How to Get Baby to Accept Bottle

K.,
I set aside a whole day to do nothing but with love and patience bottle feed my daughter, she was about 3 or 4 months at the time. I did not offer the breast and eventually hunger got the best of her and she gave in. I also squeezed milk out of the nipple into her mouth so that she knew that there was milk to be had. good luck
Emily

When I was breeastfeeding my daughter I went to a weekly mom's group held at a lactation consultant's office in SLO. When mom's had the same problem she suggested to only have dad or anyone other than you feed with a bottle because the baby knows you have the "goods." She also suggested to try a little at a time even if is only .5-1oz and then give the rest by breastfeeding. Good luck!

My first daughter NEVER took a bottle! I know how frustrating this can be for you! The sippy cup was the one thing that worked for me...or a regular cup (my mom used a shot glass!) LOL
Good Luck.

Good Morning K.,
Just when you think you have a plan, your baby, then your toddler, then child, then teenager will change it all. Welcome to parenthood. Breastfeeding is a special one because your baby had put all her bonding, security, nourishment, and mama time into it. You are to her taking that all away. I don't have advise about how, because I breastfed my three babies until about two years for each one. This was what I wanted to do for their immune systems and it was a personal choice. You have to make your own choices and I honor that. I just want to be a gentle reminder to try to ease into whatever you do next with a calm and understanding for your young little gift. Good Luck and be the blessing. Your child will watch you and how you respond to each change in her life. It will effect the person she becomes as an adult.

Both my boys would not take bottles. My first son stopped taking a bottle after 2 months old, and (when he was old enough) didn't like solids all that much. I nursed him until he was 2.5 yrs - when I was 6 months pregnant with my second, and I slowly weaned the first one over 2 months.

My 2nd son never took a bottle (and I did try to give them to him thinking it would be easier.) He rejected (pushed me away when I tried to nurse him) nursing when he was about 18 months old. He would hardly eat any solid foods at that time, but continued to grow right on track.

I was not in your personal situation of wanting to stop breastfeeding, and it is not my intention to judge you with my comments. My comments come from my gut feeling about the situation and I hope you can view them with an open mind and heart.

It breaks my heart to think that nourishment is being withheld from your 6 month old daughter who doesn't understand your wants and is asking for the only thing she knows when it comes to being fed.

I strongly, from the bottom of my heart, encourage you to hang on for at least another 6 months (most experts recommend you nurse for at least 1 year.) She will be eating solids by then and the weaning should go much easier.

Is 6 months really that much longer to wait for the end of something that (hopefully, like me) you will look back on one day and remember those precious moments you spent together?

Gook luck with whatever decision you make. I hope my comments were helpful.

I did the same exact thing! I gave my breastfeeding daughter a bottle 3 times around 4 months and she took it no problem and then at 7 months expected the same thing and NO WAY would she take it! I had to go back to work so she had to be in someones elses care and I tried the bottle for weeks before I had to go back and she NEVER took it. Luckily by now you have them on some solids so just stick to those and keep trying. Develop a schedule as to when you WILL feed and slowly wean her. Usually before nap and bed are the best times to keep breastfeeding until you are ready to give it up completely. Give bottles at all other times. My daughter didn't drink milk during the day for 3 days when I went back to work but she finally gave in. It takes time.

I know how this hurts, my 4 month old is going through the same thing when i went back to work. My husband actually gave her a bottle in the bath, which she loves and then she was fine after that, but i actually wasn't in the house to hear her cry which made it better for me, and we all know that it hurts the mom's way worse than the dads. so i guess that my advice that worked for us is don't wait until she is too hungry and try to introduce it at a fun time when she will be more open, and if you have to starve them leave the house so you don't hear it!
Good luck!

I had the same problem at the same age...here's what finally worked...We wrapped one of my shirts, one that I wore to bed or the day before, around the bottle so that she couldn't see it. Just the nipple stuck out. For some reason it worked! I think she thought that the bottle was some type of alien breast or something and as long as it had my shirt around it, she probably thought it was me. About 2 weeks later we were able to take the shirt off and now she accepts the bottle.

