Baby won't take a bottle

[jessesgirl1023]

Hi, I've been breastfeeding for 7 1/2 months now and my baby won't take the bottle at all. I went back to work when he was three months and he's so stubborn he won't take a bottle at night and waits for me to get home to eat. I have to switch shifts from night to day in a month so he has to learn to take the bottle. I thought maybe if we gave him formula in the bottle and breast milk while I'm home but we discovered he is not budging. It looks like he doesn't even like breast milk in a bottle...he makes a funny face. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[sahmandlovnit]

My second DS did this also. I am SAHM, but church was a bear. One Sunday and lady tried a different holding position and that worked. She had him laying in her lap with her hand holding his head and he was looking at her. He was probably a little younger then your baby, but not much. Don't ask me why but it did the job. If that position doesn't work try another one.

Good luck!

[mommyof2sons]

Have you tried a sippie/transition cup. My baby would rather have that than a bottle

[madelsmama]

This is soooo common, momma. Many babies refuse bottles or eat very little during the day, only to reverse cycle and eat more at night when they're with mom. My 6 month old drinks maybe 4oz during the day while I'm at work. My first one was the same way.

[jessesgirl1023]

He kind of takes the sippy but not well enough to get enough milk for the time he will be away from me. We tried all kinds of nipples but nothing worked. I'm gonna try that feeding position.... I'll let you know. Thanks!

[lillybugandmasontoo]

My son is 9 months and never really took to the bottle... he will take a soft top sippy cup.. Gerber has a good one. When he has to take a bottle the only way he will drink from it is if he holds it himself.

[jessesgirl1023]

I was watching my son put everything in front of him in his mouth and thought, "I wish he would do that with a bottle!." The little light bulb went off and I went to get him the only remaining bottle I had left in the house. To my surprise he looked at it for a while and played with it. Then he put it in his mouth! At first he would only take water but one day when I was napping my husband tried breastmilk and he took 2 oz. I'm not sure how many oz.s he should be drinking but it was an exciting start!

[cld217]

Hello! I'm new to this site and am so happy to find it! I've been reading the posts in this thread and hope someone can offer some suggestions.
My baby girl is almost 8 weeks old and I'll be returning to work in less than 5 weeks. I've been trying to get her to take a bottle so she can eat while I'm at work. I've tried 5 different nipples, breastmilk and formula and she absolutely refuses to take a bottle. Naturally, this is really stressful as I dont want her to be hungry while I'm gone during the day. I cant even get her to take a pacifier. I've read, and tried, all the "expert advice" and nothing has worked. My husband has tried to give her a bottle, i've tried, warmed the nipple, tried 5 different nipples, breastmilk, formula, being out of the room while my husband tries, trying different positions, etc. The only thing I havent tried so far is cup feeding.
Does anyone have any suggestions or tips that worked for them? I would appreciate any input!

[KaraJ]

How heavy is your baby? I know this sounds terrible, but maybe you should let her go hungry for awhile to see if she'd change her mind? I'd search the internet for some ideas, or talk to your pediatrician. I'm not speaking from experience though, my babies always loved their bottles.

[cld217]

she was 8lbs 13oz at her 4 week checkup; im guessing she is about 10lbs now. I was thinking about doing just that, not nursing her so she hopefully gets hungry enough to take it. i'm definitely going to ask her doctor next week. thanks for your suggestion!
I have a 9 year old son that had no problem taking a bottle and nursing. he took to it right away with no problem. i guess girls are just more difficult. ;)

[KaraJ]

*grins* Yeah, my daughter was so fussy! Except she wouldn't nurse at all! Nathaniel doesn't care where the food comes from, as long is it comes!

[CHIQUE220]

I have this exact same problem.....his grandmother tried once...he eventually ate. I have to go back to work in a couple weeks though. I have "second Nature" bottles from Babies r us. They have several holes in the nipple so they are more like a breast...the baby controls the flow and they use the same ones from birth up. You could try those if qyou haven't yet. Babies rus is the only place I have seen them though.....

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2582579

[Jacksmommy]

Some babies just don't like bottles. You keep trying, but really they'll probably just nurse more when they get to be with you. Nurse as much as you can when you're together. That will help keep them from being too miserable.

[jessesgirl1023]

I understand your urgency. I still haven't really gotten my son to take any other kind of bottle or sippy. But like they said if they get hungry enough they will take anything. Mine is willing to hold out longer than I am and I realize I'm probably making it worse by giving in but I can't stand to hear him cry. Maybe we need to toughen up and leave the house for a whole day to make them take a bottle?

