Breastfed Infant-trying to Bottle Feed Now

Have you tried the Adiri Breast Bottle?? Also, try the wider mouth bottles..(intended for breast babies..)..

You might need to try some different kinds of bottles. We didn't start my son on bottles until he was around 3 months old (when I went back to work). He was never crazy about them, but after trying 3-4 different kinds, we finally found one he'd at least take (the First Years ones that have a nipple inside a nipple). When he got a bit older he got less picky and we were able to use the other bottles we'd bought.

We started earlier, but just remember that feeding is a partnership. Just as it probably took you and her a while to figure out how to breastfeed together, so will it with the bottle. I found a bottle at babies-r-us called Breastflow, which is supposed to more resemble the action and feel of the breast, you might give that a try. Good luck!!

I'm not sure about the timing of trying the bottle, but with my son we tried a few different bottles before finding one that he would take and even then it took some practice for him to get consistent with it. He was picky about the temperature of the milk too so we had to warm it up. The nipple is also very important. I have read on other message boards that some parents try many different types of bottles before finding the one...and that it has been different for each of their children. We use playtex drop ins with the latex slow flow nipple. Its wide and his lips go around it just like when he is breastfeeding. We tried medela and playtex ventair which were both silicone and more narrow and he wouldn't take those. They also make playtex ventair in wide mouth which look very close to the drop ins which may work if you don't want to buy liners all the time (going to pick one up to try next time I'm at babies r us).

The Adiri nurser (found online and at Babies R US and I think I saw it at the really nice HEB)and Breast Flow seem to be the two closest bottles for breastfeeding. My daughter took Breastflow when she wouldn't take anything else, but all babies are different.

Another possibility is to not use a bottle at all. Try using a sippy cup, a cup with a straw, or a medicine spoon. We used an eye dropper for a baby in daycare but we finally found that she would take the bottle in small amounts if we held her upright and facing away from us (not in a nursing hold) and cuped our hand around her mouth and the bottle. The skin to skin contact seemed to help.

My daughter had exactly one bottle before she went to daycare at 10 weeks. They told me that she resisted a bit, but was more interested in eating than crying! We used Avent bottles with the wide-base nipple. I never bought faster flow nipples, and while I am sure they wore a certain amount, she used the same ones until I weaned her from the bottle at 11 months.

You've gotten a lot of good tips, but before you go and buy every bottle on the market, give it a few more days. It tastes different, smells different, and feels different...you might just need a little more time to get the hang of it.

You might even consider going straight to a cup or sippy cup. I started it around fours months and she had mastered it by five months.

Everyone has given you great advice...you have to try different nipples/bottles. My son took the first type of bottle we offered no problem.

My daughter, *sigh* I spent a small fortune on bottles and nipples, I even ordered the bottle shaped like a real breast. She wouldn't take one AT ALL. She ended up at 6 months old going with me to LA for 4 days because I could not leave her...I had to take her or she would starve. She never took a bottle and nursed about 13 months and went straight to a sippy cup.

Each child is different...good luck. Hugs!!

If you've been breastfeeding up until now your best bet is to try a nipple that is shaped like a breast. I recommend the Playtex nurser that has drop-in refills.

My third child never took a bottle from anyone. I tried the same methods you've tried. I nursed her for 12 months and then she went straight to a cup. She was easy to nurse and in hindsight I'm so glad I did it. I never had to worry about her giving up a bottle. I didn't try a variety of bottles/nipples with her, though. I think if I were to have gotten a breast-shaped nipple I would have been successful.

My fourth child needed to be supplemented with formula when she was about 9 or 10 months because for some reason my milk supply was low and she was waking up during the night. She took the Playtex Nurser right away and then at a year old I gave her a sippy cup instead.

Good luck!

Unfortunately, the solution is a touch expensive... You might have to buy 3-6 different bottles and nipples and try different ones. Of course, maybe you have a couple girlfriends with babies and you can barrow one set of theirs to try out (instead of buying a set to try)? Of course, don't open a new brand until you've completely tried the first... because hopefully you can return whatever you don't open/use.

I went with the Playtex bottles. Typically you can buy 1-2 single sets. 3 years ago, Playtex offered slow flow, medium and fast... although now they might have expanded the nipple speeds. And, since the bottles use bags, its easier to go straight with to the bottle with the breastmilk bags (if you're pumping).

Also, keep in mind that at 3 months, you probably still want the slow flow nipple. Although, between 4-6 months, the baby will out grow the slow flow and want a medium flow... So, don't invest too much $$ in the slow flow if you're going to replace them in 6-8 weeks.

D., try waiting until she's REALLY hungry, then go sit in your nursing chair or wherever you normally would nurse her, put her in nursing position, then when she is looking for the breast, try to give her the bottle. Sometimes babies are so surprised they will "latch on" to the bottle. Once they taste the milk sometimes they will just take the bottle. Good luck, it can be tricky but keep trying!
D.

babies can be picky about the shape and flow of a nipple. i would do some trial and error with this. good luck.

it took my daughter a while, but once we started them they worked great. try the breastflow bottles by first years. they are the only bottle that truly has to have the suction/compression just like breastfeeding. it's also a much larger area to latch onto. we had latch on issues due to flat nipples and she had a small mouth. i had to pump and give a bottle for every feeding at night for the first 3 months b/c she was too hungry to latch on correctly (even though it was fine during the day). we never had problems with nipple confusion. they sell at target and babies r us, but here is the info from their website. http://www.learningcurve.com/breastflow?icid=ddmenu&l...

cleaning note: i wouldn't put the nipples in the dishwasher. i read a lot of reviews that said the nipples didn't work right once they went through the dishwasher. i would handwash the nipples and but the bottle part in the dishwasher. good luck!

Our fourth baby refused to suck a bottle and just held it in his mouth. He also would not swallow food if he didn't like it but kept it in his mouth like a squirrel until I'd fish it out...he could even fall asleep like this...HOW ODD! :) There really wasn't anything we could do to convince him to take the bottle, but I did occasionally leave him for short periods of time after he'd been well nursed. He adjusted and if fussy from hunger was offered bottle, but if didn't take he would fuss to sleep and be ready to be fed when I got home. Try teaching baby to take sips from a cup, some of my guys were more successful with this and it didn't interfere with nursing. Baby four didn't like formula but liked a little water if mom wasn't around (doesn't provide the nutrition needed, but kept him hydrated...(don't overdo)) helped until I came back.

I just looked back and saw this was for a 3 month old...I'd probably not offer water...generally I kept baby in a sling with me when I went out from baby #2 on. Life was just simpler this way as we nursed on demand. My recollections were of an older baby...maybe six months and up.

I know this sounds weird, but you could try a straw cup. They have small straw cups with silicone straws (so they are soft and won't stab into baby's mouth like a hard straw, HEB has some that are "rated" for 4-mo, but I use the others too). Because your baby is nursing she is set up well for drinking out of a straw and then you don't ever need to break the bottle habit. I started my daughter on the straw cup and an open cup as soon as she had decent head control (so I could prop her up). I know your daughter is young for a sippy cup, but if you can avoid sippy cups and go straight to straws it would be better for her oral development. Good luck.

Have you tried different nipple types? Some babies are very particular about which nipple they'll take. One that is most like your nipple is the best bet but try others if that doesn't work.
Good luck.
L.

You might have to try a different nipple. Sometimes babies are very picky about which bottles they'll take, and considering she's been used to nursing you may have to try one shaped more like a natural breast. You didn't mention whether or not you're giving her formula or breast milk in the bottles. If you are trying to give her formula you may want to mix breast milk in and it may help.