I had the same problem with mine when I went back to work. My sister was a life saver. She came every day and kept working with her. The trick is to do it when they are not fussy and you can not be around at all. My sister used to sing to my daughter Gwenevere when trying to take her go get the bottle. Upbeat songs to help her mood. Also it has to be every day or else she would forget.

from someone who's been there, good luck. Hope it helps.

My first little girl was just like that. I put her straight to the sippy cup. She was around 11 months when i did that though. Maybe you shuld try giving her the bottle for snack time. a little each day and get her used to holding it. Make it part of your routine. Once she is used to having it around then use the bottle to replace breastfeeding. One meal at a time. In my experience don't replace the nap time or bed time breastfeeding until she is used to the bottle. Baby steps with children i find works great. Good luck
B.

My friend had that problem with her child. She tried a sippy cup and it worked great! Just do that and forget the bottle. As long as baby is eating that's all that matters:)

I'm so sorry to hear about your problem and believe me when I say I know what you're going thru. I breastfed my youngest daughter for 14 months and when she was about 5 or 6 months I really wanted her to start taking a bottle just so I could have a break every now and then. Unfortunatly, she was having none of it. The only thing that I found to help when she finally did transition was to start off nursing her and have the bottle ready (full of your milk) and once she nursed for a few minutes slide the bottle in its place. After doing that for awhile she got used to it and then had no problems. Pretty soon we just offered the bottle and she would take it. I hope this helps, every child is different and I'm sure you'll find what works for you. Good luck!

Hi K.,

I had the same thing with my little girl at four months. As a first time mom, I flipped and called her doc. He said to starve her out and that babies know what they need and when they are hungry enough, they will take the bottle. After three days refusing at day care, she took the bottle and so far has been none the worse for wear. I know how you feel and don't give up!

Best,
T. R

Kudos to you for making it six months exclusively breastfeeding! As for getting baby to take a bottle I may have a couple of suggestions that could work. I discovered when switching my baby, from breast to bottle, that he absolutely hated silicone nipples. They tend to be too firm and nothing like the feel of a breast. Also, it helped when my husband or myself would have the baby's back to our chest so he was distracted by the room and not so focused on who (or what) was feeding him (be sure to get your eye contact in another way shortly after the feed to assure baby she doesn't miss out on this just because she's taking a bottle). This took time, but through trial and error we found a position he would take the bottle in and stuck with it for about 3 days.

Another position to try is to have dad or another experienced bottle feeder hold her in a breastfeeding position. I say experienced because they set a mood for the desired outcome (I have the food and my job is too feed you). Always positive emotions. Yet another position that was useful for us in the beginning was using our thighs as sort of an infants seat (feet propped up so your knees are bent but raised with baby facing you). Also, you or daddy could walk and move her rythmically to keep her distracted...who knows it might soothe her. And lastly you could attempt a "dream feed" picking her up while sleeping (lights low, house quiet) and slowly placing the bottle in her mouth.

I hope some of this is helpful I know it's probably alot to take in. But you'll do great and I wish you luck.

Hi,
I think you will have a very hard time getting your daughter to accept a bottle this late in the game. From what I've heard, it works best to introduce a bottle by the time the baby is 1 month old, and keep giving it regularly so they don't "forget." I also exclusively breastfeed my son and I gave him a bottle at 2 weeks old and he accepted it, but then I did not realize I needed to keep doing it at least once or twice a week. So the next time I, or my husband, tried to give him a bottle, he refused. We kept trying and then he took it, but he would refuse again. He never consistently took a bottle. At 6 months, I went straight to a sippy cup. The only one he would take was the Take 'N Toss by the First Years. Now at 12 months old, that's still the only one he drinks from. It may be easiest for you to go straight to the sippy cup. I am still breastfeeding my son, but at this point it is only 4-6 times a day. It gets easier as they get older.

I have also been told that if "they are hungry enough, they'll take a bottle," but I personally do not agree with that. Your daughter is accustomed to the breast, so this bottle is a foreign concept to her. Going straight to a sippy cup may work best for you. Good luck! :)

Have you heard of the Adiri brand "breast bottle"? From what I hear they are 15 bucks but work like a charm. Look it up online. Hope it helps. By the way, once you get your boobs back you might wish you were still nursing...happened to me and a close friend. Good Luck.