[KaraJ]

It would just depend of how stubborn the two of you are. Jessesgirl, that might work, but I'd be the same way. i hate hearing my babies cry. But nither have any problems with taking bottles. I sometimes wonder that if one wants their baby to take a bottle, they need to introduce it within month two. I really have no idea though. It probably depends on the baby.

[debkit]

My granddaughter refuses to take a bottle or sippy cup and cries so much at day care possibly because she is hungry. My daughter who is studying nursing is really concerned the daycare will ask her
to take my granddaughter out and she will not be able to finish her course.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My daughter is a single mom, lives with us but is so worried about the daycare situation.

Someone pleaseeeee help.

Thanks

[madelsmama]

My granddaughter refuses to take a bottle or sippy cup and cries so much at day care possibly because she is hungry. My daughter who is studying nursing is really concerned the daycare will ask her
to take my granddaughter out and she will not be able to finish her course.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My daughter is a single mom, lives with us but is so worried about the daycare situation.

Someone pleaseeeee help.

Thanks
Some babies just will not take a bottle. We have had the most success with a Platex naturalatch latex nipple, but it's hit or miss.

Somethings to try are to make sure that the milk is warm enough and try giving the bottle in a non-nursing position. My first baby would only take her bottle when sitting in her infant car seat.

Here are some alternatives to the bottle: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html

[LaLaz_mOmmy]

my dd is almost 5 mos old now and she STILL wont take a bottle.. she does eat cereal with a spoon and bowl though and she is more willing to try drinking from a cup i think its so wierd that my baby would skip a bottle and go right to food.... ??

[Shaunsmom]

Our DD does not take a bottle. She is almost 7 months old and has been in daycare 3 days a week since the beginning of November. We tried so many different bottles (Dr. Brown's, Avent, Breastflow, Gerber premium feeding system, Medela). I was stressing everyday that I was at work that she wasn't getting enough.

She flat out refused the bottle from about 4 weeks old.

When she was about 4 months old, I got a plain sippy cup...the spill kind. She eventually began to take an ounce or two from that while I am at work. I go nurse her everyday for my lunch. I joke and say she owns my boobies for lunch as long as she's nursing as a primary meal:)

About a month ago, we transitioned to a new sippy cup, the Avent Magic trainer cup. It has a soft sip spout and you can make the cup either a spill proof one or plain. That one is going pretty good.

I know the teachers at daycare have concern that she is not "eating enough". I just smile and explain that she will wait for me most of the time...she prefers to be stubborn and not accept any artificial nipple or sippy at this point. I'm done trying to find the perfect bottle and/or nipple. She was old enough at four months to sippy cup train. As weird as it might sound, it worked better than the bottle.

They are instructed to offer an ounce per hour while she's awake. More often than not, she will flat out refuse the milk. As long as her weight gain is great and her output is normal, I'm not stressing myself out over it anymore:) It's hard to deal with a baby that only wants the real thing sometimes.

[mfirst]

DS1 never took a bottle - I did get him to take a sippy cup with a straw starting at six months. Before that, his DCP had to either spoon feed or use a cup and gently give him little sips. DS2 likes the Avent magic traning cups. He used to take a bottle occassionally, but once he hit four months, he started holding out until I got home and then would have a frantic nursing session (I have only left him for 3 hours, tops).

[ibchick02]

I posted this on another thread here is my advice...Def. try this bottle!

DS refuses to take the bottle and we give it to him once a day so its not like he is "bottle fed" but what has worked for us and trust me we spent $$$$$$$$ on nipples and bottles, but the First Years BreastFlow bottle nursers, we did try the Adiri bottle and had a little luck then he just refused it, but with the BreastFlow I am actually impressed at how the bottle feels, its like latching onto a breast it is not a hard plastic but very very soft where DS can actually latch on and it compresses you have to see it to know what I am talking about, but so far he takes it...reluctently but he takes it...DH has to feed him because he wont take it from me, he did once but I didnt want to confuse him. Check out the above bottles but I highly recommend the BreastFlow bottles, coming from a mom who was pulling her hair out when we started to pulling it out less it has worked so far for us.

I forgot to say we cant give up because eventually he will be bottle fed and we need him to take it so we make sure we keep trying even when he screams, we wait till he calms and wants to nurse and we introduce it again, he usually gives in and takes it after 5 minutes but there are times where I just want to give him the boob again because it is jsut easier!!