Breastfed baby refuses bottle

Madelaine - posted on 05/14/2012

I know it sucks, but try formula. Sometimes breast milk in a bottle confuses babie

Bobbie - posted on 12/11/2008

Breastflol by the first years is great. Looks and mimics the breast so there's less chance of your baby refusing the bottle. Slower flow so you do not overfeed your baby. My daughter loves them.

Jill - posted on 12/09/2008

I had the worst time switching to a bottle after breast feeding. I had to go back to work when my daughter was 3 months. I asked the advice nurse. She said to have someone else stay with my baby and only offer the bottle. It took 8 hours and lots of tears, but my daughter, with my mom and sisters' help finally took the bottle, and has taken it ever since. Had I been there, I would have caved in and given her the breast. Now, I am able to nurse in the morning and when I come home from work, and she takes a bottle during the day. The bottle that finally worked was Nuk. However, she takes Nuk, Dr. Browns and Avent now.

Staci - posted on 12/09/2008

My daughter was fooled by the breastflow brand bottles...they let down like a breast with a fast flow at first, then a slower flow after - they actually have a nipple inside the nipple. The bait and switch method worked at 3 months too...just start with nursing on the breast then quickly switch the bottle in. My daughter was great with switching back and forth for a long time and then this past month I was home alot and she hasn't had a bottle...now at 5.5 months my baby refuses the bottle - I am at my whits end! I would encourage you to be diligent about making sure your baby gets a bottle regularly even if you are home and able to nurse - pump and feed with the bottle instead so they don't lose that ability to switch back and forth. Trying to get her back on a bottle now after a month without it is insanely difficult!

Donna - posted on 12/09/2008

My son is 6 months an I am in the same boat with him. Some babies just know what they want! The good news is that once they start taking solids feeds spread out even more and then you can try cup drinking. You can either persist with the bottle knowing that you can expect tears or decide to just skip the bottle entirely until bubs masters a cup....I understand the frustration you feel when your baby refuses the bottle. Good luck!

Bec - posted on 12/09/2008

I hear you! My first 2 bubs were bottle bubs now #3 is all for breast (which I LOVE) however my 3rd baby refuses the bottle. I get him to take 50mls each day for a week & then BAM nothing more for a month, frustrating because I need a minute to do stuff occasionally & breath alone! If you find the answer pls post it for the rest of us. :)

Heather - posted on 12/08/2008

I am in the same boat you are! He used to take a bottle and now he absolutely refuses, I've tried everything too-good luck!

Megan - posted on 12/08/2008

I know your frustration. A couple of weeks before I went back to work I started trying to feed my then 3 month old son a bottle since I'd be pumping at work and wanted to get him used to it. A couple of things that helped were to place him in an infant seat/bouncer instead of holding him. That way he didn't expect to nurse when being held. The other was to put your finger in his mouth and get him to suck on that and then slide the nipple of the bottle in with it. Sometimes he wouldn't eat very much, but then at the second feeding he would eat a lot. I knew he knew how to use the bottle, just didn't want it. Eventually it all worked out. Now he's a champion eater either breast or bottle. Just don't give up. It'll get easier.

Emily - posted on 12/08/2008

My first baby refused a bottle when we tried to introduce them at 4 months. It took a good week of both of us screaming before she accepted it... then she only accepted the bottle and refused to nurse. She was weaned by 5 months. My second and third have never had bottles and my third has never even had a pacifier. Sometimes it is tough to feel like you're missing out on things because you're stuck with the baby. I just got used to taking my babies everywhere with me. If I wanted a mom's night out, I leave my toddlers with daddy or another sitter and I take the baby with me. My baby is currently 11 months, and into solids and sippy cups enough that we can leave her for an hour or two. Then again... my husband likes to have our kids around. We planned a date night a while ago, with a sitter for all three of our kids... and at the last minute my husband insisted on taking the baby with us.



Next week my sister is having an adults only Christmas party at her home. The only problem is that she knows all my sitters and invited all of them to the party. Plus she lives an hour away. So, I'm not sure we'll be going because I don't really feel comfortable leaving my kids with a total stranger for 4-5 hours. It's sad to miss out on things like that sometimes, but my kids are worth it... and there's always next year.

Krista - posted on 12/08/2008

I feel your frustration. Two of my babies refused bottles and I couldn't be away from them for the first 9 months of life. I nursed them both to a year. They eventually start eating solids and taking some from a cup but it's frustrating till that time comes. I had to sacrifice my personal life for the first 9 - 12 months of their lives because my babies refused the bottle. But now they're 6 and 2 and looking back it seemed like such a small sacrifice in the sceme of things. Just hang in there. It does get better.

