January 2015 Moms

HELP! Breastfed babe will not take bottle!

I have exclusively breastfed. They said to wait 3 to 4 weeks before introducing bottle now I'm afraid we waited too long because my baby will not suck from a bottle. She screams and throws a fit. We have bern trying for about a week. Luckily I have another 7 weeks before going back to work but I need any suggestions! We're going crazy here!

Re: HELP! Breastfed babe will not take bottle!

  • I'm having the same struggle. The best advice I got was to leave the room when someone is giving her a bottle. If she knows you're there she will want the boobie. Also, make sure you are not offering the bottle during a normal fussy time. My dd is fussy in the evening starting around 6pm. We tried an evening bottle and it was a huge meltdown. She has taken one a couple times during the day, but it's a real struggle to get her to. What kind of bottle are you using?
  • kbl13kbl13 member
    We've had luck with Tommee Tippee bottles, what kind are you trying? Also, DH offered the milk just slightly above room temp and fed her when I wasn't home. Good luck!
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  • We have tried the medela bottles that came with the pump, Dr Brown's, and Avent so far. I ordered some Breastflow by First Years. We'll give Tommee Tippee a try too. We have slow flow nipples but they still seem like they're choking her and that's why she gets mad. She doesn't like pacifiers either. We've only been trying about a week and I know its an adjustment that'll just take time. Thanks for the tips so far!
  • Was scrolling through forums and saw this and I'm having the same issue, wanted to see what others have tried and what has worked. My baby will take pacies but not a bottle we've tried avent bottles which is the same brand as the pacifiers but she acts like she's choking on them
  • I had a little better luck this morning. I started nursing her and once she was getting sleepy I pulled her off and switched to a bottle. Still didn't take much but better than before! Definitely just a patience and practice game.
  • I agree with above- try differnt brand of bottle, each baby likes a different type. We went through a couple. And have someone else give the bottle when you are not too close by.
  • My baby has only taken the bottle three times but I have only tried 5. We use breastflow with him. What we do is make sure he's not overly hungry and then give him the pacifier and when he starts sucking on the pacifier we switch for the bottle
  • My husband gave ours a bottle and she took it well but didn't finish it. I tried to give her the rest a little bit later but she wouldn't take it from me because she wanted to bf. You shouldn't be the one giving the bottle. That may help.



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  • We've had a lot of luck with the Lansinoh bottle, the nipple is really wide and soft. Also, I warm up the nipple with warm water and put a little milk on the tip to entice her. My husband would have to be the only one feeding with the bottle before we got the Lansinoh bottle/nipple and even then she'd barely eat and eventually end up needing me, but now she'll take the bottle even from me. Good luck!
  • dp21dp21 member
    @kemayer Breastflow worked for us!  My LO refused comotomo, avent, and medela calma.  Breastflow she took no problem and has same sucking action as breastfeeding because of double nipple.  Also love the price point. 

    For anyone having issues, if you are ok with this, one of my close friends was able to loan several bottle types and we just sterilized them (instead of buying more and more bottles she was going to refuse, like how I wasted 26 bucks on 2 pack of comotomo bottles).  Gave me  tommee tippee, dr. browns, medela calma, and breastflow to try.  I already purchased avent and comotomo which my baby hated.  She really likes the breastflow the best!  It is still a struggle because it's not mom but if hungry enough she will latch on well and take whole botttle.  I have 5 weeks of maternity leave, we are pumping her one bottle a day.  I just pump right before she is due to eat so the milk is fresh and room temp.  Figured we tackle bottle issues first before adding frozen milk into the mix. 
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  • A baby will always prefer the breast, but sometimes it is a simple problem. There are specific bottles for breastfeeding that make it almost exactly like a real nipple. Also, make sure the milk is warm...because they want it warm like it I from the breast. Just be patient, all babies are different.
  • Also, we use the Lansinoh brand...and my son of two months loves them. And, he exclusively breastfeeds.
  • Hey! I had a sort of opposite situation. My baby was born two months early so he was unable to be at the breast until now (7weeks, 38 gestation). He preferred the bottle obviously because he didn't have to work too hard to get the milk but I started using the kiinde bottle system and their nipple are much more similar to the breast than others. Just like boobs the baby has to both suck and massage the nipple with his tongue. He now loves the bottle and has an awesome latch! Which the bottle helped him develop :) maybe try that bottle system to see if that's an option.
  • My baby is now 3 months old and up til now has strictly breastfed. I had tried a few times to pump and give him a bottle and he refused. The doctor told me to try avent. Today was my first day trying it with him. I made sure to give it to him when he was calm. And not on one of his big feedings. He's actually willing to take it from me, although my husband hasn't tried yet, only my mom. He still kind of plays with the nipple in his mouth, but was more willing to drink from this one than others we've tried. Just keep trying, it's gonna take time. And once you see that your baby starts getting fussy, don't try to force it.
  • I had this same concern leading up to my return to work. My 3 month old wouldn't take a bottle to save her life. I tried all the tricks that were listed and 3 different bottles. I went back to work last week and the first day she was resistant but finally took the bottle just because she was hungry. Babies won't starve themselves. It's only been 3 days but on day 2 she accepted the bottle just fine. They just need to learn that when around mom they get the breast and around others they'll get a bottle. I was anxious about this for weeks trying this and that. I would advise people to enjoy nursing their babies and when it is time for the bottle, the baby will figure it out. A friend shared this advice with me and I didn't believe her. Now I wish I had!
  • That is great to hear! This was my first day back. I called to check on her at noon and she hadn't ate but when my husband picked her up at 4 they said by the afternoon she had taken 5 oz! Good to know that it'll get easier and my little chunk will cave and get better. My husband suggested with our next we should just go the formula route but I truly enjoy nursing and even though it's been stressful trying to bottle train I wouldn't change it!
  • I had the same problem with my little one. She hated the bottle and wouldn't take a pacifier. My husband figured out that she'd take it only when he wasn't holding her. He propped her up in the bobby next to him and fed her that way. You definitely can't be in the same room, or they want the boob. We also tried a lot of different bottles from advent and munchkin. She'll eat from the Mandela that came with the pump. You just have to be persistent. My baby now takes the bottle and pacifier without any problem, but I'd say it too about a full week or two to get there.
  • Breast flow is the bottle my 12 week old finally took to...
  • Mego04Mego04 member
    kemayer said:

    That is great to hear! This was my first day back. I called to check on her at noon and she hadn't ate but when my husband picked her up at 4 they said by the afternoon she had taken 5 oz! Good to know that it'll get easier and my little chunk will cave and get better. My husband suggested with our next we should just go the formula route but I truly enjoy nursing and even though it's been stressful trying to bottle train I wouldn't change it!

    no dont do the formula route because of this! There is a window at about 3-6 weeks to introduce a bottle a couple of times a week fed by someone else while you are away and the baby will be receptive. If you wait longer you run into these problems


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