was starting nursery. Nothing worked so we decided to get some specialised help. We had a very productive consultation with Liz where she immediately narrowed down the impediments our baby needed to overcome and she’s also given us ways of helping her do that. One of the bigger realisations was that the baby’s head movements looked like refusal but were just distractions, once Liz told us to keep her focus on a toy while feeding her, it all changed. There were a couple other things and some exercises to do which all helped get my baby drinking milk from a bottle like a pro. I know that we would have wasted so much more time trying other methods we read about on the web and that getting Liz in helped us stay focussed on the method and exercises that really made a difference, fast. I wholeheartedly recommend you give her a call if you’re finding yourself in a similar situation. I’m confident that Liz can help give you the clarity (and suport) that you need.

Katie Brittles

I saw Liz when my newborn was around a month old as had been having some issues latching. Liz was reassuring and made me feel very comfortable. She provided some great advice including additional positions that worked really well for my baby and I. This allowed us to keep going with breastfeeding and we’re still going strong at 5 months. Liz was also incredibly responsive when we had some follow up questions around using a bottle for expressed milk a number of months later. I would highly recommend Liz to anyone needing advice on any area of breastfeeding.

Sarah Tian

Liz provided absolutely invaluable and fantastic support with both sleep and breastfeeding for us. She was extremely patient, compassionate, understanding and encouraging, and very responsive to all our many questions and concerns. I really feel she went above and beyond to help us, and I genuinely don’t think I could have continued my breastfeeding journey without her support - I’m forever grateful! I highly recommend to anyone who’s considering either breastfeeding support or help with gentle methods of sleep training.

Sophie & Guy Campbell

Liz is amazing. Knowledgeable, patient and a great comfort to have whilst learning to breastfeed. She listens and always knows how to help. I really struggled first time around and without doubt working with Liz made the difference this time around. Breastfeeding is still hard, there’s no denying that, but her support both in person and on WhatsApp is invaluable. Even as things change and curveballs come, just knowing I could count on her to help and support was everything. I’m so chuffed and proud of myself for feeding this time and Liz played a huge part in that. Worth every penny. Thank you, Liz xx

Zoe Storrow-Green

I was recommended by a friend to get in touch with Liz for support with BF for my second baby as I struggled with bf my first baby and stopped bf after 3 weeks. Liz was brilliant and supported me from the day my baby was born via WhatsApp then she visited us once we were home from the hospital. I have successfully managed to bf my baby this time round, it has been a lot less painful and feels so natural. I have been bf for 4 months so far 😊 Thank you, Liz!

Charlotte Gibson

I highly recommend Liz as a lactation consultant. When I was about one month postpartum, I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure if my baby was latching efficiently, but her support made a huge difference. She was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive, taking the time to really understand my concerns. Her explanations were clear and practical, and her encouragement helped build my confidence during a time when I was doubting myself. She also provided two weeks of ongoing support after our initial consultation, which was invaluable. Knowing I could reach out with questions and receive reassurance made the process so much less stressful. I especially appreciated the additional reading and reliable resources she shared. In a world of overwhelming (and often conflicting) information on social media, having trusted guidance to refer to was incredibly reassuring. Thanks to her support, feeding became a much more positive experience. I’m so grateful for her care and would highly recommend her to any parent.

Mousami Mishra

Liz was an absolute godsend to me as a first time mum struggling with breastfeeding. She understood my preferences very patiently and guided me through the journey. Since I am a working mother, I wanted a flexible approach to feeding my baby with both breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Liz suggested the right teats and timelines on when and how to introduce them. She also explained the latching technique very well to make sure my experience was pain free. She was always available online and her in-person sessions were the most useful. I will recommend her 100%. Thanks Liz!!

How to book?

Please complete the following contact form, or you are welcome to email me directly – feeding@lizfarrant.co.uk. I endeavour to respond to you within 12-24 hours of you making contact.