Getting My Breastfed Baby to Take a Bottle

I don't know if it would help, but maybe using a cup instead of a bottle would work. You could try a sippy cup, or just hold the cup with milk in it, and see if you can get him to sip it. Just a thought.

Have you tried the wide mouth bottles versus the regular bottles? They say the wide mouth bottles simulate a breast more so than the others. I also breast fed both of my children until they were over 1. I introduced a bottle right before I went back to work and I had success with the Playtex Ventair (wide). Every baby is different. There's nothing like Mamma. Nothing can substitute the close bond between mom and baby. Enjoy these moments because they go so fast!!!

I hate to answer your question with a question, but why do you want the baby to take a bottle? Are you returning to work? I breastfed all four of mine, and we never gave them a bottle. (I was unable to pump, and didn't want to use formula) When they were 3 to four months old, they had a pattern to nursing. At that time I could leave them briefly to exercise, run an errand, or have dinner out. (up to 3 hours) When they started eating solids, (5 to 6 months, but 9 months for my son)I could leave for a little longer. (around 4 hours) I introduced a sippy cup with water or diluted juice around 7 months, and that would stretch them longer if need be.
Now that they are older (11, 9, 3.5, 2.5) waiting a few months until I could get out without them seems like such a short time. Especially when I consider that I will be bra shopping for my oldest before too long. I wish I had that simple time back of just holding and nursing them. Of course, if you need to return to work, your situation is understandably different, as I haven't worked in over 11 years. I take that back, I have worked very hard for the past 11 years.

I had a heck of a time getting both my boys to take a bottle. With baby #2 I had success.

Due to crazy reflux I started him on solid food at 3-1/2 months. He loved every bite of food. Well, it was rice cereal mixed with formula. After about a week of him getting used to the taste of formula, I started giving him a bottle of formula after his food while he was still in the bouncy. He seemed to have a hard time figuring out how to get the milk out. It wasn't that it upset him, he just couldn't figure out how to work it so to speak. I stuck with it. After a few times, he took it. Drank no problem with it. I started giving him 1 bottle per day to keep him taking it.

A few key points. Playtex Nurser. I see someone also suggested Playtex Ventair. Same nipple wich is good. Nursers have the drop in bags. You can push the air out. That way baby does not have to tilt head back at all to get milk. Can drink looking down even. The nipple seems to be the best as well.

Do no feed in a possition that suggests nursing. Sit him on your lap looking away. Go somewhere interesting. Let him look around. Even walk around. My boy loved to ride in the Bjorn and drink a bottle. If you hold him like you are going to nurse him that is what he will expect.

I say go with formula. Breast milk will make him think of nursing. The bottle is not to mimick nursing, but rather be an alternative way of eating.

Good luck. I think I could write more, but my baby just woke up upset. Please feel free to write me and question me more if I missed anything.

My son did the same thing. He was breastfed in the NICU for 4 days, was breastfed at home for 3 weeks and then had to take a bottle after emergency surgery when he was 26 days old. Man, did he hate that bottle! Most people told me to have my husband feed him (same as you were told), but one friend (who is a nurse) said 'Why are you changing everything about eating for him? If you can't give him your breast, at least hold him and let him smell you and feel your arms around him.' He finally took the few bottles he was forced to take (they had to measure exactly what went in and out for a few days), but only from me. After he was discharged, he went back to breastfeeding and never took another bottle.

Good luck!

Have you tried different kinds of nipples, silicone and rubber? Even different shaped nipples?

Babies won't starve themselves...He'll eventually eat when he's hungry enough.

Ok, I am probably going to be ridiculed for this response - but here goes. I had the same problem with my son. He took the bottle at first - then I just breast fed for convience. By the time I started to try to get him the bottle again, it met with absolute refusal. So, I did LOTS of research and this is what eventually worked. Stick with one bottle/nipple and instead of using formula - have your husband or mother use Pediasure (or some other equivalent) Pediasure has the same vitamins/nutrition that most formulas do - it just has more sugar so it's very sweet. I had my mom feed him straight pediasure 2-3 times, then I had her feed him 2/3 pediasure 2/3formula. Within a month we had him down to strictly formula. After that he was fine and we could switch around and feed him. And there was no tears, no fuss etc.

Hope it helps. You can check with your ped - but I told mine after the fact and he seemed ok with what I did! Good luck!

My 7 month old only breastfeeds, he absolutely refuses bottles. We tried the daddy thing with the bottle but he wouldn't take it. My mother-in-law was the one who really wanted me to get the boy on the bottle (me thinks the breastfeeding made her uncomfortable)Now on the bright side he is happy and healthy(95 percentile in both height and weight)he's taking to cereal well, wants to drink out of mommy's cup(I'm going to introduce a sippy cup soon)He simply doesn't have any use for a bottle. SO! Unless there is a reason he needs to take a bottle(you can't feed him because of work,etc.)I wouldn't stress over it! Enjoy the experience it will be over before you know it. If daddy feels left out, well, wait til solids, that's a whole new feeding experience. (and quite fun!)Good Luck!

