How to shift my baby from breast feed to bottle

Maria Rebecca - posted on 04/14/2011

we actually have the same problem. my baby is going 3 mos and i am about to go back to work. i used to mix feed her with breastfeeding and bottle feeding. but one day she suddenly didn't want to take milk from the bottle anymore. i am about to go back to work and will be out for more than 10 hours a day. what should i do?

Jessica - posted on 01/02/2010

If its the teat of the bottle he wont take, try to put a little bit of honey on the end of it and they will take straight to it. I had the same problem when my little boy was about the same age and he didn't like the taste of the teat. After a couple of times you wont have to bother they will just take to it.

Robin - posted on 12/30/2009

Why do you want to wean him? Nursing him longer will be better for his health, and he will slowly take to drinking from a sippee cup if you introduce it to him once, and on the regular basis put juice in it and offer it to him. I have nursed two boys, the first stopped nursing at 6 months due to an illness I had, and the second nursed for almost two years, even though he could drink from a cup. The second child had fewer illnesses as a baby and child than the first child. He was also more physically affectionate.

I am such a believer in breast feeding. With formula, it takes several times to find the right one that your baby can take without intestinal problems, sterilize bottles, etc.
If I were not past fifty, I would contribute to a milk bank for premies, that's how much I believe in breast feeding. Trust me, you will be glad you continued nursing. If he doesn't want the bottle, he isn't ready for it!

Aaisha - posted on 12/30/2009

At five months the baby's still young. I was nursing my son till he was a year old, I introduced the bottle to him at 11 months. Make it gradual, he used to nurse to sleep and I gently broke that habit, rocking or cradling him to sleep instead. Then I cut down on the day feeding substituting with mango/banana milkshake and nursed him only at night...after a months struggle he realised that there was no more mommy at night and he was getting just the feeding bottle...then came a night at month 15 when he did not wake up at night for his feeding and had his breakfast in the morning/ It's going to be gradual... actually at six months it should still be easy to get him to bottle feed relatively easy. Try some different teats and bottles, I experimented with at least four types before we settled for Avent.
Best of luck!

Lisa - posted on 12/30/2009

My son was not eager to switch to the bottle either. I had to try four different types of bottles before he would finally take one. My only suggestion...each time you go to the store just buy a different bottle, try it, and pray he takes it.

Tanya - posted on 12/29/2009

I know it's a little different situation, but when I switched my first son from breastmilk to formula once he turned one we had difficulty getting him to take it. Finally we tried in the middle of the night while he was super groggy and after that it was easy. Good luck.

Kate - posted on 12/29/2009

Quoting Cassie:

Quoting Lisa:

I say leave the house and let the caretaker handle it. Your baby is 5 months, no longer an infant. He'll get hungry and more likely to take the bottle.

With you there, not only will he want you more, it will be so hard for you to listen to him cry and not jump in. But really, he'll be okay.

I learned from my lactation consultant that some babies never take to the bottle and refuse to drink or will only drink the bare minimum and then make up for it when they nurse again. Your baby will not allow himself to starve.

It is hard to start making the transition of viewing your child from helpless infant to more self-sufficient baby. Hang in there.

What would you consider a 5 month old to be if not an infant?? An adult?

a five month old IS an infant. They graduate from newborn to infant at three months. All infants are babies and vice versa. Five months is rather young to wean, have you tried expressing? You can use a cup at that age instead of a bottle, since most Breastfed babies will not take a bottle if it is introduced after six weeks of age.  You shouldn't give a baby under a year old water or juice either.

Lynn - posted on 12/29/2009

Try getting Dad to give it to him without you in the room

Kaysee - posted on 12/29/2009

my little girl is 2 and a half and she still refuses to get off boob its driving me insane i know that there is flavoured formula like vanilla maybe you should give it ago or get that formula that is closest to breast milk i cant remember what it is called

Krystal - posted on 12/27/2009

I was a breast feeder and at 6 months my daughter began taking a sippy cup along with breast feeding. I would give her water or juice through a spill proof sippy cup instead of a bottle while I was out of the house. (I also gave her expressed milk through the sippy). She breast fed until 14 months. From all the advice that I have read in the past, I learned that if you break a child of breast feeding into bottle feeding then you will have to break a bottle to a sippy. So with my advice, don't introduce the bottle. Use the sippy cup. They make the soft spout sippys with handles, so it's not hard to suck out of. Then you will later transition from the soft spout to a hard spout. My daughter was sitting up by 6 months, so that's when I gave the sippy to her. If your baby isn't sitting up on his/her own then try to continue breast feeding until you can introduce the sippy cup. If you give the sippy instead of the bottle it will skip the step of breaking a bottle habbit. Sorry for the repetiveness, any questions or clarifications, feel free to message me.

Nicole - posted on 12/26/2009

My second son also would not take the bottle ... even with breast milk in it ... until he was 8 months. I tried different teats, different people giving him the bottle ... nothing worked. I just accepted that he wasn't ready and then one day he surprised us and took it.

