Infant Suddenly Refusing Bottle

Hi
We are having the same issue. If you have any success let me know how!!____@____.com.

Try making the hole in the nipple a little bigger.

Nanc

your daughter just figured out what's feels better for her, more enjoyable and intimate, rather then rubber bottle, she's smart!at about 10 weeks my daughter too decided that she won't take anymore bottles, it was impossible for us to get her to do it again, we've tried everything - i decided i won't go back to work, i was very happy with that decision, luckily i was able to work freelance from home. Sorry , i don;t have any advise on that subject, i know what u r going through , maybe anything closest to a breast might help, like one of those breast shaped bottles, have your husband keep trying maybe when she's very hungry or when she is slightly hungry & not tired, so she's no irritated- try both times. hope it would work out for you, good luck

My daughter did the same thing at that age, I guess they like consistency. I gave up my job to stay home with her, so I was able to feed on the breast exclusively. Which nipples have you tried? I wouldn't do fast flow for your daughter at this age but we liked the Gerber NUK silicone nipple in newborn flow... until the little one stopped taking the bottle. You could also try the bottle shaped like a breast but they're about $12 each. Or the other thing you could do is pump and feed her the expressed milk every time which I know would be a pain.

One thing your husband could do when he gives her the bottle is to not hold it vertically, but more horizontally with a slight tilt (obviously not horizontal enough to make her swallow air). When the bottle is vertical, the little ones don't need to do any work to take in the milk, all they have to do is swallow so they get lazy once they are on the breast. I wish had a better answer for you.

If you are in central NJ, there are a couple of breastfeeding support groups with hotlines you can call to get advice from breastfeeding counselors. The La Leche League meets in Lawrenceville and the Family Breastfeeding Association meets in Pennington. Let me know if you want phone numbers for these.

Hi could she have an ear infection? I know my little one (way back when) would cry and scream and sometimes just refuse to eat because the preasure of eating with the ear infection was so painful. Just a thought.

~Kristal

My daughter was the same way...started to refuse bottles around 8 weeks old, although we had been giving her one bottle/day since week 3. No, she will not outgrow this preference, but you can train her to accept bottles. Try the Playtex Naturalatch nipple with the Playtex nurser system...the slow-flow is extra slow (more like mom) so she doesn't gag/drown in the milk. Plus the shape encourages a proper latch. I just posted to another request all the reasons why I like this bottle...so you can check out what I wrote.

Our lactation consultant recommended 24-hours of bottle only (with pumped milk in the bottles), which we did at about 10 weeks. Plan to stay at home during the 24 hours, have daddy (or someone other than you) do most of the feedings, understand that the first 2 or 3 or 4 feedings are going to be terrible, but by the end of the 24 hours, she will accept it. Babies will not starve themselves if food is offered to them. Plus, with the Playtex bottles, the flow will not be too fast (so she physiologically can handle it).

You baby is smart (at least that was what I was told!) and knows that a warm breast is preferable to a plastic bottle. She just needs to be convinced that a bottle is acceptable too. Good luck!

you shouldnt be anywhere near your baby when your hubby is feeding her. she can smell you and wont want the bottle, just your breast. also, dont keep changing bottles, this is a mistake everyone makes. get her used to one bottle and eventually she will take it! (or not)

We had the same thing happen with our son. We read that giving a bottle a few times/week was enough to keep a baby used to it and able to go back and forth between breast and bottle, but it definitely wasn't. We tried everything, just like you're doing. We settled on Nuk nipples because they looked like they gave him the most comfortable latch and just kept offering at least one bottle/ day. It took a couple months before he actually started taking the bottles again. It seems they do figure out quickly which they prefer and that's what they want. My son is 8 months old now and still has times when he'd rather nurse, but he is getting used to having a bottle at certain times of the day......they become opinionated so quickly. I'm sorry I don't have a quick fix, just decide on one type of nipple and keep offering it everyday. She'll take it eventually. Keep in mind that she does know how to take a bottle, so if she's really hungry and you're not available, she won't starve.....she can eat.

If she was refusing both the breast and bottle I would say it is colic.

Dear RK,

I am the owner of a pre-school/daycare and I face this problem all of the time. It is so hard for us a caretakers when a baby will not take a bottle so I usually suggest that mom just have someone else (on the weekend) exclusively bottle feed for a day or two. At first it will be hard but you have to persist and when she is hungry enough she will drink. If you are going back to work please make this a priority. I have had babies that would not drink anything and scream with hunger the entire day. Believe me I am a firm believer in nursing and how good it is for babies, however if mom is planning to go back to work we need to be realistic and weigh all other options if she cannot remain home exclusively nursing. Try preemie nipples or nuk nipples when you decide stick to just that nipple do not go back in forth that will make it more difficult. Also if she takes a pacifier make sure the nipple is the same as the bottle. I think you are doing a great job and do not get frustrated this will pass. Congratulations on your baby girl.