Paced Bottle Feeding: A Gentle Way to Feed Your Breastfed Baby

If you're breastfeeding and starting to offer bottles—whether you're heading back to work, needing a break, or just want a little flexibility—you might be wondering how to make sure your baby takes the bottle without giving up the breast.

Enter: paced bottle feeding.

This gentle, baby-led feeding method mimics breastfeeding and helps babies stay in control of their feedings. It supports smoother transitions between breast and bottle and can help avoid common struggles like overfeeding or flow preference (when babies start preferring the fast flow of a bottle over the slower, more effortful work of breastfeeding).

It’s not complicated—just a few simple shifts that can make a big difference.

What is Paced Bottle Feeding?

Instead of tipping the bottle up and letting milk pour in (which can overwhelm baby and cause them to gulp, swallow air, or finish way too quickly), you keep the bottle more horizontal so baby has to actively suck to get milk.

This makes bottle feeding feel more like breastfeeding. It slows things down and gives baby more control—because at the breast, they’re setting the pace, not the flow of milk.

How Do You Actually Do It?

There are two great positions to try:
– Baby sitting upright in your arms
– Baby side-lying with their head supported

From there, bring the bottle nipple to their lips and let baby draw it in rather than pushing it into their mouth. This little pause makes a difference—it respects their pace and encourages a wide latch.

Make sure their lips are flanged and their tongue is cupped around the nipple. It can help to let them suck for a moment before the milk starts to flow, just like they would at the breast when waiting for letdown.

The feeding itself should take around 15–20 minutes (give or take, depending on how much milk is in the bottle). If it feels rushed or baby is guzzling, you may need a slower flow nipple or to check the positioning.

Here is what we want to see:

The first image shows a position that might be harder for baby to use the bottle, but the second show that they are more upright and has cheek support. 

How Do You Know It’s Going Well?

Your baby should look relaxed. No clenched fists, no furrowed brow, and no milk leaking everywhere. You’ll hear a steady suck-swallow rhythm, and they should be able to take breaks on their own.

Paced feeding should feel calm—not messy, frantic, or overly fast.

When Things Feel Off

If your baby seems stressed, gags or chokes, makes a clicking sound, finishes the bottle in two minutes flat (or takes an hour), or seems super gassy and fussy afterward—those are all signs something might need adjusting.

Sometimes it’s the bottle. Sometimes it’s the flange shape. Sometimes there’s an oral function issue like a tongue tie making bottle feeds tricky.

If any of this feels familiar—or if you’re dealing with bottle refusal—reach out. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

💛 Book a virtual or in-person consult and we’ll walk through it together—from bottle choice to positioning to latch and flow.

👉 Click here to schedule your consult

You're doing amazing. And with just a few tweaks, bottle feeding can feel a whole lot smoother—for both of you. 💛