#asktheexpert I am a father of a 2-week-old baby girl. Currently, she has difficulty feeding directly because of her mother's small nipples, so we are using a nipple shield. Will she continue to need the shield for feeding until she’s one year old, or is it possible for her to start feeding directly? We would prefer if she could feed without the shield or a spoon. What can we do to help her transition to direct feeding?