My daughter spit her pacifier out when she was about 2 weeks old and I knew we were in trouble. I am a nurse working 12 hour nights so she had to be able to take a bottle. Well, she never did like it. Before I went back to work we tried all the suggested things-someone else, differrent nipples and only used breast milk. tried it warm and cold thinking maybe the different temp would make her curious. Anyways, I went back to work with her 3 months old and not having taken a bottle yet and said a lot of prayers. Her father was so ticked off about how difficult it was to deal with her that he actually tried to force me to quit breast feeding. Yeah, right, that'd've made it better. Only once did she take a bottle before she was absolutely starving. That was a preemie nipple-very soft. The next weekend, however, it was back to crying. By age 4 months we had gone to a sippy cup-not the spill proof kind. The messy kind can be kinda dripped gently into her mouth so she just has to swallow. She didn't take long to get used to it and graduate to the spill proof kind she had to suck on. She also learned how to use a straw early. I was able to continue to breast feed her until the two of us decided she was done-at 15 months. Don't give up or give in. My daughter never had any formula which was not only money saving but healthy for her. As for the part about leaving the house, I know how hard it is to be around your crying, hungry child. Leave. You're gonna leak all ovwer everywhere if you don't.

we tried several differetn types of bottles when trying to get my daughter used to bottle feeding when i went back to work. we finally settled on the soothie brand bottles. the nipples look just like the pacis they give out at the hospitals. and the shape of them looks very much like the nipple/areola of a real breast. i found them at target and i think walmart might carry them now too. and don't worry about strving your son...he'll eat when he's hungry, he might get mad and fuss at 1st, but he'll eat. take advantage of getting out of the house for a while, jsut make sure if you're going to be gone for a while that there is extra milk still at the house and that you take time to pump, so you don't get engorged and leak every where.

I had the same problem with my son. He was in the NICU also (but only for 2 days) where he was bottle fed. At home we breastfed and continued to bottle feed occationally. Well...it didn't seem to make sense to pump when I was home and could just breastfeed. It honestly seemed like twice the work, so we did not bottlefeed for approximately 2 weeks. After that he would NEVER take a bottle again. He hated the feeling of the bottle (and also a pacifier). We tried every bottle available at the stores and over the internet without luck, including the breast shaped bottles. I consulted with his pediatrician and the lactation consultants at the hospital. I was told the same things you have tried--have dad or someone other than myself introduce the bottle without me around. Nothing worked and both the pediatrician and lactation consultant said that this is not entirely uncommon. They also said that the theory that, if the baby gets hungry enough, he will eat, does not hold true. I eventually adjusted my work schedule for a month or so to come home at noon to breastfeed. At 4 months, he started with a bit of cereal and began introducing solids, which helped to span the gaps between nursing. He started drinking from a sippy cup early with no problems. Hopefully, you will have better luck with the bottle than we did. I am pregnant again now and will be sure to use the bottle consistantly!

The book "Working Mother, Nursing Mother" is wonderful and soo helpful. Lots of information on pumping, bottles, etc.

Did you try Avent bottles? My daughter who is breastfeed wouldn't take any other kind of bottle but finally took bottles when I switched to Avent. Also, is the bottle the right temperature (not too hot and not too cold)? My daughter is very particular she refuses bottles if it's too cold/hot. If you've already tried Avent and tried different temps -- sorry my suggestions didn't help.

i really believe that sometimes it isn't stubbornness, but they just can't.
nursing and getting milk from a bottle requires different techniques, and when they try to nurse the bottle nipple and get just droplets, they might get so frustrated they can't even try anymore.
maybe just throughout the day, when you know he isn't too hungry, let him play with a bottle of milk for a while. if he finally gets it again, he may remember his method at the next feeding time.
my kids went through this same thing. i just didn't leave for more than 3 hours at a time until they were 4 months old and able to eat cereal. even if he never takes a bottle, it will be ok!!!

As hard as it is, my best advice is to leave the house. Also, have you tried different bottles? We went through 3 or 4 different brands before we found one that our son would take. Also, I had to leave the house---it wasn't enough for me to just be upstairs.
Good luck!

Have you tried putting breast milk in the bottle? Maybe he just prefers your milk to the artificial kind. I guess you have reasons for weaning a 3 month old but he is still very young and can use your milk much better than the other stuff. I assume you have tried many types of nipples but one that is most like you could work. Also, hold him very close to you when giving him a bottle, he may really need that part of it, too.

My daughter did the exact same thing, she would rather not eat than take a bottle. My baby sitter had to call me to come home one day because she would not eat. I finally bought these bottles made by "the first years" Called Breast Flow. They have a double nipple that I guess mimicks the breast, the baby has to apply pressure as well as suck to get the milk out.

My daughter actually began taking these and we were then very easily able to switch her over to regular bottles. So I only bought the starter pack.

I had the same problem with my son when I went back to work from maternity leave. He was 9 weeks and we just kept trying different bottles and the one he liked at that time was Breastflow by First Years. I have been only able to find it at Babies R Us. The bottles are supposed to mimic nursing. Best of luck to you because I know how frustrating it is to get your baby to take a bottle. Mine little man is almost 11 months old now and will take a bottle pretty good, but still prefers to nurse so I have to hold him facing outwards to get him to take the bottle.