My son also will not drink from a bottle with a traditional nipple. He likes the Nuby cup (not the straw type mentioned in another response, rather the type with the fat silicone tip - you would think it would be way to big and fast-flowing); I purchased mine at CVS. He will also use the "tab" type top that fits onto Avent bottles (white, looks like a small flat tongue with 3 holes in the tip). Switching back and forth seems to help. Good luck!

Your baby knows where the good stuff is! I would seriously re-evaluate your reasons for weaning. When I was weaning my first baby and she remained persistent I realized that the only reason I was weaning was because of perceived societal pressure to wean. It is scientifically proven in every way that breast milk is better than formula, it is what your baby wants. If you still want to wean I would try a more gentle approach than making her be hungry for hours. You can try a syringe or medicine dropper to get the taste of milk and after a frustrating few minutes of just getting drops she might go for the bottle. You can try nursing first and then rather than switching sides give her a bottle. You can also try just giving her a sippy cup, six months is a good age for a cup and it is something new and different kind of like a toy and then wow how did milk get inside here?

I still struggle to give him the bottle myself because he prefers the real thing. My husband is able to finally get him to take the bottle after many crying spells. We switched to Latex nipples on the bottles (we tried everything) and made sure the milk was warm enough. If its any other bottle or the milk isn't warm to a particular temperature, he fusses and won't drink. You're not alone, now I feel better I'm not alone. My husband just kept being persistent and our son finally succumbed to taking the bottle. I'm looking forward to anyone else's feedback.

I've never posted here before, but I had to respond since we recently went through the exact same thing with my 6 mo. son! It was heartbreaking watching him scream, knowing he just wanted Mommy and here I was refusing. Here's what we did...
Every time he got hungry, we started by trying to give the bottle. We must have tried four different bottles and 8 different nipples. If he was starving, he'd just scream, and if he was just a little hungry he'd chew on it. We only got maybe one or two good sucks. Eventually I'd nurse him, and we'd try again later. Then one time I gave him a bottle of warm breastmilk (from a Playtex bottle that time) when he was 90% asleep...just starting to wake up from a nap. He sucked down 3 oz without stopping! From there, we just slowly got him more and more used to taking it awake, but let me tell you, it was a slow process. Think two steps forward and one step back!
A couple things...since your daughter is already 6 mos. old, you might be able to skip all this by weaning to a sippy cup. Or, if she's already been eating a little cereal or something, you could give her the milk from a spoon. Lastly...please don't just refuse to nurse her until she takes the bottle, letting her get really hungry and MAD. Like I said, it'll be just heartbreaking for you, and traumatic for her too...she's nursed her whole life (even if it is just a few months), and the weaning is best done gradually. The last reason is that it doesn't work! Lots of people told me that when my son was hungry enough he'd take the bottle, but he didn't...he just made himself hysterical. Best of luck...I know the whole bottle issue was so hard, but there is light at the end of the tunnel...he now takes bottles just fine!

Dear K.,

I have two things to say:
1. My mother-in-law always recommended weaning straight to a cup - I think her suggestion was to offer sips while they are sitting at the high chair eating meals.
2. I was told to wean my daughter at 4 months. She had been taking a bottle at least once a week while I was at work. All of a sudden, she started refusing. I tried breast milk in the bottle - wouldn't take it. It was awful! My mom ended up taking her for a weekend. She said she found that if she let her suck her fingers and then just slipped the nipple in beside them, my daughter would eventually take her fingers out of her mouth and keep sucking on the nipple.

My thought, is how you approach it depends on how badly you want/need to stop nursing her . . .

Good luck!
B.

Both my children did the same thing. The key I think is to just be consistant and don't give up. The whole process took about a week. But this way she wasn't overly frustrated.
The first 3 nights I had my husband feed my baby girl and she refused it. The next night she finally sucked but only ate maybe an ounce. The next..she finished her bottle! I also had to use the biggest and softest nipple I could find. And I made daddy wear one of my used t-shirts (ha ha). But it worked!

