Part 1: Teach Your Baby to Open Wide Before Feeding | Use Natural Reflexes for a Better Latch

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Vijaya Hunt

Shared July 31, 2025

Struggling to get your baby to open their mouth wide before feeding? Whether you’re bottle feeding, breastfeeding, or doing both — this simple technique taps into your baby’s natural reflexes to support a better latch. 👶 As a midwife, IBCLC, and mum of two, I’ll show you exactly how to use your baby's primitive gape reflex to encourage a wide open mouth before the teat or nipple is offered. This protects their latch, supports oral development, and helps prevent nipple confusion or shallow latching. ✅ Perfect for: Combo feeding (bottle + breast) Babies learning to suck Supporting a smooth transition back to breastfeeding 🧠 What you’ll learn: How to gently stimulate baby’s lips and chin to trigger the gape reflex Why a wide mouth is essential for effective bottle or breast latching How to protect your breastfeeding journey even when bottles are necessary 🎥 Watch how the smallest tweaks can make the biggest difference in your feeding journey. 👇 COMMENT below: Did your baby latch better after trying this? What helped your baby open wide? 🔔 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE & SHARE this with a fellow mum navigating bottle and breast! #LatchTips #BottleFeedingTips #BreastfeedingSupport #BabyLatch #breastfeedingtips #bottlefeeding #bottlefeedbaby #PrimitiveReflexes #NippleConfusion #ComboFeeding #IBCLC #BreastRefusal #FeedingTips #NewbornFeeding #BreastfeedingJourney