Refusing Bottle

Brandiewine11

Hi. I would really appreciate some advice.

DS is just over 6 months old. He has never been great at taking a bottle at home, but has been successfully doing it at daycare twice a week since he was 11 weeks old. He has taken one a handful of times for a sitter at home. Over the last couple of months its gotten worse so we've made a real effort to have DH give more bottles at home. 

He started outright refusing the brand of bottles he has had all along. We've tried several others and sometimes he'll take it, sometimes not. Daycare has to work for a long time to get him to take one and they are getting frustrated.

We started having DH give one at his first night waking and that was going ok (not great, but ok). But now he's on work travel and we are staying with my in-laws. My MIL has been trying to give a bottle and DS is totally refusing. It's now been almost a week since he's had one. He won't be back at daycare for another week.

I'm at a loss here. He HAS to be able to take one.

If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it. Thanks.

Melody330

Sorry you are having a rough time.

TBH, I'm not sure he HAS to take one at 6 months. Maybe you could try a straw cup. At that age we introduced a straw cup and DS picked it up great.

If you're not into that idea, here are some things we did when DS started refusing a bottle around 5 months old;

- warm the nipple with hot water before we put it in his mouth. This was/still is a MUST for him

- offer only small amounts in his practice bottles. 1-1,5 oz. then finish the feeding at breast

- try giving the bottle in his high chair

Good luck!

nunzchucks

^wss DS refuses all bottles so we are introducing a sippy.

Brandiewine11

Thanks very much. We're going to try warming the nipple and see how that goes. I'm not opposed to a sippy or straw cup, but so far he hasn't figured out how to do that. We'll keep practicing.

My only concern with a sippy or straw cup is at night. While I am home most nights, there are a couple of events we have planned where he will need to stay with DH or a sitter for a few hours after he goes to bed. He is still nursing 2-4 times a night (and actively eating), the first one 2 hours after he goes to bed. He never fully wakes so a straw or sippy just won't work for those times.

I'm actually having him evaluated for a lip tie at his 6 mo checkup. Could that affect his ability to take a bottle? He nurses fine, but again, still 8-9 times a day at 6 months.