Bottle refusal

[coriander]

I have a four month old baby who is breastfed but whom I am trying to slowly wean onto a bottle in preparation for daycare when I return to work. So far no luck. Bubs will happily drink from the breast but refuses the bottle nearly all the time (I have only managed to get her to drink once) I have tried a variety of teats (currently using a NUK teat which is the same type as my son used with no problems) and also a cup with soft spout but she is not interested and gets quite worked up. I don't want to wean her completely just get her to the stage where she will take a bottle whilst at daycare. My question is worst case senario if she refuses the bottle for up to 8 hours during the day will she be alright on an ongoing basis if I feed her just before leaving her and straight away upon my return? She is not too keen on farex either, just gags and spits it out. Any suggestions or similar stories will be much appreciated.

[RachWA]

I can't offer any help as I was about to post the same questions!

My dd is almost 7 months and I too do not want to give up BF but need her to take the occasional bottle as I have weddings coming up and also to know that if did need to pick up a few days work I could.

My ds took EMB but not formula until about 7 months, and then we struggled with formula (ended up mixing it with EBM and over a month reduced the EBM until is was full formula) but dd will not even take EBM.

This morning I put a scoop of formula in her cereal which she normally loves but would not eat it with the formula.

I am curious abut the stats of this - I have spoken to many people whoe ds would take the bottle and separation from mum really well and then go to have dd who would not take bottle or separation at all. Seems as though girls a much
more clingier.

[Milliner]

My DS would refuse a bottle at about 4 months, so I waited until he was really hungry left it about 3 hours from the last feed and one day he jsut took the bottle I use the avent bottle. I tried all types of formula and the one that he finally had was the heinz one. he will now have karicare about once a day. The nurse told me that you have to make sure they are really hungry before you offer a bottle. Keep trying we tried for ages before he actually had a bottle, now I know I can go out and not have to worry about expressing enough milk for him!

[babylover111]

sometimes bubs find it hard to take a bottle from mum as they think that mum has the boobs why is she feeding me a bottle!
So if you can try to let someone else give her the first bottle i have often found that it can be more sucessful this way!

[kymmy]

You could try a Pigeon Perstilactic nipple!
My baby who is 9mths wouldn't take water so i was told about these working wonders on fussy bottle takers (thanks Lut!) and it is great! He is still bfeeding but he loves the teat on the bottle. :thumbsup:

[tanni_83]

Elise is almost 15mths old and still has no idea. she sits there and sucks it like a straw...(sitting up without her tipping it up) ive tried to lay her down and as soon as she sucks a little bit she coughs and splutters then chokes...

some babys are just not made for bottles


hope you find something that works for you :fingerscrossed:

[mummy short legs]

My first was easy weaned at 5mths during the day and took well to the Heinz Wide teat bottles and Karicare Gold formula. The second well tried to do the same but to no avail. Did the Piegon bottle would drink water but not milk. At 13 months kinda had enough of feeding 4 times a day. This was around the time I found out we were expecting again with number 3. So he had no choice. A doctor recommended the new NUK bottle with the latex wide teats, and cows milk or Karicare Gold Toddler milk. Well this well and truly got him off in three days. I don't think I was producing alot and never got mastistis ( touch Wood). He is now 16months and doing well. And yes he is still on the bottle and now cows milk. Strongly recommend the Nuk over anything else now. They are avail in Target for about $11 a bottle.


Tennille -26
Him33
Tatum Jade - 4
Jai Pheonix - 16 months

[sunshine girls]

You could try a Pigeon Perstilactic nipple!
My baby who is 9mths wouldn't take water so i was told about these working wonders on fussy bottle takers (thanks Lut!) and it is great! He is still bfeeding but he loves the teat on the bottle. :thumbsup:


here here!! my little one is only 2 1/2 months but i wanted her to take expressed milk once a week while i went to pilates...i only had the avent and she would SCREAM when we tried it....THEN i came onto this wonderful site and got recommended the pidgeon....worked an absolute treat!:D :thumbsup:

[aardvark]

They can be stubborn when they really don't want a bottle.

I left DS with a friend at age 4.5 months while I sat an exam. I was gone 6 hours door to door, and I left him with ample breastmilk, and the bottles/teats he had regularly been using for EBM before that.

He decided he was NOT going to have any EBM from a bottle. I arrived back there, totally engorged, to a quiet, calm, smiling, but starving little fellow who was only too pleased to give the poor swollen boobies his full attention. He pretty much hung off me the rest of the night.

I subsequently tried him with different teats, a sipper cup, silicon spouts for bottles etc, but had only limited success with the pigeon peristaltic nipple for a week, and now he refuses that, too. He prefers to hold out till he can have the breast milk in its original containers.

[kymmy]

My baby still prefers the 'original packaging' but for water the perstilactic is great. I think it has the best teat I have ever bought.

[coriander]

Thanks for all the replies. Bub has now had her first day at daycare (3 hours) and it seemed to go alright. The staff said she had a little to drink from the bottle (about 100ml) which indicates that she is probably just not drinking for me because she knows the breasts are in close proximity. I have also found that she will drink from a regular cup (not a sipper cup) although she makes a horrible mess and needs to be changed completely afterwards! I am confident now that she will get enough liquid during the day and she can have the breasts to her heart is content in the morning and night.