How do you get a breastfed baby to take a bottle ?

Fawn - posted on 05/01/2013

Ok ladies I really need help I go back to work June 3rd 2013 and my son won't stop breastfeeding I lve been giving him bottles and he just dont want them I'm scared once I get him into daycare in June he's gonna cry he's born June 21 2012 and he just dont wanna leave the boob any suggestions I'm crying out for some help please email me at fawn.0629@hotmail.com or please comment anything will help he needs to go on the bottle I've even given him slippey cups and nothing is working he's so stubborn

Minnie - posted on 05/28/2009

She doesn't have to have a bottle. She can have expressed milk in a small cup or even a dropper.

Carol Ann - posted on 05/28/2009

Ok so I had the same problem with my little guy, at the time he was 6 months and only breast feed. I needed to return to work also. What i did was everyday about 5 times a day i would try to give him the bottle. Try going out for a bit when it is time to feed and also get your husband or whoever to wrap the baby with something of yours. My little guy was very stubborn about taking the bottle but with persistance of just trying to give him the bottle everyday finally one day he took and drank an ounze. Don't try when she is really hungry but when she is almost hungry. Once he drank that ounze slowly he took more. It took me about a month and half to have him off the breast completely.

Good luck!!

Lori - posted on 05/27/2009

I was just about to recommend the Breastflow, but I see you have found it and are using it! I wish I'd known about it earlier, because my son has never liked bottles. After taking bottles (Evenflo glass bottles & standard nipples) only with persuasion, he went through a long time of outright refusal. It's only now (at 7 months) that we are getting him to consistently take a bottle now that we got the Breastflow. It also helped to have his grandparents do the feeding - he will now take from daddy too, but not a chance will he take it from me. We also got a couple training cups, since he's at an age where he can start to learn to drink from a cup.

Correen - posted on 05/23/2009

Good luck... I can't figure that one out either. Mine is 8 mo old now but what I did wrong was not introduce the bottle before she turned two weeks. I offered it to her at three weeks and she has refused it ever since. I have tried everything to get fluid in her another way but she prefers the warm cushy boobie and I can't agrue with that! Lol. Lemme know if you figure it out!

Shelley - posted on 05/22/2009

I am so thankfull for all the advice and suggestions. I am trying the Breastflow and my husband is able to get her to take almost an ounce... when I am not around. We will figure it all out and I feel confident that she will get her breastmilk somehow. I can't tell you how much more at ease I feel just knowing I talk with Mom's who have gone through this. Also If need be I will have my Mom or Husband bring her to me at work. For heaven's sake, I work as a nurse in the Mother Baby area, I think people would understand. Also she is a quick nurser, Thank you Michelle Crumby for reminding me that this could be a possiblity. Everyone has been so helpful, Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!!!!!!! Much Love to all!!!!

April - posted on 05/22/2009

My now 8 month old son would not take a bottle when I went back to work at 8 weeks. My sister was syringe feeding him (while still attempting the bottle), and had to do so for about 4 weeks before he actually accepted the bottle. We tried every bottle out there, too!!! The one that seemd to do the trick was a "Breatflow", purchased at BabiesRUs. He still won't take a bottle for me or if I am at home (at 8 months!!!), but that's okay with me!!! That helps to encourage me to keep breastfeeding! He will let me give him solids (but we are not doing much of that either yet), and I am teaching him to drink from a cup now. The only other suggestion I can give is to get a small plastic cup (like a medicine cup at the hospital), and let your baby lap the milk (like a kitten, but it works!). That seemed to work for my son when he was hungry, but not if he was sleepy! I feel your pain, but hang in there!

Michelle - posted on 05/22/2009

Quoting Shelley:

Thank you for the tips, I will try whatever I can to try and ease the trasition for her. Unfortunatley I am a nurse and cannot leave work to nurse her. However my Mom or husband may have to drive her to me during my dinner break. I feel better knowing that other Mom's and babies have made it through this delemna too. Thanks again for the support!!!

I'm a nurse too... I had to have my husband bring my daughter to me.... FORTUNATELY, she was a very fast nurser.... so we'd be done in 15 minutes and it worked out pretty well..... that and I worked in ED right by the door, so I could go out to the car, feed her, then go back in... and my coworkers were very helpful too.

GOOD LUCK!!! Hope you find something that works for all of you.