Kate CP - posted on 12/26/2009

Just because you don't like a response DOES NOT MEAN you should flag it!!!! READ THE PINNED THREAD "FLAGGING AND POSTING ETIQUETTE" IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!!!

Karen - posted on 12/26/2009

Maybe wean him gradually - after all, he's still quite young. Would he take a bottle from anyone else? They'd probably have more success in the first instance, because they wouldn't smell of "Mum".

April - posted on 12/25/2009

try the AVENT bottles and nipples.. my DD's would only take those after BFing. OR... you COULD try introducing your lil one to a sippy cup, one of my son's went right from boob to cup :)
good luck!

Mary - posted on 12/25/2009

a friend at church had to hold the bottle in her arm pit and let the baby drink it that way so she would still have the snuggle affect. She will drink one normally now.

Kelly - posted on 12/25/2009

try a few different bottles, also make sure u sqeeze a little milk into his mouth from the bottle.
at some stage you have to get your baby to adapt to a bottle so your baby can also have some water or juices in the heat.
(if your trying to give your baby formula in the bottle)you might have to also try your breast milk in a bottle to see if your baby might take to it then.

hope i helped you a little, your baby will eventualy take the bottle, just dont give up :-)

Charmaine - posted on 12/25/2009

Prior suggestions are valid, I think. One of the things you might try is to dip the nipple in some breast milk before attempting to inser it in the babies mouth. Also, when choosing a nipple, get one that is a close to the shape and size of your own as possible and that does not flow too freely. If all else fails, you may want to put it in a sippy cup with a slow drip, he/she may be more receptive to a completely different medium. There are babies who never get into bottlefeeding.

Brenda - posted on 12/25/2009

Try to show others who are feeding the baby how you hold your baby. Comfort plays a part. Try to bottle feed your baby yourself. Use the same blanket or momma shirt that has your smell on it. Try the nursing nipples. Your baby will eat when hungry.

I have over a hundred nieces & nephews , great nieces & nephews, and great, great nieces & nephews. My husband and I have babysat for almost all of them. Everyone is different. It may be difficult but in the end your baby will be just fine.

Lisa - posted on 12/25/2009

Did you see below where I contrasted between an helpless infant and a more self-sufficient baby? I think I made it clear what I was talking about. Well, apparently I didn't.

Have a Merry Christmas. You seem a little cranky or quick to think the worst. You certainly didn't give me the benefit of the doubt in your response. You didn't offer any support or help yourself, only criticism of me. I hope your day gets better.

Cassie - posted on 12/25/2009

Quoting Lisa:

I say leave the house and let the caretaker handle it. Your baby is 5 months, no longer an infant. He'll get hungry and more likely to take the bottle.

With you there, not only will he want you more, it will be so hard for you to listen to him cry and not jump in. But really, he'll be okay.

I learned from my lactation consultant that some babies never take to the bottle and refuse to drink or will only drink the bare minimum and then make up for it when they nurse again. Your baby will not allow himself to starve.

It is hard to start making the transition of viewing your child from helpless infant to more self-sufficient baby. Hang in there.

What would you consider a 5 month old to be if not an infant?? An adult?

Lisa - posted on 12/25/2009

I say leave the house and let the caretaker handle it. Your baby is 5 months, no longer an infant. He'll get hungry and more likely to take the bottle.

With you there, not only will he want you more, it will be so hard for you to listen to him cry and not jump in. But really, he'll be okay.

I learned from my lactation consultant that some babies never take to the bottle and refuse to drink or will only drink the bare minimum and then make up for it when they nurse again. Your baby will not allow himself to starve.

It is hard to start making the transition of viewing your child from helpless infant to more self-sufficient baby. Hang in there.

Tamara - posted on 12/25/2009

If I may ask, why are you wanting to introduce the bottle? Are you wanting to go out somewhere without your child? Are you going back to work, etc? These are things that can be worked around.

Sativa - posted on 12/24/2009

I gave my daughter a special enlarged nipple designed for breast fed babies. It is a similar shape to a mothers aerola and nipple and that worked. We put breast milk in it at first and then as she got older,she got fruit juice in it. All in all in worked really well after the first week. The first week was a bit rougher. We had to squirt a bit of milk in her mouth to get her to realize that was nourishment.

Teela - posted on 12/24/2009

Maybe try pumping the milk and giving him breast milk from the bottle..are buy a nipple guard..it's shapped like nipple..maybe that will get him use to the idea of a nipple..that's what i did

Renee - posted on 12/24/2009

I probably don't have the best experience, my daughter was only breastfed and then she wouldn't take a bottle not even of breast milk. Then my son didn't want me anymore after 5 months of breastfeeding. I have read have someone other than you give the baby the first several bottles -- husband, mother, mother in law, even a neighbor friend will do. You might have to leave the room too so the child cannot see you. Your milk will come in when you hear the child cry, mine did and my shirt was soaking wet for weeks after my son stopped breastfeeding.