SooMee - posted on 12/08/2008

i bet it's not easy when your baby refuses a bottle...

i breastfed mine exclusively until she was about 6 months, which was when i started introducing her to other foods....

i remember my baby refused a bottle and when she did take it, she could not keep it in her stomach, especially when i feed her next...

eventually and now she'll drink out of the bottle even when i'm around...

i think the key is to keep trying even if your baby refuses the bottle...

trust me... your son will drink out of the bottle before he starves... maybe you should have a friend, someone not around your son all the time, to watch him for a few hours at a time...



bottle wise... b/c my daughter could not keep it all in after her first few tries with the Avent bottles, i got a Nuk bottle... for some odd reason, maybe the flow was just slightly slower, she never had issues keeping her milk in.

Now of course it doesn't matter the type or brand... she's good with it all...

just keep trying... and give your sone some time...

Bobbie - posted on 12/11/2008

Breastflol by the first years is great. Looks and mimics the breast so there's less chance of your baby refusing the bottle. Slower flow so you do not overfeed your baby. My daughter loves them.

Staci - posted on 12/09/2008

My daughter was fooled by the breastflow brand bottles...they let down like a breast with a fast flow at first, then a slower flow after - they actually have a nipple inside the nipple. The bait and switch method worked at 3 months too...just start with nursing on the breast then quickly switch the bottle in. My daughter was great with switching back and forth for a long time and then this past month I was home alot and she hasn't had a bottle...now at 5.5 months my baby refuses the bottle - I am at my whits end! I would encourage you to be diligent about making sure your baby gets a bottle regularly even if you are home and able to nurse - pump and feed with the bottle instead so they don't lose that ability to switch back and forth. Trying to get her back on a bottle now after a month without it is insanely difficult!

Donna - posted on 12/09/2008

My son is 6 months an I am in the same boat with him. Some babies just know what they want! The good news is that once they start taking solids feeds spread out even more and then you can try cup drinking. You can either persist with the bottle knowing that you can expect tears or decide to just skip the bottle entirely until bubs masters a cup....I understand the frustration you feel when your baby refuses the bottle. Good luck!

Bec - posted on 12/09/2008

I hear you! My first 2 bubs were bottle bubs now #3 is all for breast (which I LOVE) however my 3rd baby refuses the bottle. I get him to take 50mls each day for a week & then BAM nothing more for a month, frustrating because I need a minute to do stuff occasionally & breath alone! If you find the answer pls post it for the rest of us. :)

Emily - posted on 12/08/2008

My first baby refused a bottle when we tried to introduce them at 4 months. It took a good week of both of us screaming before she accepted it... then she only accepted the bottle and refused to nurse. She was weaned by 5 months. My second and third have never had bottles and my third has never even had a pacifier. Sometimes it is tough to feel like you're missing out on things because you're stuck with the baby. I just got used to taking my babies everywhere with me. If I wanted a mom's night out, I leave my toddlers with daddy or another sitter and I take the baby with me. My baby is currently 11 months, and into solids and sippy cups enough that we can leave her for an hour or two. Then again... my husband likes to have our kids around. We planned a date night a while ago, with a sitter for all three of our kids... and at the last minute my husband insisted on taking the baby with us.



Next week my sister is having an adults only Christmas party at her home. The only problem is that she knows all my sitters and invited all of them to the party. Plus she lives an hour away. So, I'm not sure we'll be going because I don't really feel comfortable leaving my kids with a total stranger for 4-5 hours. It's sad to miss out on things like that sometimes, but my kids are worth it... and there's always next year.

Krista - posted on 12/08/2008

I feel your frustration. Two of my babies refused bottles and I couldn't be away from them for the first 9 months of life. I nursed them both to a year. They eventually start eating solids and taking some from a cup but it's frustrating till that time comes. I had to sacrifice my personal life for the first 9 - 12 months of their lives because my babies refused the bottle. But now they're 6 and 2 and looking back it seemed like such a small sacrifice in the sceme of things. Just hang in there. It does get better.

SooMee - posted on 12/08/2008

i bet it's not easy when your baby refuses a bottle...

i breastfed mine exclusively until she was about 6 months, which was when i started introducing her to other foods....

i remember my baby refused a bottle and when she did take it, she could not keep it in her stomach, especially when i feed her next...

eventually and now she'll drink out of the bottle even when i'm around...

i think the key is to keep trying even if your baby refuses the bottle...

trust me... your son will drink out of the bottle before he starves... maybe you should have a friend, someone not around your son all the time, to watch him for a few hours at a time...



bottle wise... b/c my daughter could not keep it all in after her first few tries with the Avent bottles, i got a Nuk bottle... for some odd reason, maybe the flow was just slightly slower, she never had issues keeping her milk in.

Now of course it doesn't matter the type or brand... she's good with it all...

just keep trying... and give your sone some time...