Candace - posted on 05/21/2009

I had the same problem with my daughter..my doctor advised me to start before six weeks because if you wait too long, she wont take a bottle. i just kept trying to give her a bottle....try leaving the room when someone else is trying to bottlefeed her because she can still smell your milk...also try the bottle when she is not hungry...why would she take a bottle from you when she can smell her food right there...my daughter is almost 3 months and she still has some problems initially with taking the bottle, especially if im giving it to her...i try to give her a bottle at least once a week so she wont forget how to take one but its hard since i stay at home with her...just hang in there and if she refuses you can always try cup feeding...i tried cup feeding initially...it is very messy and a waste of precious breastmilk..my doctor said that if you put a cup (we tried the little cups you use for mouthwash) of breastmilk up to her mouth she should lap it up like a dog but my daughter didnt and i ended up wasting milk so i just kept trying the bottle...at first i started her on the bottles that came with my breastpump but now i used the playtex disposables....i tried the NUK pacifier and she would not take it, so i didnt bother trying that bottle..just keep hanging in there....

Michelle - posted on 05/21/2009

My doctor warned me that a baby should take a bottle by the end of three months or it would become increasingly hard to get them to do so. I had trouble at first with my son, it was all about the type of bottle for him, so try different types. He settled on Avent. I had to try every day for every meal and I used water or formula so I wouldn't waist my breastmilk. My daughter never took to a bottle, I am lucky I stay at home so I didn't have the pressure you do.

Tamara - posted on 05/21/2009

Some babies don't take to a bottle. Have you tried other methods such as syringe or tube feeding or a straw cup? Kellymom has a wonderful page on methods of feeding a child breastmilk that don't involve a bottle. I'd definitely look into it since your LO seems to be not desiring to take the bottle.

Shannon - posted on 05/21/2009

My first child was not very picky... took right to Playtex disposables with the silcone wide mouth nipples... and then gave up nursing completely at 8 months, with a full mouth of teeth, so I was okay with it, she was a biter!! Things are much differnt this time around. My son didn't need bottle till he was over 4 months... however, not too sure about what was going to happen with work, we decided to start trying them when he was around 6 weeks... that and I had a wedding to attend and he would be without me for almost 6 hours!!
We went though Playtex, Nuk, Nuby, Soothie, and adiri bottles... all costing me a small fortune each time... finally tried avent as a last resort and because I had one 4oz bottle on hand from my baby registry when I did it at BRU... he took to those. Well... not wanting to spend another $100... I went on eBay, sold everything else off and bought a few gently used bottles from Avent. Now we use the Gerber Gentle Flow, BPA free, and they use Avent nipples...
Point... keep trying, don't buy full sets of bottles, buy singles and only the small ones so it doesn't cost you a small fortune right up front!! Make sure to have someone else other than you try it... and use the slowest nipples you can without your baby sucking them flat to keep them from wanting them more than mom!!

Peachy - posted on 05/21/2009

i was told that someone else should feed your baby using the bottle. they associate you and eating. let your significant other or other family members feed the baby. it worked for me. i am due to go back to work next week. i am dreading it!

Samantha - posted on 05/21/2009

I had the exact same situation and concern.

Went back to work April 27th, my daughter was 12 weeks old and had never taken a bottle before, always refused them. Suprisingly, she did just fine drinking the bottles when I was at work. I think the Mom not being in the home helps, baby knows you are not there and breastfeeding is not an option. She still won't drink a bottle when I am home, but continues to do fine when I am away; some occassional fussing, but she is getting plenty of nurishment.

If it is possible for you, try to make a place with the caregiver to bring your baby into work for you to feed him/her during your work day; at least that way if worst comes to worst and baby takes awhile to transition to bottles while you are away, you will know baby is getting a feeding in.

Rhonda - posted on 05/21/2009

I agree with Stephanie. The "Nuk" brand was the only bottle that my daughter now 18 mo would every drink anything from. Thankfully I was only away from her a few hours at a time. Good luck with your return to work! I hope you & your baby find something to make the transition go as smoothly as possible!



Rhonda

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Stephanie - posted on 05/21/2009

Gerber 'Nuk' makes a bottle with a nipple that is shaped like your nipple when baby nurses; I have two bottles that are made to reduce 'nipple confusion' and a fwe pacifiers that are the same and I nurse and bottle feed without a problem. You can find them everywhere - Walmart, Target, etc. My little guy is 7wks old, and loves nursing but I don't have enough milk to keep him full, so I pump or make formula and ONLY use those bottles, even the nurses at the hospital said those are great.

