Help please - Eliza won't take a bottle

kat.in.the.hat

She's 7.5 weeks old and hates the bottle.  She'll take about 0.5 an ounce from one if she's just waking up, but once she realizes it's not me, she screams bloody murder.  And from then on, cries at the sight of a bottle.  We tried introducing the bottle at 2 weeks and have been working on it since then.

So first, should we continue to try it or just leave it alone?

The only reason I want her to take one is it would make traveling in the car a good deal easier as we wouldn't have to stop as often.

Second, if you think we should keep trying, here's what we've done.  We've tried an Avent, Dr Browns (with preemie and standard nipples), Breastflow, Nuk, and the Playtex Drop Ins.  Any other brands we should try?

We've also tried the bottle, with me giving it to her, with dad giving it to her, with me in the house but dad giving it to her, with me out of the house and dad giving it to her.  We've tried giving it to her in the shower and in the bath tub.  We've tried it wearing her in the sling (me) or in the Moby (dad).  He's tried it just holding her and holding her with one of my t-shirts between them. We've tried it with her in the bouncy seat and laying on the bed (not being held.) We've tried it when she was asleep and when she was awake. We've tried the milk cold, room temp and warm.  We've given the bottle after running the nipple under warm water. Any thing we're missing or other ways to offer it?

Is she just not going to take a bottle?  

charlotteL

If she takes a paci make something like this.

kat.in.the.hat

I should have added, she doesn't take a paci either.

michellebelle

I don't know if they have a BPA-free version but Maddie strongly preferred the soothie bottle brand.  I bought it after my breast-feeding BFF indicated it was the only kind her baby would accept (same problem that her daughter refused so many brands and only wanted breast).

https://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Soothie-Bottle-Starter/dp/B000BK8RHW

Also, not sure if you have tried it but Madeline required VERY warm milk so I had to heat it warmer than one might give a baby - not scalding hot, but VERY warm because my bewbie milk was so warm.

ETA - i ended up having to get a bottle warmer to warm up pumped milk - something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Bottle-Warmer-System/dp/B000056HMB/ref=sr_1_4?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1289756535&sr=1-4 

because I didn't want to microwave it and heating on the stove took way too long.  There are versions you can plug into your car for road trips if you discover this is your issue.

rayskit10

Sorry, I didn't see if you said this, but Tru always prefered the wide nipple (Mathis didn't take a bottle). We tried and had some- but very limited but still some- success with Mathis with these but they are spendy:

 https://www.amazon.com/Adiri-Natural-Nurser-Ultimate-Bottle/dp/B0013CIQOG/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1289756727&sr=8-23

 

Also, maybe if you have a quick let down, she doesn't like the premie nipple? 

kat.in.the.hat

V - we bough the preemie nipple because her problem seems to be choking on the bottle, like it comes out too fast for her to handle. When we do get her to take it, a lot dribbles out of her mouth.

MB - I'll have to try the soothie brand as occasionally, she'll take the paci from them.  And I'll try extra warm milk as well.

Quizzle

Have you tried Tommee Tippee? Those are the ones we prefer. The slow flow ones are really slow, too. The nipple is straight, and looks more like the soothie pacifiers

Suzi-G-

Have you tried old school latex nipples (the brownish orange ones)?  Almost everything comes with silicone now but you can buy them.  I have a friend whose baby this worked for, he has swallowing issues and apparently the latex nipples are softer. 

LaciLeigh

Have you tried Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles? They are supposed to be for breastfeeding moms because the nipple is a lot like a breast (it's larger than normal bottles)

 

We use them and I was breastfeeding at first and it did not cause any nipple confusion on her. I am no longer breastfeeding and she still loves them and she won't take any other kind of bottles with the smaller nipples.

kat.in.the.hat

MB - you are the winner.  Almost hot milk + Playtex old school brown nipple = 1.5oz!

Now to find a good car warmer...any suggestions? The ones on amazon that first come up get awful reviews.

kat.in.the.hat

oh wait - I don't need a car one.  Totally forgot that our car has a plug in it!  So just any good warmer recs will do

rayskit10

we had the basic 1st years warmer and it worked great for both kids. gave it to Magda and it's been working for her for 11 months.

jen5-03

Both of my kids were supplemented with formula in the first 2 weeks with those little ready to feed bottles.

After that, Eloise never was really happy with a bottle but would kinda-sorta take a regular Dr B (after I tried avent and wide mouth Dr . But only if I wasn't in the house and she had to get really darn hungry first and if it was just 5 hours at MDO, then she would rather wait for me (started at 9mo so she had solids and a water sippy too)

But for Samuel, I figured that since both of them had been happy with the ready to feed bottles, I would get something like that. So I bought him cheapo Gerber bottles. And he liked them. I ended up buying some Nuby bottles at the drugstore one day when I forgot the other ones and he liked them too.

alliwalton

We use the baby pro first year bottle warmer.  I think it was $19.  No problems