3 month old won't eat from bottle at daycare - help

sas05

Do any of you have any tricks to get your LO to eat from a bottle?  I breast feed my son and he has eaten from a bottle before, but he refuses the breast milk from a bottle at daycare.  I really need him to start eating there because my work is going to pick up soon and I won't be able to stop in and nurse him at lunch, etc.  The teachers are wonderful there and say it's an adjustment period, but I am just curious if there are any special tricks that I am not aware of...?

 Thank you!

Amandaluvs2Travel

This happened my first day back to work. I was able to leave work early and feed him but I was soooo stressed hearing him upset when I was on the phone with DH (who was watching him the first few days before he went to DC)!!

I have heard to use a spoon or medicine syringe to feed him BM if he needs to eat and still refuses.

The next day was better and it got easier as the days went by! Now he eats like a champ at daycare! Good think to is you started on a Thursday so, this weekend just add a bottle or two to get him used to the idea!

I know how you feel! It will get better!

christyp80

I would say you should stop going in at lunch to breastfeed him.  You need to let him get hungry enough to take the bottle.  I know that sounds mean, but it's the only way he'll try it and realize it's not all that bad.

When I first went back to work when DD was 10 weeks, she ate 2 oz the first day (and 0.5 was from a spoon).  Second day she ate 3 oz.  Third day 3.5.  And so on.  By the end of the 2nd week, she was eating 8 oz a day from a bottle.  Now, at 4 months, she eats 17 oz from a bottle during 8 hours of daycare.

It's tough, but if you stick with it, your baby will get it eventually!

FireInMyHeart615

It usually takes 5 straight days for baby to get used to the bottle. It's usually a tough five days (like your case).

sas05

christyp80:

I would say you should stop going in at lunch to breastfeed him.  You need to let him get hungry enough to take the bottle.  I know that sounds mean, but it's the only way he'll try it and realize it's not all that bad.

When I first went back to work when DD was 10 weeks, she ate 2 oz the first day (and 0.5 was from a spoon).  Second day she ate 3 oz.  Third day 3.5.  And so on.  By the end of the 2nd week, she was eating 8 oz a day from a bottle.  Now, at 4 months, she eats 17 oz from a bottle during 8 hours of daycare.

It's tough, but if you stick with it, your baby will get it eventually!

 

Thank you.  We talked about that yesterday.  I won't be able to go at lunch next week, so we are thinking that we will get through this week (because he isn't sleeping well there either, so I would like him to at least eat something).  My husband will feed him this weekend on the bottle during the day to try and get him used to it again.  He has eaten from the bottle in the past, so hopefully he will again very soon.

Artsywife07

The only thing I have to add is to maybe have different people at DC try to give him the bottle.  My LO still has issues taking a bottle at home but she took it great from this one lady at DC.  Then that lady moved away and LO had to learn to take it from the others.  We were so worried at first, but she has done pretty well, but it did take her  a little time.

Lucky_Dragonfly

It will happen. It took DS alittle over a month to finally be comfortable enough at DC to really start eating. It drove me nuts especially since he was starving when he got home and would scarf down 2 6oz bottles in the 2hrs before bedtime.