“Nipple Confusion”: why does my baby seem to prefer a bottle or dummy?

Your baby may have trouble latching or staying on the breast, get frustrated or upset while breastfeeding, or seem reluctant to breastfeed at all. At the same time, they may drink readily from a bottle or happily use a dummy (pacifier). 

This is sometimes described as “nipple confusion” – the idea that breastfeeding has been disrupted by using a bottle or dummy. The term is controversial. Babies are unlikely to be confused about what a bottle, dummy, or breast is, and most babies are able to switch between them if needed. However, some babies seem to suck less effectively after using bottles, particularly if bottles are introduced very early. This may be related to differences in how milk flows from a bottle and a breast, differences in sucking technique, or the breastfeeding difficulties that made bottles necessary in the first place. (1)

Babies are born with strong instincts to breastfeed, and they are adaptable. This article looks at what may be happening when your baby seems to prefer a bottle or dummy over the breast, and what you can do to help your baby move towards (or back to) breastfeeding.

Summary

On this page

Why does my baby seem to prefer a bottle?

If your new baby is struggling to breastfeed, it’s because something is making it difficult for them – it’s not because they don’t want to. As the saying goes, it’s they can’t, not they won’t.

Babies are very good at finding ways to get what they need. If breastfeeding is difficult, or milk supply is low, they may turn to a bottle that reliably gives them milk. This is sometimes called ‘bottle preference’, or ‘flow preference’, but it’s not that they’ve simply decided that they prefer a bottle – it’s the smart choice for a hungry baby who is struggling to breastfeed. Once any underlying breastfeeding issues are addressed (or if a premature or small-for-dates baby is given time to grow stronger) there’s a good chance they will go on to breastfeed.

If you’re worried that you’ve somehow ruined breastfeeding by giving your new baby a bottle or dummy, we want to reassure you: you haven’t done anything wrong. Your baby needed milk or comfort and you responded to that need.

Using another feeding method doesn’t mean breastfeeding is over. Breastfeeding is much more resilient than that – it’s how humans have survived for hundreds of thousands of years. With support, most babies can go on to breastfeed.

Keeping the door open for breastfeeding

If your baby is able to breastfeed well from the start, things tend to go more straightforwardly if you wait to introduce other feeding tools (like pumps or bottles) until breastfeeding is going smoothly and your milk supply is fully established. This usually takes around a month.

But there are many situations where babies need extra milk before this, because of a health problem or a feeding issue. Many babies who needed to use bottles, feeding tubes, or other tools have gone on to breastfeed happily, and your baby has a good chance of doing the same.

To set the scene for breastfeeding when your baby is ready, these principles may be helpful:

1. Keep your milk flowing
2. Keep your baby fed
3. Keep your baby close

We call them the “Three Keeps”. These simple priorities help protect the possibility of breastfeeding while your baby grows, recovers, or overcomes whatever is making breastfeeding difficult.

You can read more in our article Getting Breastfeeding on Track After a Difficult Start.

Choosing and using feeding tools

Bottles are a very convenient and widely accepted way to give milk when a baby can’t yet breastfeed, or needs extra. When used carefully, and in response to your baby’s cues, bottles can support breastfeeding rather than compete with it.

There is some evidence that, especially for premature babies, it may be helpful to give milk by cup or tube rather than bottle, while you wait for your baby to be ready to breastfeed. (2) Talk to your baby’s medical team if you’d like to explore the options.

If your baby can latch on at the breast but seems frustrated, or quickly falls asleep before getting enough milk, you might consider using a nursing supplementer. This enables your baby to drink extra milk – either expressed milk or formula – while they breastfeed, through a small tube placed next to your nipple.

If you’re feeling pressure to introduce bottles now because you’ll be going back to work in a few months, it may be reassuring to know that many breastfed babies never use one – they go straight on to a cup.

See our article Bottles and other tools for more information about choosing and using feeding tools. 

Extra considerations – flat or inverted nipples

Some experts suggest that babies who get used to the feel of a firm silicone teat may find it harder to recognise and latch onto flat or inverted nipples. In this situation, it may be particularly helpful to avoid bottles and dummies until your baby is nursing well. Extra milk can be given some other way. (3)

You can find more information in our article on flat or inverted nipples.