I really think they just need to get used to it. And each time after we tried and she had cried for about 15 minutes I went ahead and let her nurse. It is true that some babies will never take a bottle. My son was one. But when he got old enough we just used a cup or a sippy w/ the straws. But don't give up on the bottle, just keep trying every night at the same time so she can get used to it. Hope that helps!

S.
mommy to Collin (3), Amy (5 mo.)

Have you tried Second Nature bottles you can get them at Babies r Us. I have told a couple moms that have had the same problem and these bottles worked for them.

I had this problem, but my baby was around 9 or 10 months old at the time. We tried all the things you did, and then some. (I even bought a bottle shaped like a breast- that's how desperate I was. It didn't work.) What eventually did work was a combination of the following: 1. me being away for longer periods of time (3-4 hours), so that he was hungry and that was the only option for eating; 2. a bottle with a faster-flowing nipple (the slow ones were just too frustrating); and 3. my friend who was watching him would sit on top of an exercise ball while holding him, bouncing lightly to calm him, and giving him the bottle at the same time. At first, he only took a little at a time, but it gradually increased, and eventually (a month or two later?) he got to the point where I could just feed him a bottle without any special tricks or techniques. It was a slow process for us. Good luck!

Although I went through this at about 3 months old, both of my children went through bottle rejection. I am sorry to hear your trouble and know that it is painful as a Mom, stick with it and follow your instincts. You will adventually wear her out. I would recomend trying a few different nipples, we did this with both of my children and they ended up loving the Nuk by gerber but each child is different. Stick with It will be thinking of you, you can do it. A week from know it will all be in the past (believe it or not).

My 6mo took a bottle for 2 weeks when she was around 4wks old and then rejected it. Since then she's been exclusively breastfed because we eventually gave up and there wasn't any real need for a bottle (I didn't return to work). Around 4.5 months I gave her a sippy cup to hopefully get her to take milk from that, we had started her on cereal too. I got a Nuby because of the silicone top - she seemed to enjoy playing with that and when she bit down on it she would get milk. None of this was really swallowed though. I then bought some cheap sippy cups at Target - the $3 ones that have like 6 in them. I gave her that and she likes to suck on that and she does swallow most of it. Then we decided to give her a bottle again just to see what happens - she took it!! I'm convinced doing it this way made it just another thing to explore along with the other cups as well as the foods she was eating. I have to say letting your baby cry until she takes the bottle probably will not work. Nursing is also what soothes them, it's not just nutrition for them. It's the closeness to mommy and sucking. So once she's all worked up the last thing she wants is some artificial thing stuck in her mouth. My first suggestion is to accept the fact that you may be breastfeeding for a few more months, it will make this much easier for you. You should be flattered that your beautiful baby wants you instead of a hard, non conforming nipple...thinking of it this way helped me accept that I was going to have an imaginary chain for the next 6-9 months. Good luck and I hope this helps you.

Hi! I breastfed till my child was two and eventually they go to a sippy cup but when I went back to work I had to have my other child off breast and onto a bottle, I would freeze my milk after pumping, transferring it into a bottle, I found that the NUKE nipples worked the best for her and I would add a drop on honey on the nipple to get her adjusted to the bottle it worked for me. You have many good ideas and will come up with the right one for your child. God bless.

I had this same problem with my first born little girl. She wouldn't ever take a bottle and only sucked her thumb too. It seemed like she hated anything not real in her mouth. I tried the whole leave the house when she was hungry so my husband could feed her and like you she waited 3 hours until I got home to eat. I couldn't believe it. I know this isn't much help but I just chose to breastfed until she was 15months old. And then we went straight to a straw sippy cup. Now that I have 2 girls both breastfed my husband is trying to convince me of having a third the thing is the only part I miss of having a baby is the nursing. Enjoy this time one on one with your baby you will miss it soon enough.

I agree with the "keep breastfeeding" maybe a month or so and go to a strawcup.

Your situation certainly sounds frustrating, but also very common. I can't give any advice from personal experience because we started offering the bottle (with breastmilk) at least once a week when our daughter was six-weeks-old so daddy could have a chance to feed her and I could go get my nails done, etc <grin> and she happily accepted bottle and breast since then. (We actually didn't totally wean until she was 3 yrs old becuase of the various benefits to toddlers and moms from continued nursing.) You might want to contact the La Leche League -- they are soooo helpful regarding all types of nursing, weaning, sleep and other early child issues. They have online email groups, local meetings, and trained group leaders available by phone.

