8 Week Old Taking a Bottle

my husband works full time, and I had to resort to letting my big kids give the baby a bottle. He refused one from me for several months. We used the Dr. Browns with the wide top.

My little people never liked the silicon nipples on bottles (which are clear). The brown ones (laytex) were the only ones they would take. (If you cannot find them at your local store, then they can be found online.)
Also, the temperature of the bottle needed to be about right - which in the case of my youngest - feels rather warm to me, but what I thought was warm enough, he did not like....
I guess I would say keep offering. Keep having Dad offer - if you offer, then she knows there is a choice.... Less choice with dad. :)
Good luck!

I have told the tale of the bottle for my first child many times here before. It may seem harsh, but after about 3 days of trying to get her to take the bottle and rushing home because I was afraid she was starving herself, we were told by a doctor that it was a power of the wills and we just had to wait her out.

Let me tell you, it sucked! She went 14 hours without taking a bottle and when she did the first time, it was only an ounce! She passed out from not eating and screaming so much and woke up less than an hour laer to feed again, but we were in a no-choice situation since I am a working Mom. We were told that I could not BF her for 3 to 5 days and that once we re-introduced the breast to keep her guessing - i.e. not always at breakfast or bedtime - at least initially. I think I cried more than her and it was so good that we could tag team it together. It was probably the worse 5 days I have ever had to exoerience with any of my three kiddies.

I am happy to report that after that she switched back and forth between bottle and breast like a champ. A few things I would make sure of: as she gets older, do not let her chew on the rubber nipple - she will try that on you! Also, do not put her down to feed from the bottle - you don't put her down when you nurse so be sure she is craddled and cared for similarly when bottle feeding.

Good luck. This might be a rough patch but if this is a must, you need to be persistant.
~C.

(PS if you want/need all the crazy details feel free to message me!)

PPS - It was pumped BM. I would not confuse the issue by trying to use formula if you did not need to.

I found this for you through LLL. It's a little lengthy, but very good.

A situation has come up where I need to feed my baby from a bottle. Can you help?

Ideally, babies feed from the breast. However, for mothers who must spend time away from their babies, and for mothers who must occasionally miss a feeding, it is important that the baby will take mother's milk by another method. These tips assume that the baby is being fed his mother's expressed milk. If this is not available, ask the baby's health care provider for advice.

Here are some helpful tips, adapted from an article by Janet Jendron.

1. Have someone else give the bottle. Many breastfeeding babies won't take a bottle from mother, since her smell and presence remind the baby of breastfeeding. One of the best people to give a bottle to a reluctant baby is an experienced bottle feeder. Someone with experience has confidence, and conveys that to the baby.

2. Gently stimulate the mouth with the artificial nipple, as is done for the first nursing at the breast. Let the baby "mouth" it and become familiar with it.

3. Try different kinds of nipples. Some babies like a nipple designed for premature infants, because it is so soft. Consult a health care provider for ideas about artificial nipples to try.

4. Try varying the nipple temperature. Put it in the refrigerator (teething babies like this) or run warm (not hot) water over it.

5. Use lots of cuddling by the person feeding the baby.

6. Some babies take a bottle better in their favorite breastfeeding position; others do better in a totally different position. Try propping the baby in your lap with the baby's back to your chest. The baby will see the room while drinking from the bottle (don't forget eye contact later). Or prop the baby on your slanted forelegs, like in an infant seat, and give the bottle while looking at him.

7. It may be best not to try to give a reluctant baby a bottle when he's gone a long time between feedings and very hungry. Anticipate.

8. Try to feed while moving rhythmically, calming the baby and distracting him from the different nipple.

9. If all else fails, try doing without a rubber or silicone nipple. For a tiny infant, alternative choices include an eyedropper, spoon, periodontal syringe, medicine spoon, special cup for infant feeding, tiny paper cup (the kind given out to hold condiments in fast-food restaurants), training cup or a regular cup.

To cup feed, place the rim of the cup on baby's lower lip and tilt the cup until the milk approaches the baby's lip. The baby's tongue will explore and find the liquid. On the first few attempts, this may take a few minutes. He will then lap or sip the milk. Do NOT pour the milk into the baby's mouth. Keep the level constantly by his lower lip and allow the baby to rest and pause while drinking, but do not remove the cup. When the baby has finished, he will let you know by turning his head away, or by other obvious cues.

Babies who can sit up may prefer to feed themselves (well supervised) from a regular cup or a covered "sippy cup."

When the baby is fed by one of these methods, be sure to breastfeed often when mother and baby are together, to satisfy the baby's sucking need.

Some material in this FAQ was adapted from Rental Roundup, Summer 1990, Volume 7, Number 3.

Recommended Reading: The articles When Baby Refuses a Bottle and Refusing a Bottle from our "Making It Work" column, a regular feature of our member magazine NEW BEGINNINGS.

Our FAQs present information from La Leche League International on topics of interest to parents of breastfed children. Not all of the information may be pertinent to your family's lifestyle. This information is general in nature and not intended to be advice, medical or otherwise. If you have a serious breastfeeding problem or concern, you are strongly encouraged to talk directly to a La Leche League Leader. Please consult health care professionals on any medical issue, as La Leche League Leaders are not medical practitioners.
Page last edited 2008-11-29 22:59:07 UTC.

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Ugh, we went through the same thing with my LO as I had to go back to work when she was 8 weeks as well. She had taken a bottle of breastmilk at 3 and 4 weeks, but then it was as if she sensed I needed to go back to work and protested. We tried every bottle out there. We rocked her on the exercise ball. She was stubborn. Finally, she was intrigued by the Playtex drop-in bottle with the brown latex nipple. She would chew on it and she seemed to like the texture. She finally took the bottle no problem, but it took a few weeks. I suggested these bottles to anyone having the same problem, and they have worked for all of my friends too! Good luck. It's a tough situation, but it will work itself out.

I started around 8-12 weeks with both of mine using bottles of pumped milk occasionally. You have to find a bottle that the baby likes - with my first I tried the cheapo Evenflo, then Dr. Browns, then Avent wide mouth and then finally the Playtex VentAire - narrow mouth. Even though both boys were nursed, neither liked the wide mouth, more like a breast, type of nipple. When you are trying bottles, buy just one at a time until you find one that baby "likes". It was a big surprise to me that it wasn't up to me on this one! Good luck! C.

You can always try switching bottles until you find one that she likes. For my son when he was little, he didnt like the nipples on some, so we tried different ones until we found one he did like. It was the Playtex bottles with the drop in bags. I know some say the bags can be expensive but they really arent, you can get a box of 100 of them for $5, and can wash and reuse them. Thats what I did. It helped a lot.

So I would say trial and error to find a bottle she will take.

Good luck!

Sigh--same dilemma here--have you tried the breastflow bottle? Closest I got my daughter to using a bottle...she goes back and forth with it. She's older though (6mths) so I'm switching to a sippy cup and "mom-sicles"--breastmilk popsicles. Those are a lifesaver!

have a family member feed your baby wearing your robe or wrap the bottle with your clothes. your baby can smell you, so she may be comforted with your clothes. we did that with our little boy and it worked. our boy also rejected different bottles/nipples and eventually settled on the dr. brown natural flow nipples. good luck! it will work out, just have patience.