Comforting your baby – how about dummies?

Breastfeeding gives babies much more than just milk. Babies love to suck, and the rhythmic action of nursing is calming as well as nourishing. They seek the breast, and the comfort of your body, when they need reassurance, pain relief, warmth, sleep, and soothing.

If your baby isn’t breastfeeding yet, it’s important to find other ways to meet their need for comfort, such as:

• holding your baby skin to skin
• keeping them close in a sling or soft carrier (sometimes called “babywearing”)
• offering the breast for comfort – even if your baby can’t take much or any milk

Some families find a dummy helpful if their baby can’t nurse at all, or in situations where it’s otherwise hard to comfort their baby, such as:

• in a car seat
• in an incubator
• during a medical procedure

While the evidence that dummy use interferes with breastfeeding is not strong (4), while you’re working towards breastfeeding you might want to limit dummy use, for example, only using the dummy for sleep. A baby who doesn’t have easy access to something else to suck on might be more likely to seek the breast for comfort. Dentists, orthodontists, and speech therapists may advise against overuse of dummies. (5, 6, 7) 

For information about dummies and sleep safety, see BASIS online.

Making the breast a happy place

A dummy is a substitute for one of the things your baby expects from the breast – soothing and comfort. You can set the scene for breastfeeding by helping your baby associate your body with calm, comfort, satisfaction, and sleep. Hold your baby skin to skin as much as possible, including during and after feeding, however you are doing it. A full baby who is relaxed in your arms is often more willing to explore the breast than a hungry baby who is struggling to get milk.

You can find lots more ideas to help your baby move towards breastfeeding in our articles  Getting Breastfeeding on Track After a Difficult Start and My Baby Won’t Breastfeed. 

As long as you’re looking after your milk supply – expressing your milk to bring in plenty for your baby – you’ve got plenty of time to work towards breastfeeding. Midwives, health visitors, and breastfeeding helpers such as La Leche League Leaders can support you, however long it takes.

Did introducing a bottle or dummy cause problems for breastfeeding?

Maybe you’ve been breastfeeding for a while before introducing a bottle or dummy. Occasionally, parents report that breastfeeding issues seem to start after introducing them. Can bottles or dummies really derail breastfeeding?

If you’re concerned about this, here are some scenarios to consider.

You introduced a bottle or dummy to try and solve a breastfeeding problem

Maybe you had sore nipples, or your baby never seemed satisfied after breastfeeding. Or perhaps you were concerned because your baby was breastfeeding so often. The problem wasn’t caused by the bottle or dummy – it was already there, and you were trying to fix it.

Most breastfeeding problems have breastfeeding solutions. If you’d like to work on comfortable breastfeeding, milk supply, or any other breastfeeding issue, reach out to a breastfeeding supporter such as a La Leche League Leader.

You introduced a bottle or dummy to try and solve another problem

Breastfeeding provides comfort, calming, and pain relief, as well as milk. While it’s normal for young babies to breastfeed frequently, babies may ask to nurse with even greater intensity for reasons such as:

• reflux or other discomfort
• developmental leap or ‘growth spurt’
• sensitive temperament

Very frequent breastfeeding can feel overwhelming, especially if you have many other commitments or don’t have much support. Sometimes parents introduce a bottle or dummy to reduce the intensity of breastfeeding. If you feel it’s not helping, or might be interfering with breastfeeding, we’re here to help. 

One strategy that many families find useful is to “wear” their baby in a sling or soft carrier. This meets the baby’s need for closeness and contact while you get on with other things you need to do – and it doesn’t always have to be you who carries your baby.

If your baby often seems very unhappy, it might also be helpful to have them checked by a healthcare professional, to see if there is any cause of discomfort that could be treated. 

You can find more ideas in our article The Unhappy Breastfed Baby.

You might find it helpful to attend a La Leche League meeting, to hear about how other families have handled similar challenges. 

You ended up using the bottle or dummy more than you intended

This is easily done, especially if you’re rushing around doing other things. Some parents lose confidence that their baby can get enough milk at the breast if they’ve become used to feeding a large amount by bottle. This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as less breastfeeding may result in reduced milk supply and an unsatisfied baby.  It’s often possible to turn this situation around with more frequent breastfeeding – see “How can I encourage my baby to breastfeed again?”, below.

