Ready to Stop Using a Nipple Shield? Here’s What To Try

Nipple shields can be incredibly useful when you need them. But once feeding is going well, you might start wondering how on earth you're supposed to get your baby to breastfeed without one.

For some babies, weaning from a nipple shield is surprisingly easy. One day you offer the breast without it and they latch as though they've been doing it forever.

For others? Not so much.

If your baby acts personally offended every time you try to remove their nipple shield, you're definitely not alone.

The good news is that you don't need to force it, and you don't need to get rid of it in one go.

First, think about why you started using a nipple shield

This is probably the most important part of weaning from one.

Nipple shields are used for lots of different reasons. You might have started using one because:

• your baby was premature or small and struggled to maintain their latch
• your baby had difficulty attaching to the breast
• you had very full or engorged breasts
• you have flat or inverted nipples
• breastfeeding was painful or your nipples were damaged
• your baby became used to the firmer shape of a bottle teat
• someone suggested one in the early days to help get breastfeeding established

Why does this matter?

Because sometimes the original problem has simply resolved.

A premature baby who struggled to stay attached at 35 weeks may be much stronger and more coordinated a few weeks later. Engorgement settles. Nipples change. Babies grow, their mouths get bigger and feeding skills develop.

But sometimes the reason your baby needed the shield is still there.

If you've tried repeatedly to feed without a nipple shield and your baby genuinely can't maintain their latch, feeding becomes painful, or milk transfer seems much worse without it, it's worth looking at why rather than simply trying harder to remove the shield.

When should you try weaning from a nipple shield?

There isn't one particular age or week when you need to start.

If breastfeeding has become more established and your baby is feeding well, you can simply start experimenting with some feeds without it.

And I really do mean experimenting.

You don't need to decide, "Right, no more nipple shield from today."

For most families, a gradual transition is much less stressful.

Your baby might manage one feed without it today, need it for every feed tomorrow and then suddenly start refusing the shield altogether next week.

That's okay.

Try feeding without the nipple shield overnight

This is one of my favourite things to try.

Babies often feed much more instinctively when they're sleepy. They're usually less distracted, less impatient and sometimes much more accepting of something being slightly different.

Try offering the breast without the nipple shield during an overnight feed, an early morning feed or when your baby is just waking from a sleep.

You might be surprised.

And I definitely wouldn't make your first attempt when your baby is overtired, starving and furious at 5 pm. Nobody needs that.

Start the feed with the shield, then remove it

You don't have to convince your baby to start a feed without their nipple shield.

Put the shield on and feed as usual.

Once your baby is settled and actively drinking, break their latch and quickly remove the shield. Then offer the breast again straight away.

This can work particularly well once your milk is already flowing.

Your baby has gone from hungry and waiting for milk to calm, feeding and getting an immediate reward when they latch again.

If they latch without it, great.

If they don't? Put the shield back on and finish the feed.

You can try again another time.

Try before your baby gets really hungry

Trying to change the way your baby feeds when they're already desperately hungry is making life unnecessarily difficult for both of you.

Look for those earlier feeding cues and try then.

You can also try after your baby has already had a little milk, when they're interested in feeding but aren't frantic about it.

The aim is to give them opportunities to practise feeding without the nipple shield without turning the breast into somewhere they regularly become frustrated.

Get some milk flowing first

Your baby may be used to attaching to their nipple shield and quickly getting milk.

When you offer your bare breast, hand expressing for a moment first can help.

Express until you have a few drops of milk on your nipple and then offer the breast.

You can also use gentle breast compressions once your baby attaches to encourage milk flow and keep them interested.

Try a different breastfeeding position

A position that works beautifully with a nipple shield isn't necessarily the easiest position for your baby without one.

Play around.

Some babies do better when you can give them a little more support and control while they're figuring it out. Others latch beautifully in a laid-back position where they can use more of their own feeding reflexes.

Small changes to how your baby approaches the breast can make a surprisingly big difference.

Try switching to a cherry-shaped nipple shield

This is one of my favourite stepping stones for babies who are very attached to their traditional nipple shield.

Cherry-shaped nipple shields are shaped quite differently from the traditional shields with a wide silicone base.

They allow more of your baby's face to have direct contact with your breast while still giving them that firmer silicone nipple they're familiar with.

For some babies, changing to a cherry-shaped nipple shield first makes the eventual transition to feeding directly at the breast much easier.

It doesn't mean you need to buy another nipple shield just to wean from one. But if you've been trying for a while and your baby won't entertain feeding without their shield, it can be worth trying.

Don't spend the whole feed taking it on and off

Give it a go.

If your baby latches, brilliant.

If they try but can't quite manage it, you might give them another opportunity.

If they're getting increasingly frustrated and screaming at your nipple while you desperately try to convince them that it's actually the same breast they've been feeding from for the last six weeks... put the shield back on.

Try again later.

Repeatedly removing the nipple shield during every feed can quickly turn something you're both doing quite happily into a battle.

You have time.

Weaning from a nipple shield can take time

Some babies stop using nipple shields within days.

For others, it's a gradual process over several weeks.

You might start with one successful feed without it. Then an overnight feed. Then a couple during the day.

Eventually you realise you haven't used the shield all day.

There's no requirement for the process to be linear either. Babies are allowed to have days where they want it again.

Teething, illness, tiredness or simply having a bad day can temporarily make them want to go back to what's familiar.

That doesn't mean you've gone backwards.

What if my baby won't wean from the nipple shield?

If you've been trying for a while and your baby simply cannot feed effectively without their nipple shield, I'd want to know why.

There's a difference between a baby who prefers their nipple shield and a baby who genuinely struggles to feed without it.

This is where an IBCLC can watch your baby feed both with and without the shield and look at attachment, positioning, milk transfer and what actually changes when the shield is removed.

Sometimes a small adjustment makes a big difference. Sometimes your baby just needs more time.

And sometimes the nipple shield is still doing a job.

What if we never stop using it?

Ideally, if your baby can feed comfortably and effectively without a nipple shield, it's nice to eventually leave it behind.

No more washing it. No more trying to find the bloody thing at 2 am. No more checking you've packed one every time you leave the house.

But I also don't want nipple shield weaning to become another thing you're told you have to achieve.

If you've tried, your baby feeds better with it and using a nipple shield is what keeps breastfeeding working for you, use the nipple shield.

I'd much rather see someone happily breastfeeding with a nipple shield than stopping breastfeeding because every feed became a battle trying to get rid of it.

Keep offering opportunities to feed without it when it feels right. Babies grow. Feeding changes. What doesn't work this week may suddenly be incredibly easy a few weeks from now.

You've got this. 

-Michelle Oliver, IBCLC