Bottle Feeding Expressed Breast Milk: A Gentle Guide
Oct 21, 2025
Whether you're returning to work, heading to an event, or just need a break, giving your breastfed baby a bottle of expressed breast milk is absolutely okay. The key is to introduce the bottle at the right time and in the right way.
When Should I Start?
The ideal window to introduce a bottle is between 3 and 6 weeks of age. Before 3 weeks, babies are still learning to breastfeed and introducing a bottle can cause nipple confusion and result in your baby preferring the bottle. After 6 weeks, some babies may strongly prefer the breast and refuse a bottle entirely.
How to Prepare
A few days before you plan to give a bottle:
- After your morning feed, express for 10 minutes and collect between 15-30 ml. Stop earlier if you have already collected 30 ml.
- Store this milk in the fridge. It will take about 30 mins to be at fridge temperature
- After the next morning feed, do the same
- Once both bottles are the same temperature in the fridge, you can mix them together
Repeat this process each day until you have stored the amount you need. Aim to collect 100 ml (150 ml if your baby is nearer 6 weeks). Breastmilk is ok in the fridge for up to 5 days so don't worry if this takes a few days.
How to Store Breast Milk
A simple way to remember safe milk storage times is to use the Rule of 5s:
- 5 hours at room temperature
- 5 days in the fridge
- 5 months in the freezer but once thawed, this breast milk should be used within 24 hours
Bottle Feeding Tips
To make the transition easier and avoid nipple confusion:
- Encourage a wide mouth before giving the bottle. Rub the bottle teat on the baby’s top lip to encourage a wide mouth. This is needed to get a deep latch when breastfeeding, so copying this technique is important to help your baby transition back to the breast
- Pace the feed. Feed in small amounts and at as slow a flow rate as possible, mimicking the natural flow of the breast
- Use breaks. Feed one third of the bottle, pause, allow baby to suck your finger or a dummy, then repeat
- Match the time. A bottle feed should take as long as a breastfeed. Rushing can lead to an unsettled baby looking for more sucking, and you are then tempted to overfeed which can cause discomfort
Preventing Nipple Confusion
Three things to manage:
- Volume – avoid overfeeding. Offer what they need, not what they think they want. They probably need more sucking, not necessarily more volume
- Flow – use slow-flow teats to mimic breastfeeding
- Timing – don’t let baby guzzle the bottle in 5 minutes. This can lead to a preference for the fast flow of bottles
A Note on Pumping
Remember that you’re caring for two systems: your baby and your breasts. If you give a bottle at 1pm, you still need to express milk around that time to prevent engorgement and to protect your supply, as leaving the breast full can reduce your supply.
You can pump anytime from one hour after the previous feed to just after the next feed. Make sure the amount you pump in 24 hours roughly matches what your baby has drunk.
Let me explain that more. Here is an example:
9 am - breastfeed
12 noon - bottle feed
3pm - breastfeed
The window to pump is from 10 am to 4 pm. If you pump between 10 am and 3 pm, then pump the same volume that the baby will drink at 12 noon and not too much more. There still needs to be enough in the breast for your baby’s 3 pm feed so over-pumping can affect this feed.
You’ve got this. Whether you're breastfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, or a mix of it all, the most important thing is that your baby is loved, fed, and cared for.