Any Tips on Getting Baby to Take Bottle?

I'm having exactly the same problem with my 4 and a half month girl. Do let me know if anyone offers sage advice on this one!

I'd say keep trying! Try different bottle nipples, try different positions, try often!

My first one did take a bottle, but the second one didn't. I just kinda gave up trying after a few attempts because it wasn't really important to me.

When my little one started bottle feeding, my husband gave her her first and subsequent bottles until she was used to it. I went upstairs for a shower and then stayed there for a little while, although, she was a bit younger. I would continue trying, perhaps he will come around. Maybe experiment with different bottle brands/nipple types ... we found the Soothie bottles worked great for the transition. Good luck!

hehe ... they always recommend persistence. Keep trying, especially wait for his hunger cues, because then he will have to take it no matter what. If he's full, or not that hungry, he'll probably just play with it. The big difference is mommy's breast is nice, warm and squishy and the bottle is hard plasticy and doesn't smell like mommy at all. So there's a definite preference when he's not hungry, ie. just looking for comfort.

Let me know how it goes. I can't say I relate all that well because I nursed my son until he was 8 months and started biting. ouch.

Hi A.-
My son is 8 months now. When he was 4 weeks old we gave him his first bottle. He took it so easily that we figured we didn't need to worry and didn't try again until he was 3 months. Well, he got a lot smarter by then and refused to take it. I went back to work but had to travel twice per day to nurse so he wouldn't starve. My doctor told me that we might need to actually try starvation by having me leave for a whole day--with no other options he might get hungry enough to try a bottle. Well, that didn't really work--we tried six hours and he just waited for me. Anyway, we basically just kept trying. As aggravating as it is to waste breast milk, try having someone give him pumped milk once per day. Another trick I tried that worked sometimes was starting him on the breast and slipping a bottle into his mouth. He now takes a bottle like a champ but it took almost three months of trying to get there. I wish you luck!

I had the same problem with my 9 month old daughter when she was 4 months. I tried MANY different brands/types of bottles and nipples. Originally she would only drink from the playtex nurser with a latex orthodontic nipple. We tried often and had family members help out. After she became ok with the orthodontic nipple, we moved on to other types of nipples and bottles. Also, she wanted the milk warmed to begin with. I hope things work out for you.

I went through this with my second and third child. I just about went crazy trying to get #2 to take a bottle. She never really did. However if I was gone and she was hungry enough she'd take a little. With my third I tried and she refused all together. But what my LC told me is that even if they refuse the bottle, they'll just wait for you. Your milk will adjust to meat the baby's needs. Are you planning to work or are you a SAHM? Either way, the two of you will adjust if your baby continues to refuse the bottle. Also, you could try a sippy cup, sometimes BF babies will take a cup earlier. The avent cups are nice for that. You're also getting close to the 6 month mark and you can try cereal then. Good luck!

If there is no specific reason like you needing to go back to work or something that you have no choice but to leave the baby and pump then I think it would be a whole lot easier for everyone if you just picked one and stuck with it. Imagine how difficult it is for the baby to get used to the comfort of mommy and then be changed to something totally different and new. The change is as hard as going from the diaper to the potty or from being home bound with mommy to in a daycare full of strange people.Starvation for a baby that small should not be an option...not feeding a baby quick enough NOW makes many things happen, he gets grumpy and that causes alot of discomfort for everyone. My babies doctor would cringe in pain hearing someone say to let him do without,as do I, epecially if its not nes.The whole process is just confusing and unless you NEED to put him on the bottle then just keep up with ur original plan to breastfeed. I have to say I gave a cockeyed look at reading one post of the mother that suggested u letting ur son breastfeed from another mother.....that is kinda taboo to me...almost reminds me of that lifetime movie where the girl moves in to babysit and ends up trying to take over and was breastfeeding this ladies child. Some could try to compare it with letting someone bottle feed ur baby but personally breastfeeding is so much more intimate and personal to be letting someone else substitute. But gl in w/e you choose.

try the playtex nurser it is most like the natural nipple rest it on his lips and let him find it just like he does when he is breast feeding. this should help

My daughter is the same age. I also breastfeed as well. Since I am a teacher, I had to pump and feed her from a bottle as well. She really likes the Nuk bottles made by gerber. The only places that I have been able to find them are target and walmart. She is very particular over which bottles she likes- the only ones she likes are the Nuk bottles and the Dr Brown's wideneck bottles. My lactation consultant told me to get the bottles with the wider base nipples, not the regular ones that look so skinny. Hope this helps!

Is there a particular reason you are trying to get him on the bottle?
Some babies just do not like them.

With 2 of my five iddos I ended up with terrible breast problems- one at four months- she refused!!!! to take a bottle and I didn't have any nursing friends around me at the time. (ended up having to feed her with a medicine dropper) Thankfully I was able to get the bacterial infection cleared up and get nursing going. Also I praise God her made her fat cause she needed the stored energy.

I had another baby that at 5 months I had bacterial issues with and although he was a little miffed at first he quickly found happiness in the bottle and could switched easily between the bottle and the breast. I praise God for that since this infection took a while to clear up completely. As soon as we were all good we were back to breast only.

It is true that eventually if they are starving enough most babies will drink from a bottle. But some babies just do not like them (like my Hannah) and so other things had to be done.

You cold try different more breast like bottles/nipples but your little one maybe one of those that refuses.

I am sorry I am not much help- if you are neededing your babe to be on the bottle because you have to go to work or something then keep plugging away and whoever your care giver will be should know how to medicine dropper feed just in case. And hopefully your little one will come around.

If you are just doing it for the sake of being able to do it then I advice not to worry about- or if you do want to go out give another nursing friend a call and see if they will watch over your baby while you are out so that if he is hungry he can he.
That may sound weird but it isn't really- and hey! Us moms need to stick together!
When is your babies b-day? I just had my fifth on March 18th so they should be close...M.

I'd recommend the Playtex Nursers too. I breastfed my daughter (now 18 months) for about a week but ran into some trouble and pretty much exclusively pumped after that until she was about a year old.... Have you tried offering the bottle when your son isn't necessarily hungry? If you've been trying at a normal mealtime, maybe he's so hungry that he just gets frustrated and wants to breastfeed. Perhaps if you offer a bottle when he's not ready for a "regular meal," he'd give it a try. HTH.
Karen

I fed both my children brestmilk from the bottle. I used the Nuk nipples and they didn't have any problem going back and forth and they didn't like any other nipples or pacifiers. Try the new and old type.

This is not an easy one. My daughter took the bottle from day 1 in the hospital when I was afraid that she was loosing too much weight. Until she was 11 weeks old, I kept giving her a bottle of formula (5 oz.) a day, at 11 pm. This was enough to keep her happy until ~6:00 am. She was 3 weeks old when she started to sleep ~ 7 hours a night. At 11 weeks, I dropped the midnight feeding together with the bottle and the formula. She was sleeping 8 pm to 6 am. Well, I never thought that, even in a few days, she would completely forget about the bottle and not want it back. After 5 days, the baby sitter was not able to give her the bottle anymore, even with breast milk. I read other tips on-line, and what worked for me was perseverance. It helped to warm up the milk to make it more like the fresh breast milk and to sing to her to provide a distraction. She was rather taking it from me than from my husband or the baby sitter. Now, I am trying to give her at least one bottle a day after that lesson.