No Luck getting Bub to take bottle

[Issey]

I want to start my bub on formula, just one bottle at first a day as I need to stop breastfeeding in a couple of months as I have to go back to work and expressing is too difficult in the environment I will be working in.

I tried today and he just screamed, so back on the breast. Then I got DH to try later than night and bubs had about two mouthfuls and then cried again. :eek:

I guess change can be hard so wondering how best to deal with it. Shall I just keep offering it to bubs and hope he takes it? Should I mix breast milk in it perhaps? :confused: I think this may be a stressful exercise.


I have worked out that it isn't the taste of formula as I tried breast milk as well, my bub just crys and crys as soon as he sees the bottle. I don't even have to get it near his mouth. I tried for 40min yesterday :eek: with bub crying, then I would calm him down and try again and so on until I just gave up and gave him the breast so he won again. Have also tried with DH. I don't think it is the type of bottle that is a problem as he has taken it fine when he was younger but won't do it now.

I am at my wits end :eek: , what do I do as he has to be able to take bottles as I need to wean him. Has anyone else had trouble getting their bub to take a bottle and how did you finally get bub to do it? I need to get this sorted over the next fortnight as I have to leave bub for a few hours and don't want him screaming the place down when I am not here. HELP!!

[MariaO]

Hi Debster,

Have you tried different types of teats? Maybe an anti-colic free flowing one?

One of the ladies in my mothers group had a similar problem when her baby was 4 months old and she had to go back to work. She said that she spent three days at home offering nothing but bottles during the day - she said they both cried most of those three days but it worked in the end.

If a change of teat will not work then hopefully someone can suggest something less drastic,more useful.

good luck.

[Issey]

I havent' really tried different teats although I have some slow flowing ones I can try, however when I do get the bottle in his mouth he just plays with it and doesn't suck!! He won't take a dummy either so I am wondering if it is somehow related.

I might have to do what your friend did as awful as it sounds :crying: You feel so bad after they are crying for so long and I am not sure my patience will last.

Has anyone else had to do this too?

[rynosmum]

I had the same issue whilst breastfeeding bubs. I needed to go back to work and wanted to wean him. He had always been fine with the occassional bottle until that fateful day...:laughing: I left him with DH and some EBM in a bottle and went to a 3 hour meeting. When I got back, I had two very sad, very exhausted boys. DS had been hungry but refused the bottle the whole time.

I sat with him and he still refused. I ended up giving him some booby and when settled, trying the pry some of the bottle into his mouth (it's hard to do with only 2 hands!) After about half an hour, more crying etc, he got the teat in his mouth and simply out of pure exhaustion, he drank from it.

The next feed was much easier. The trick was to make him think it was booby. It's hard. I wish you all the luck and courage you can muster !:hugs: :fingerscrossed:

[Mel's Belle]

Hi Debster,

My DD refused to take a bottle and would carry on screaming until she got her boobie! She's now 4 months old and has started taking the bottle - she even reaches her hands out to grab it and shove it in her mouth.

I started giving her water in a (Tommee Tippee) sipper cup which she seemed to enjoy being able to hold the handles and also have a bite on the sipper (she's teething). We then tried the bottle again and she has no objections.

I know how frustrating it is but eventually they'll take it. Perhaps try water in a sipper cup to get bubs used to the idea of another "vessel" and then try the bottle a few days later. :fingerscrossed:

Good luck!

[Issey]

thank you will try all the suggestions and battle on :)

[bingo]

Hi Debstar., not sure if you will still look at this thread but I have just read it and was in total sympathy for you. I also had the exact same problem with my DD at about the same time. When she was younger she would take a bottle no worries, then one night I went out and came home to a distraught DH and DD. She flatly refused to take the bottle and it remained that way for ages. I was distraught at the thought of not being able to have some time out occasionally and leave DH with a bottle to feed to DD.
Anyway, we have finally overcome the problem and now she loves the bottle! What we did was I had to go out and buy a few different bottles to try out. Eventually I found that she would take the Pur teats that are flat shaped.Ithink because they are the same shape as her dummy? Then I started by feeding her 10ml out of the bottle before a breastfeed. Even though 10ml was a small amount it took about a week for me to get this into her. I found that trying this out during the day was a struggle, but if I did it at her last feed after bathtime it worked the best. I think perhaps this time was best because my supply was down and she was super hungry. Anyway once she was taking 10ml quite readily I would increase the volume each day by 10ml. Now she will quite readily drink 240ml in one go. Now that she is drinking from the bottle I find she will take a bottle any time of day if required.
My next phase is trying to wean her onto formula. She hates the taste and initially spat it out. So I'm going down the road of starting with a small amount and increasing it everyday.
I found the important thing was to not force it into her as it just distressed her. we selected a time of day when she was at her happiest and hungriest.
Wish you all the best with the bottle. If you like you can PM me if you've got any questions or whatever.

[Tamz]

Hi

have you tired those pigeon teats???? its like a nipple so bub doesnt have to change the way he sucks.

good luck ;)

tamz

[mumma bear]

I have also heard that trying the last feed of the day works well or a dream feed. Getting them to suck when they are a little sleepy or really hungry, possibly the first feed of the day depending how bibs wakes up.
Good luck and persevere!:)

[bingo]

Sorry I have a correction to make, not Pur bottles but Nuk bottles are the one we found worked for Maddi.

[Issey]

Hi

have you tired those pigeon teats???? its like a nipple so bub doesnt have to change the way he sucks.

good luck ;)

tamz

I haven't tried these but sounds like a good idea. I will look for these.

I have got a bit of improvement, when I give DS some rice cereal mixed with formula I interchange with offering the bottle and he is now opening his mouth for it but not really sucking. So at least he has stopped rejecting it completely. I found during the day works better as when he is sleepy he was more annoyed at me for trying something else the clever monkey. He is hardly taking any milk though just playing with it.