Very! But only if all other causes of feeding refusal and fussy feeding behavior have been either ruled out or remedied before starting the program. And only if the parent strictly follows my feeding rules and recommendations, which took Rowena over 10 years to refine. 

Based on over 3000 cases where Rowena provided bottle-feeding aversion consultations—which helped the parents to rule out other potential causes and clarify their understanding of the feeding rules, the success rate was around 95%. Of those who did not succeed, most admitted that high anxiety levels prevented them from following Rowena's feeding rules and recommendations.

In theory, I would say all normal healthy babies can enjoy feeding and eating. However, the source of the baby's fear needs to be identified and removed. Plus, the parents need to take the lead to make the experience of feeding and eating pleasurable for their baby. 

It’s not the baby who is incapable of getting over his fear of bottle-feeding, rather it’s the parents who find they are either unable to change their mindset that they are responsible for controlling how much their baby eats, or who are prevented from making the necessary changes to their infant feeding practices because of high anxiety levels triggered by the expected initial drop in their baby’s milk intake.

On average, feeding aversions in babies take about two weeks to resolve as they gradually adjust to a more comfortable feeding experience. While progress may vary from baby to baby, by consistently following the program, parents should begin to see noticeable improvements within the first three days. It is largely dependent on how consistently you stick to the rules, how long a baby has had a feeding aversion, temperament of a baby, as well as other factors.

Conditions that cause babies pain while feeding, such as acid reflux, milk protein allergy, mouth ulcers, sore throat, do not solely affect feeding. The pain associated with these conditions will also cause a baby discomfort or pain between feeds. A baby experiencing discomfort or pain will fuss or cry without the parent’s constant attention to soothe. He may also have bouts of inconsolable crying (where he can’t be soothed) both during the day and the night. Pain would also make it hard for him to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The distress that feeding-averse babies display is typically assumed to be due to pain by parents and health professionals alike. However, upon further questioning, most parents of feeding-averse babies claim their baby is happy except when feeding, or that he sleeps well at night, or feeds well in a drowsy state or asleep or when distracted. Such behavior would not occur if a baby was suffering from pain because of a physical problem or medical condition.

If a baby has a structural problem, such as tongue-tie, cleft palate, or other physical feature that might make it hard for him to feed, or functional problem, which can occur as a result of neurological impairment or facial nerve damage caused by birth trauma, he could experience difficulties latching to the nipple, sucking effectively or safely swallowing. This would be evident from the first time he breast- or bottle-feeds. He would experience difficulties at all feeds.

A tongue-tie does not necessarily restrict tongue movement. Many babies, children, and adults have some degree of tongue-tie without it negatively impacting on feeding or speech development.

If your baby has a history of feeding well, or he feeds well at some feeds, or feeds well when in a drowsy state or while sleeping, or feeds well while distracted or entertained, or he drinks water from a bottle without a problem, then a tongue-tie or other sucking problem is highly unlikely to be responsible for the appearance of uncoordinated sucking when feeding while awake. In these instances, the impression that a baby is experiencing sucking difficulties could be conflicted feeding behavior which is commonly associated with a feeding aversion.

Rowena's feeding aversion program promotes baby-led feeding practices. Baby-led feeding practices are suitable for all healthy babies who are achieving all milestones expected for their stage of development, and who have the physical ability to safely feed from a bottle, regardless of whether they are averse to feeding or not.

The recommended infant feeding practices will not only fix a feeding aversion that has been caused or reinforced by being pressured to feed, but they will also prevent a healthy baby from developing an aversion for this reason because all pressure is removed.

We do not provide medical advice. If you believe your baby’s troubled behavior is due to a medical condition, we recommended that you discuss this with your baby’s doctor. However, be aware that a diagnosed medical condition will not spare your baby from experiencing one of many developmental and behavioral problems often responsible for distressed infant behavior, feeding and sleeping problems. So if medical professionals have been unable to provide solutions to your baby care dilemma, it might be that the cause is due to a developmental or behavioral reason, both of which are within our field of expertise.

