Laura Bottiglieri

Bottle aversion is rarely a simple problem of a baby refusing the bottle. For many families, it is the visible end point of a much more complicated feeding journey. By the time bottle aversion becomes established, feeding may already have been difficult for weeks or months. There may have been reflux, allergy, pain, unsettled feeding, oral-motor difficulty, tongue function concerns, prematurity, respiratory effort, early medical intervention, poor coordination, effortful feeds, exhaustion,...

Why dream feeding so often appears to work Dream feeding is shockingly frequently suggested when a baby feeds more easily in drowsy or sleeping states than when awake. Parents are often told this is a gentle solution, a way to increase intake without distress, or a temporary bridge until feeding improves. When milk is taken more calmly during sleep, it can feel like reassurance that feeding is still possible. What dream feeding actually reveals is something much more important. It shows that...

Bottle aversion is a process , not a moment When a baby develops bottle aversion, it rarely begins with refusal. What parents usually experience as a sudden change is almost always the point at which something that has been building beneath the surface finally becomes visible. Bottle aversion reflects your baby’s accumulated experience of feeding and how that experience has been processed by their body and nervous system over time. Your baby is not responding to a single feed....