The issue is the age and stage of your baby, rather than the bottle or dummy

 Babies’ passion for breastfeeding waxes and wanes, depending what else is going on for them. There may be stages where they breastfeed like it’s going out of fashion – and other times when they nurse just enough to get by. This is a normal part of a baby’s development, and rarely means that they are about to stop breastfeeding altogether.

After the first month, for example, some babies start to reduce the amount of time they spend breastfeeding. (8) They might feed fewer times, have shorter feeds, or both. This can come as a surprise after the intensity of the newborn period. If you try to make them nurse more than they want to, you may end up with a frustrated baby. As long as your baby continues to grow well, you can be confident they are getting as much milk as they need, even if they seem to take it in no time flat!

You can read more about breastfeeding at different ages and stages in the next section.

Why has my older baby or toddler lost interest in breastfeeding?

Older babies and young toddlers sometimes seem like they’re losing interest in nursing, or may even actively resist it. This is especially common around 3-5 months, 8-10 months and 18 months, though it can happen at other times, too. 

• It may be a developmental phase — your baby may be so absorbed in the world around them that they’re too busy to focus on feeding. Their enthusiasm for breastfeeding returns within a couple of weeks. Our article What Happens at Four Months? has ideas that may help. 
• Sometimes pain, illness, or an unpleasant experience at the breast (such as an accidental bite) can lead to a temporary refusal to breastfeed. Our article on Nursing Strikes has more information. 
• Or maybe the breast has become less rewarding because of a dwindling milk supply or some other factor. You can find ideas below on how to turn this situation around.

Given the opportunity, most children will breastfeed for at least a year or two. With some detective work and creativity, it’s usually possible to get your breastfeeding relationship back on track. 

Here are some common challenges that can arise when breastfeeding an older baby or toddler.

Reduced milk production

Your milk supply naturally begins to adjust once your baby starts eating or drinking anything other than your milk. This is part of the weaning process, as your baby gradually replaces calories from milk with other foods.

The system is usually flexible: if your baby is unwell, for example, they may eat less and nurse more for a few days, which can temporarily boost milk production.

Sometimes, though, the reduction in supply is faster than the baby can handle. They may act frustrated, pulling and fussing at the breast, and seeming to prefer a bottle or cup. 

Common reasons include: 

• Your period returning. You may notice a temporary supply dip for a few days in each cycle. Some mothers find that mineral supplements can help even things out. (9, 10) Or you could offer your baby a drink or snack before or after breastfeeding on those days, until your supply rebounds.
• Some medications, including hormonal contraception. Progesterone-only contraception is often prescribed for nursing mothers, and works well for many. But a few find that it seems to reduce milk production. If this is the case for you, you can be reassured that milk supply usually rebounds once you stop taking the hormone. This may mean stopping the ‘mini-pill’, or removing a coil or contraceptive implant, and replacing it with a non-hormonal method of contraception for the time being. (11, 12) Some over-the-counter decongestants can also reduce milk production. (13)
• A new pregnancy. Once the hormones of pregnancy take over, the nursing child no longer regulates milk production by how much milk they take. Some mothers continue making plenty of milk throughout pregnancy, but many notice a significant reduction, or even stop producing milk entirely. Some babies and toddlers are happy to carry on nursing, regardless, while others choose to wean. You can read more about nursing during (and beyond) pregnancy in our article Pregnant and Breastfeeding.
• Scheduled or restricted feeds, for example after returning to work. Make the most of your time with your baby, to keep your supply strong. There is no need to reduce feeds in advance of going back to work, unless you want to. Once you’re back at work, nurse as often as you can whenever you’re with your baby. You don’t need to wait for them to ask. You can read more in our article Working and Breastfeeding.

How can I encourage my baby to breastfeed?

There are lots of things you can do to make breastfeeding easier and more appealing to your baby. The aim is not to persuade your baby to breastfeed, but to reduce any barriers that may be getting in the way. Here are a few ideas. A La Leche League Leader may be able to suggest others tailored to your situation.