Monica - posted on 05/21/2009

get a bottle that is most like your breast, breast flo (only sold at babies r us) worked great for my son. he still would only take about 3 oz at a time and i just fed him when i got home from work.

Elizabeth - posted on 05/20/2009

I know it's awful. It caused me and my baby so much stress. I was so desperate that I tried the Infant Tylenol droppers. I think we finally found one sippy cup that worked, but you had to hold him on while you sat on this big yoga ball and bounced. Also worked eventually to rock him while letting him drink from a regular cup. So hard.

Lucy - posted on 05/20/2009

I tried my little girl with a bottle last night (the tommy tippee cloaer to nature ones) she took 1oz of my expressed milk from it and then refused, screaming hysterically until i fed her! I'm going to keep trying her though and hopefully she'l get used to it!

Manveer - posted on 05/20/2009

My son refuses milk in normal bottles with normal teats, but then I switched to the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles - the teats are shaped like your on nipples - and my son takes the bottle now with no problems. I suggest you try these, as I do recommend them.

Erin - posted on 05/20/2009

my daughter never wanted to drink from a bottle either, and refused every different nipple we tried. we started using the nuby sippy cups, which have soft plastic spouts/tops at about 3 months old. we just pumped the top of the cup a little to squirt a little in her mouth and she figured it out right away. they worked great! now she drinks milk so quickly out of them when i'm at work that she has to have one made out of harder plastic or she'll spill all over herself. some kids just really dislike bottles, and i guess ours are two of them. i hope you find the solution that works best for your baby soon. good luck!

Cindy - posted on 05/19/2009

I had the same problem. Persistance. Finally, 2 months later my daughter (now 8 months) is taking a bottle a few times a day, but still breastfeeds to go to sleep. Start by giving the bottle the same time everyday. Make a routine out of it. It may take awhile. Be patient.

Shelley - posted on 05/19/2009

Thank you for the tips, I will try whatever I can to try and ease the trasition for her. Unfortunatley I am a nurse and cannot leave work to nurse her. However my Mom or husband may have to drive her to me during my dinner break. I feel better knowing that other Mom's and babies have made it through this delemna too. Thanks again for the support!!!

Stephany - posted on 05/19/2009

Both my daughters never would take a bottle. My first baby refused and would stay hungry all day until I got off work. I tried to introduce the bottle at 6 weeks, but she never took one. I eneded up spending every lunch break from work at her daycare nursing for several months until she started on a sippy cup about 10 months old.

My second daughter took a bottle at 2 weeks old, I introduced it early to avoid what happened with my first. She took the bottle several times up until 6 weeks, and then started refusing it. She never took one again! I had to do the same thing with her. It is tough to nurse and work. Keep trying! Some mom's transition to a sippy cup about 6 months. This is a common problem. Sounds like you have a great little nurser on your hands! Try getting the nipple really warm in a pot ofboiling water before you give her the bottle, and have someone else give it to her. This helps some people, but it never did work for my two. Hope this helps. Hang in there.

Michelle - posted on 05/19/2009

My eldest did FANTASTIC... he took whatever whenever... then came the princess... even when she was terribly hungry, she would never NEVER take a bottle (and we tried everything... different bottles, different nipples... cups..you name it). Most kids are NOT that stubborn.... Keep trying though. The first few times are difficult, but once they get used to it, it should be ok.

Natalie - posted on 05/19/2009

I am going through the same problem at the moment. Somebody recently suggested that you not only stay at the one bottle and teat that you started with if they don't like the one teat they very well might like another type with a different texture or shape. I would try that if I was you. Hope it works.

Sarah - posted on 05/19/2009

I never succeeded at getting my eldest to have a bottle, and I haven't tried with my youngest yet. I would suggest if you haven't already tried it, getting someone else to do it when you are nowhere to be seen & try when she is not too hungry. The other option, is perhaps using a cup instead. We cup fed our eldest after birth as he couldn't latch on to begin with. This was also the only way anyone else could feed him. Good luck.

Huma - posted on 05/19/2009

I am also trying to start bottle to my one month old baby .........but she refused