My Baby Won't Take a Bottle! Help

Hi B.

Don't worry! I have several girlfriends who had this problem, so I don't think it's unusual! A few of them found that using a nipple shield when feeding (the ones you use when you have sore nipples, that still enable you to feed) worked wonders, as it got their children used to the feel of latex, rather than 'mummy'... Maybe you could give it a try? It still gives the baby the closeness of Mummy, but helps start the adjustment to taking a bottle instead..

Good luck!
C. x

B.,
Please don't use a nipple shield. It can affect the way your baby nurses and can cause your milk supply to drop. I would recommend, like the most recent post, that it not be you giving the baby the bottle. I would also stop offering her different nipples - pick one and stay with it. Babies have natural tongue thrust and will push out when something gets placed in their mouth. Remember that when your breast enters her mouth, your nipple actually molds to the top of her pallet; when you place an artificial nipple in there, no matter how soft, it won't mold the same way, so it's difficult to "get it to work". You might want to look into this bottle called "Adiri". You'll understand when you google it - it's much softer than those other silicone nipples. However, if you want to continue buying the over-the-counter, easy to find nipples, look for a nipple with a large "areola" and a short "nipple" - the avent do not meet this criteria - the playtex, a bit better. The Avent bottles will also fit a nipple called "Munchkin" - you can find those in more stores, but they have more of the criteria that we Lactation Educator's recommend for nursing babies.
Good Luck.
J.

I really love the "MAM" brand. It also does not contain the poisonous BPA's that most plastics have. You can get it online at www.amazon.com. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-###-###-####-###...
This brand also does not accumulate air bubbles as the baby drinks from it. My son loves it and had no transition problems whatsoever when I had to switched him to a bottle. I highly recommend it. Good luck!
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

The exact thing happened to my daughter and now at 5 1/2 month not only is she taking a bottle with breatmilk and formula but she is also holding it herself and taking it from me. I am still nursing about 90% of the time. She went from one extreme to the next. She really likes the Gerber brown nipples. I too tried all kinds of bottle and nothing worked. Make sure someone other then yourself feed her. All babies do things on their schedule. Keep offering it to her. My daughter would play with the bottle, try to hold it in her hand and eventually she realized that their was actually something in it and would open her mouth for it. Good luck.

Hi B.,

I went through this twice with my baby. When I went back to work he wasn't eating for 8 hours and it was really really frustrating. What finally helped was (1) Born Free Bottles which you cana get online or at Whole Foods and (2) My mother-in-law put her pinky in his mouth to get him to suck, then "slipped" the bottle in there.

Also you need to be away when this is happening since your baby will associate you with BFing.

Don't worry, I thought I would never make it through and now i am having issues getting my son off the bottle. Take care, V.

hi B. b, were you the one giving her the bottle? perhaps it would be good to have someone else give the bottle instead of you. it is said that breastfed babies really prefer their moms over the bottle. your baby's probably thinking "why is mom giving me this plastic-ky thing if her boobs are just there?" ;)

good luck!

jen

just keep offering. i used soothie nipples. there are so many to try a variety. once shes on a bottle she should take all of them after a while. dont give up!

I recently returned to work myself after having a baby 2 months ago. My primary feeding was nursing which made it difficult for my little one to get use to the bottle. I too tried several bottles and found that Gerber has a nipple very soft. My daughter would gag with all the others because the nipple was too long. Try the Gerber ones. The nipple is smaller, which makes the baby believe it's my nipple. She will take it. Good luck. Wish you the best.

My son would only take the breast until I tried the "Breast Flow Technology" bottle by The First Years (got it at Babies R Us). It is similar to the breast so not to confuse them if you are going to continue to breastfeed. My first child would take anything (we used the Avent) but my second is WAY more particular - I would give these a try! Good Luck!

Try to have someone else feed her as much as possible away from you with the bottle-husband, friends, or family.
Umm, if mom has the boobs & the bottle of course she's going to choose your boobs.
Good luck!