Try a sippy cup. I had the same problem with my son (now 1) and it's the best thing ever b/c now I won't have to wean him from the bottle! I'm still nursing btw. Try the "Born Free" soft nipple sippy cup--no plastic leaching. If that doesn't work, try Nuby--although mine often leaked. Introduce it when she's in a good mood in between nursing/eating. Let her get familiar with it on her terms. Model for her--drink from the sippy cup with yummy happy sounds. Now that she's old enough for food, put it on her high chair when you feed her.
It worked for me finally when I wasn't around, b/c my son was thirsty and I wasn't there. Maybe have your hubby try it again when he can? I'm a big nursing proponent, so I'm not a huge fan of cutting her off that way, it's the best thing for her nutrition during the stress of weaning...Keep with nursing! You can cut way back and get a ton more freedom since she'll be eating food. Just get over the hump, you can do it!!

Most babies stop breast feeding when they are ready. You should continue breastfeeding and let her get a little older and more active and it will be easier to ween her.

R.

Hi! We faced the same situation with our daughter, trying all the same tactics you did! What helped us was to present the sippy cup early...we started at 5 months. You could try giving it to her now, with expressed breastmilk, and work into water or diluted juice. Our daughter ended up never taking to a bottle...we even tried using different types & colors of nipples! I have nursed her exclusively...she is now 13 months old and almost completely weaned. If your little one takes to the sippy you could then transition easily to cow's milk at a year. Hope that helps...good luck and hang in there.

I switch my son to bottles at 6 months, too. It was really hard because he only had a few bottles before. His dr. told me you just have to only offer bottles to him and you cant give in...he will eat when he gets hungry enough and sees that is all he is going to get. We both cried for several days, it took about a week to fully get him switched. It was a long week but it all worked out. I even bought every bottle on the market to try. If its what you want you just have to stick to it and not give in.

Sounds exactly like my daughter who is 8 months old now. She too took a bottle for a few feedings in the early weeks but then was solely breast fed. I did all the tricks to try and get her a bottle and she would just rather skip a meal than have to take her milk from a bottle. I thought at 6 months when she started really eating solids she would warm up to the bottle because she was getting accustomed to having spoons in her mouth but no. Then, about three weeks ago, I noticed she still seemed hungry after breast feeding, so I got her a bottle of formula and she drank some of it. So I started to keep one by me when feeding her and would top her off. Then I started substituting a feeding with a bottle and now at 8 months she really only nurses once a day and it's really more for comfort. So, keep up with attempting the bottle. She may just need to grow a little and get comfortable with the concept.

My daughter was very much the same. Have you tried Dr. Brown bottles -- the shape of the nipple is more natural, and there is less air int he liquid, so more like the breast. There is no magic bullet -- but I [romise she will eventually take the bottle.

S.

I have had a similar experience with both my boys. They NEVER took a bottle. The only cup that worked was the Nuby Straw cup. Breastfed babies seem to be really great at drinking from the straw. Hope this helps. They sell the cup at Babies R Us.

K., I don't know what bottle you're using, but the one we've used in the family for years is the Playtex. We've always thought the nipple was "Most like Mom" and we used it with the bag inserts to prevent gas buildup in baby's tummy. We fed baby using the Platex bottles with expressed breastmilk and formula (later) and then juice.

K.
Mom of two and big sister to two Platex bottle babies :)

Hi K.,

Although my kids are now teenagers, I actually had the same problem with my daughter when she was 5 months old and I was going back to work. The only way we could get her to take a bottle was for me to literally leave the house and my husband would give her a bottle. If I was anywhere near her she could smell me and then she would scream till I gave her the breast. So I would suggest each day have your husband or anyone else but you give her a bottle while you go to the market or the mall or somewhere. This will get her used to the bottle. Eventually my daughter did take the bottle from me and it only took about a week. The other thing we did, which also worked, we would take a drive and I would sit in the back seat with her in her car seat and I would give her the bottle...that also worked. Good luck and hang in there!

