Getting Infant to Take a Bottle

Try different nipples. My son did not like silicone (clear) nipples. He will only take the brown ones. Also he only liked the orthodontic (shaped) ones & they had to be medium flow in the beginning. Then he switched to fast flow very quickly.
Good luck.

when you purchased the bottles did you buy the regular nipple bottles or the stubby nipple bottles. The stubby ones would probably be better for her because they are more like the mothers breast.

I did not have great success with this with my second child. He did not like anything that we did with him to get him to take the bottle. He would "graze" at daycare (just take enough to get him by) and wait until I came to get him, then he would nurse three times before going to bed by 7:30. No fun, (How do you do dinner when you have a baby who won't quit nursing?) but he did sleep through the night well after his serial feedings. He drove the daycare people crazy. I don't tell you this to discourage you, do try all the suggestions and try to be patient, but to let you know that if she never really takes to the bottle, you can get through that, too. He still got all his calories and grew, just was an incredibly stubborn boy about the bottle. He knew what he wanted, and nothing else would do. : )

Keep trying- be consistant
ease her off the breast too

Oh, do I feel for you! My baby girl just turned a year and she has been refusing a bottle or sippy cup for the past 6 months. I had to leave her when she was 6 months old because I had to go out of town on business for 2 weeks. She took a bottle fine while I was gone, but as soon as I returned home, she latched on and never took another bottle again! I wish I had some good advice for you... on the bright side, soon she'll be starting solids and hopefully you'll be able to break away for at least a few hours. I'm finally able to leave my 1 year old for most of the day since she can eat other things. Good luck to you!!!

Hang in there. My daughter would not take a bottle for me at all (and my husband was overseas for 2 months), and when my husband came home and tried she refused it. She started Day Care this week, and I was totally worried she would starve to death. Long story short....I worried for nothing...she took the bottle for these total strangers just fine. I think when they are hungry enough they will take the bottle. Make sure you are no where near your husband when he is trying to feed her and don't let her hear you either. She may be sensing stress from your husband if he is worried that she won't take it from him. Also, just be persistent...have him try to give her a bottle at the same time every day. If that doesn't work, and she is sleeping through the night, try to go out for a late dinner after she is asleep. You need some time to yourself.
Good Luck!
J. W

Try letting someone else give her a bottle. This worked for me. My good friend came over and we waited until baby was really hungry! I went outside and she gave him the bottle. We did this all day. It did take a little bit, but he finally got it. Good Luck!

My son was the same way. I used the advent bottles, then while I was nursing him and he was just about asleep I would sneak the bottle in his mouth, I made sure the nipple of the bottle was warm. This worked, I had to do this about 6 or 7 times, then he just started taking it on his own! Good Luck, J.

This is SUCH a tough one. All the other advice has been great, but I think another important thing to do is to try EVERY day. Not make a big deal out of it, but just offer the bottle every day. Don't be surprised if it takes a really long time (months, even).

Good luck-- I know how difficult this is. But she WILL eventually be able to eat without you!

HI T.,
My son was on formula from the start, so no breast/bottle issue there, but I swear I tried every bottle/nipple combo known to man! Maybe you could try a different bottle or nipple? My son ended up liking the good old basic gerber bottles & nipples the best. Good luck!

Hi T.,

Have you had someone other than you or your husband try to give your daughter a bottle? Babies are smart and they know when the "source" is nearby - so if you are still in the house, your baby may refuse the bottle because she knows she can get it from you. Try leaving the house to run errands while your husband gives her a bottle - and if she won't take it from him, try leaving her with a sitter for a few hours and see if she will take it that way. Most babies adjust fine once you are out of the house. It might be difficult the first few times, but after that it should be fine. Also - many babies would rather "go hungry" and wait for you to get back - so that may be an option too if she won't take the bottle- feed her right before you leave and then as soon as you get back home.

Good luck!

J.

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I would not worry too much. I understand your concern...maybe you feel a little trapped by a tiny little person? I would keep at, and keep having your husband give her the bottle. Eventually she will get it. When I switched my son he also had a hard time. Maybe you could try different nipples. I know my son really liked the real large ones that resembled the breast. I think they were Playtex. My son was a very good latcher, so when I would give him a bottle he wanted the nipple to be as close to the breast as possible. I would give that a try. But definately try to have your husband do it if you want to continue with the breast feeding. You want her to know that milk still comes from you. Good Luck to you!!!
C.

Does she have acid reflux? Is she teething? Yes, they can teethe at that early age-they hurt long before they break through. Good luck...
Chris

I had this problem too. And...I had to go back to work. Ugh! We tried different people, we tried different bottles.

Finally, I called up the daycare that we were going to use & they said Bring Her In & we'll just deal with it.

And...they did. Thank God. There were 2 teachers she was willing to take a bottle from & it was a huge struggle for them most of the time. She had to be held very close, very similar to how she would be for nursing, she preferred the more "no-nonsense" teachers vs the more nurturing "soft" ones.

And...basically she drank as little as she could & would then nurse the night away once she was home w/ me.

So...basically I feel your pain & what I would say is find someone who is EXTREMELY patient & if they are going deaf already, that probably couldn't hurt since the screaming won't bother them as much. And...maybe if you could find a place to go that is very close so it is only 3 hrs being away & she is only miserable for that last hour?

I know that for me, I could try someone else but if I was anywhere in the vicinity, she was not going to go for it. So...you might just have to find someone willing to put up w/ screaming. And you might be surprised to find that if you are truly gone, she might take it easier.

We had used Avents for our older daughter but the little one hated those. We had to use the old fashioned Playtex nurser bottles w/ the new nipples that are more boob shaped.

I hope this helps. So sorry you have to go through this. I know how hard it is.

My husband and I had the same problem. This is what we figured out:
- Make sure she's really hungry and not just wanting to pacify when you offer the bottle.
- Make sure the contents aren't too cold and the nipple is warmed as well. This was a biggie for us!
- when she first seems to not take the bottle, keep it in her mouth...it took my daughter a good 10 full seconds to accept the bottle in her mouth.
- Try different nipple/bottle combos. Slow flow will probably be best.
- Not sure if you are expressing milk or giving formula, but this could be an issue as well. Try giving her fresh expressed milk at first.
- Keep at it. The more you try when she's hungry the more she'll get used to the idea.
Good Luck!