Breastfeeding

Bottle Refusal Advice/Help

My 10 week old is not a fan of the bottle and is EBF. We have been trying to introduce once a week for the last few weeks as I go back to work in 8 weeks and plan on pumping. She will eventually take it from me but that defeats the purpose and she's not happy about it. She took it from Daddy after 7 hr hunger strike the other day and then took partial from him with less fuss the following day from a different bottle. My questions are:

What bottle works best for you ladies?
Did you have success even if you offered bottled during the day vs always needing to leave house to have someone else try?
What methods worked for you in getting them to accept a bottle?

Re: Bottle Refusal Advice/Help

  • I'm using tommee tippee bottles DD fights it a bit but will take it after a few minutes. I found it is best to offer the bottle when she is fully awake. I squeeze some milk out of the bottle nipple and put it to her lips. Though I know some say it is easier when they are sleepy or to start off with the breast then offer the bottle once they start. It really is a trail and error thing and you will have to find what works for you. It is recommended to offer the bottle at least 3 times a week so once they do take it, they have less of a chance to refuse. Also read that babies will refuse bottle if mom is around so you should have someone else offer the bottle and leave the room and sometimes you might even have to leave the house. You can try feeding with a dropper, spoon, syringe, etc also. I definitely wouldn't let my DD go on a hunger strike because she refuses the bottle I find she would only be more fussy and then it makes everyone else more stressed.
  • The Avent bottles are the only ones mine will take. I found that having whoever is giving him the bottle lay him more on his side so it is more similar to the position he is in when I breastfeed has made it much easier to get him to take a bottle.
  • Loading the player....
  • Thanks for posting this. My LO is 12 weeks and she will not take the bottle. I am exclusively breastfeeding and have pumped about a months worth of milk when I return to work next month and will pump everyday while I'm in the office. I won't do the hunger strike thing because that isn't fair to her, but I've tried leaving the room and house for about an hour and she will not take the bottle. We've also tried putting her in breastfeeding position, letting her play with the bottle after feeding to get used to it, swapping between breast and bottle during nursing and her dad only feeding her so she isn't so tempted to want the breast only. We are now trying the bottle 3-4 times per week and still sticking with the Avent family (from classic to natural). I'll let you know if we end up figuring it out - please do the same! Any helpful tips are welcome!
  • The only way I can get my lo to take a bottle is if she is in her mamaRoo or bouncy seat. She won't take it if I am holding her, she will just want the breast. My husband usually has to put her down as well, but sometimes she'll take a bottle while he's holding her. They say to mimic bf positioning, but she just gets mad and confused by this. So maybe try laying baby down in something reclined (swing turned off, bouncy seat, boppy), and see if that helps. Also, she will only take the medela bottles.
  • My LO will only take the munchkin latch bottles ... We tried both natural & classic avent , Tommie tippee & nubby, she would just bite them and spit them out ... Also she would not take bottles just room temperature it had to be warmed up to my natural temperature for her to take it ...
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"