K.

Hi K.;

Please don't be offended when I share my experienced raising my four children. I breastfeed them for 1 1/2 yrs. I don't mind and I love it. It turn out that it will happen naturally to them. All four of my children are in a reasonable children. My eldest daughter is 25 yrs old, married and had her daughter already. My grand daughter is breastfeed with my daughter around 6/8 months, but she trained her to used the zippy cup. She is only 18 mths old but very independent. She drink in a zippy cup,ate her own breakfast with her own plate. Every child is different from other children. Patient my dear with your precious daughter. She will be adorable and lovingly daughter to you as long as you sacrifice for her own benefit. Enjoy her because they grow so fast. My second son is 21 yrs old and lived and studied in NY with Video and Games Designer,my 16 yrs old daughter is Junior College already, my 14 yrs old son is freshman in high school. By the way, I am stay home mom and my husband supported all of us when he still working. Don't worry about your boobs, they will come back in the same shape or larger than before. I don't mind my boobs because I am more concern with the benefit of my child. Breastfeeding is the most important milk for our children. I realized that children that was breastfeeding are well behave and lovingly person,very close to the mother. She is only six months old and she still your precious baby. They're an angel so let her your mama's milk that she crave for. Good luck and keep me posted if I could share some ideas, please let me know.

A.

Well, this is not easy to tell you BUT ~ she will take a bottle eventually if you go away! My husband sent me on a retreat for three days & when I came home she was taking a bottle just fine. He is a stud though, cuz he just said "Oh she'll get hungry & take it...don't worry, she won't be at all scarred or die!" This precious baby is now 18 years old and let me tell you, she's better than "fine" and remembers not a thing about being hungry enough to figure out the bottle thing!!!
Good luck and God bless ~
K.

I think your are probably a very nice Mommy and by not taking the bottle your baby is protesting about losing Mommy and not just your boobs. Sort of what you would do if your husband starts to sleep in another room, you will protest as you think he belongs with you in the master-bedroom. If you take your baby with you everywhere you go, you will likely feel less trapped in the house and in less need of "freedom." Congratulations on breastfeeding this far and wishes for another 6 months or beyond! I think you can do it, and you will never regret it! Cheers :) Ab

K.,
Why don't you talk to your pediatrician or hire a lactation consultant. Cynthia Epps is great. She is certified IBCLC. She is in the LA area and her number is ###-###-####. Remember, breast feeding isn't only about nutrition - it is so much more. She probably feels like you are taking away her comfort too.

Oh, and I would only use Born Free bottles. They are phthalate free. You may have read in the news lately about a chemical called Bisphenol-A leaching from standard plastic baby bottles. Better to be cautious. Or you can use glass bottles. I am breast feeding my 7 month old and express sometimes and my mom and husband have been feeding him with the Born Free bottles. No gas. They work great!
D.

Well, I know you're wanting to move on from breastfeeding, but your daughter obviously isn't ready! You've done an amazing job at providing her the BEST possible food the last 6 months...and well, perhaps you should consider continuing :) I don't think you're selfish for wanting some of that "freedom" back, but do consider how short another 3-12 months really is and what a gift it is to breastfeed longer. Not that it's always convenient, but this is something you started and it may not be that easy to wean on your time line, nor is it ideal in my opinion.

When I went to a breast feeding class they said the best way to get your baby to accept the bottle is that the mom leaves the house just before feeding time and let Dad feed her the bottle and if he needs some support around him like grandmas while your gone that is a good idea. You should stay gone for a couple of hours. I gave the baby the bottle that was just luke warm also. Because the baby can smell you and she is like why am I getting this bottle when I can have the breast. So they say that's how you start getting her to accept the bottle. I hope this works for you.

I had the same problem with my daughter. We tried everything just like you said. I started to think I would never get her to take a bottle. What finally worked was I would give her the bottle to "play" with while laying on her changing table. I would squeeze a little formula in her mouth just for her to get the taste of it. After about a week of this she just started drinking from it one day. It was a miracle! Within 3 weeks she was totally weaned. I also used the playtex drop-ins- they were the only ones that worked- be sure to use a stage 2 nipple too. Good luck!