Put the fun back into breastfeeding

If nursing has become just ‘business’, your baby may look like they’re losing interest once they have fun new food toys like bottles, cups, spoons, and even their own hands to play with. If you can, make breastfeeding playful:

• Chat, make faces, sing songs
• Leave your phone aside, if possible
• Blow raspberries or pretend to nibble on your baby’s hands and feet
• Give your baby something to explore with their hands while they nurse, such as a robust necklace, piece of fabric, or small toy
• Pick a new location: a different chair, in bed, in the bath 
• Try some different breastfeeding positions. Babies just beyond the newborn stage might appreciate sitting up instead of lying down, for a more interesting view of the world. Older babies and toddlers can nurse sitting next to you, standing in front of you – even upside down over your shoulder! 

Give your milk supply a boost

You might like to try a ‘babymoon’ – a couple of days at home with your baby, perhaps over a weekend, focusing on nursing and relaxing together. This is often enough to turn around a milk supply that has recently started to falter. If you’re away from your baby for long periods, to keep your milk production in the ‘satisfaction zone’ you might need to express more often, or start again if you’d recently stopped. 

You can find more information in our article How to Increase Your Milk Supply. 

Making space for breastfeeding

If you’re feeling that a bottle or dummy is competing with breastfeeding, you might want to reduce or even stop using it. Babies love to suck (some more than others), and if their sucking need is satisfied in another way, that may be enough to discourage some babies from breastfeeding. 

You might switch to a slower-flow teat and pace a bottle-feed carefully, so your baby isn’t fed too fast. Or you could consider using a different method, such as a nursing supplementer or cup.  It’s never safe to suddenly stop giving extra milk, if your baby needs it.

A dummy could be reserved for sleep, or kept in the car for use only while driving.

Get breastfeeding help 

Most breastfeeding problems are fixable – you’d be warmly welcome at a La Leche League meeting to troubleshoot any difficulties and hear how other mothers have resolved theirs. Being around other breastfeeding babies and children is sometimes enough to encourage a reluctant older baby or toddler to give it another try.

With time and patience, many babies or young toddlers who stop breastfeeding temporarily will return to it. 

Whatever your situation, LLL Leaders are here to listen and support you.

Written by Karen Butler, Sue Upstone, Bronwyn Davies and mothers of La Leche League Great Britain

Updated by Jayne Joyce, June 2026

Further reading

Getting started

Choosing and using feeding tools

Keeping your milk production going

Older babies

Other resources

References

1. Breastfeeding Answers: A Guide for Helping Families, by Nancy Mohrbacher, 2020, p.102.

2. Collins, Carmel T et al. “Avoidance of bottles during the establishment of breast feeds in preterm infants.” The Cochrane database of systematic reviews vol. 10,10 CD005252. 19 Oct. 2016, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005252.pub4

Available at https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005252.pub5/full (accessed 3 June 2026)

3. The Breastfeeding Atlas, 6th edition, by Barbara Wilson-Clay and Kay Hoover (LactNews Press, 2017) p. 47.

4. Jaafar, Sharifah Halimah et al. “Effect of restricted pacifier use in breastfeeding term infants for increasing duration of breastfeeding.” The Cochrane database of systematic reviews vol. 2016,8 CD007202. 30 Aug. 2016, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007202.pub4

Available at https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007202.pub4/full (accessed 3 June 2026)

5. https://www.communitydentalservices.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Dummys-Thumb-sucking-teething-tips.pdf (accessed 3 June 2026)

6. https://bos.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/British-Orthodontic-Society-DigitsMarch2019.pdf

7. Strutt, Charlie et al. “Does the duration and frequency of dummy (pacifier) use affect the development of speech?.” International journal of language & communication disorders vol. 56,3 (2021): 512-527. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12605

Available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1460-6984.12605 (accessed 3 June 2026)

8. Kent, Jacqueline C et al. “Longitudinal changes in breastfeeding patterns from 1 to 6 months of lactation.” Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine vol. 8,4 (2013): 401-7. doi:10.1089/bfm.2012.0141

Available at https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/longitudinal-changes-in-breastfeeding-patterns-from-1-to-6-months/ (accessed 3 June 2026)

9. https://www.lllc.ca/menstruation-and-ovulation-impact-milk-production

10. physicianguidetobreastfeeding.org/postpartum/period-while-breastfeeding/

11. https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/birth-control/

12. https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/contraception/

13. https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/decongestants/

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