Yes! The strategies outlined in Rowena Bennett' book'Your Baby's Bottle Feeding Aversion: Reasons and Solutions', and presented in the Bottle-Feeding Aversion Program, can be applied to all healthy babies, or babies whose medical conditions are stable. This includes babies who have diagnosed reflux, where their condition is controlled with medication.

The Bottle-Feeding Aversion Program is not suitable, in isolation, for babies who are tube fed. For this reason, we recommend a tube weaning consultation with one of our consultants.

We can provide guidance via our consultations if the reason your baby is tube-fed and whether he is physically capable of safely feeding from a bottle.

If your baby is not physically capable of safely and effectively feeding from a bottle, our tube weaning services will not be suitable.

If your baby has a history that demonstrated he is capable of feeding from a bottle, but he was originally tube-fed because of an undiagnosed feeding aversion deteriorating to the point where his health or growth had become compromised, then removing all pressure and responding appropriately to his feeding cues of acceptance and rejection could help to reduce his anxiety when offered the bottle. However, this may not be enough to get him back to the point of fully feeding orally.

If your baby doesn’t know how to feed from a bottle, perhaps because he has been fully tube-fed since birth, removing all pressure to feed might help to reduce any anxiety he might experience when offered a bottle. However, the chance of him learning to bottle-feed while his nutritional needs are fully met via the tube is low. More so, if his sucking reflex has disappeared, which occurs between three to four months of age. NOTE: The loss of a baby’s sucking reflex doesn’t mean he can’t learn to bottle-feed. 

A baby—feeding-averse or not—might not get to the point of accepting the bottle or willingly consuming good volumes of milk while his nutritional needs are met through tube feeding. Other strategies, specific for your individual baby’s case, would need to be employed in conjunction with my feeding aversion program.

The solution to successful tube weaning is seldom as simple as pulling the baby’s tube out. Pulling the tube out without professional guidance to resolve your baby’s feeding issues could compromise his health. (Baby Care Advice tube weaning consultations can help to successfully tube wean babies who are capable of feeding orally while the tube remains in place to provide nutritional support as required).

During the consultation, a unique tube weaning program will be developed for your baby which is specific to their age and weight, and which takes into account their feeding history in great detail. We do not support attempting a tube wean in the absence of specific, guided, professional support; this is with baby's safety in mind, as our consultants closely monitor their progress along the way. 

If your baby is being tube fed, we invite you to connect with a consultant below:
Consultations

Yes, absolutely. Neurologically healthy babies can learn to bottle-feed, even if they’ve never done so before. However, it’s important to understand that the causes of bottle refusal in breastfed babies differ from those of a feeding aversion. Identifying these causes is crucial to determining the best strategies for your baby’s transition to bottle feeding.

However, the process of introducing a bottle does come with some risks, such as the possibility of your baby developing a bottle-feeding preference. This could also impact breastfeeding with a risk of affecting milk supply.

Any illness can cause reduced appetite and increased risk of dehydration. Baby needs to be physically well to do the feeding aversion program.

The stretching exercises recommend after tongue-tie release involve placing your fingers into your baby’s mouth (usually without his permission) and lifting his tongue to open the wound and prevent the raw edges from re-adhering. Doing this would likely upset your baby and could reinforce his feeding aversion. Therefore, it would be better to wait until the stretching exercises are no longer required before starting the program.

Vaccinations are notorious for adversely affecting a baby's appetite for several days, resulting in a drop in his total daily milk intake.

Ideally, you would plan to have scheduled vaccinations at least 5 days before starting the program or after completing the program. If your baby is due for vaccinations during the program, discuss with his doctor whether it would be okay to postpone these until he is over his aversion. If not possible to delay, then proceed.

Having vaccinations during the program won’t stop your baby from getting over his feeding aversion. Just be prepared for a drop in his total daily milk intake and decline in behavioral ratings for three to five days and avoid pressuring him to eat.