April 2011 Moms
Help! BF baby not taking bottle
I'm BFing but we got LO use to the bottle pretty early or so we thought. I started back to work this week and he's refusing to take the bottle. I thought the issue might be the nipples, I only had 0-3 month ones, until today, but he's not going for it even with the larger size/flow.
Thankfully, I work from home so he's not starving but I'm not always going to be able to stop work to feed him. Plyus, my first business trip is in less than 2 weeks so we need this resolved soon.
Any tips? Do I just let him tough it out with the nanny (who, thankfully is up for the challenge)?
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Re: Help! BF baby not taking bottle
I finally found a bottle he will take avent, I bought every bottle I could. What really helped was leaving the room when it was time to bottle feed ... it took some work but seems to be working.
I am not 100% sure nor do I want your LO to starve but if you come in and BF him after not taking the bottle do you think he refuses the bottle knowing your coming?
BFP#1 "Watermelon" born 3/2011
BFP#2 "Pumpkin" 7/14/12 ~ EDD 3/23/13 ~ Natural M/C 8/3/12 @ 7 weeks
BFP#3 "Pineapple" born 4/2013
BFP#4 "Grapefruit" EDD 3/29/16
I know how stressful this is. We are/were in the exact same boat- even the working from home. LO is 17 weeks on Friday and we still have some struggles, but for the most part it goes much more smoothly now. We tried me giving the bottle, me out of the house, different positions, different environments, different temperatures, fresh milk, frozen milk, DH giving the bottle, grandma giving the bottle, nanny giving the bottle, etc., etc., etc. Sometimes a change in environment (for us, going outside) helps. Sometimes taking a break (putting LO in the swing for 5 minutes) helps. But there were only 2 things that really made a regular difference:
- We tried multiple bottles and nipples. We finally settled on the Playtex drop ins with latex (brown) nipple. It was the 6th one we tried. We warm the milk AND the nipple.
- We CONSISTENTLY gave LO the bottle at the same feeds every day (we started always giving the bottle at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd feeds of the day). This is a pain, especially on weekends when I would prefer to breastfeed, but we've tried our best to be consistent. On the weekends, maybe we only give 2 rather than 3 bottles, but for the most part, we try to keep it as consistent as can. Although it is a hassle, it is worth the work knowing that I can go on business trips, leave for work, etc. without worrying about a hunger strike.
- We feed LO right after her nap so we aren't battling any crankiness.
I feel like we take 2 steps forward and then 1 step back. I see some babies holding the bottle themselves and it blows my mind. Good luck and hang in there!
We are dealing with the same thing! I work PT, and I have no choice but to leave DS with the nanny for 1 or 2 bottles those afternoons.
He will take a bottle (after some fussing) from DH. He even took a bottle from another babysitter one time last week. But he goes through an hour of crying and protesting with the nanny, even if I leave the house (we did practice runs before I went back to work).
Tried different bottles and that doesn't seem to make a difference. He is sort of getting better at it. So. very. slowly.
DH gets home before me, and I told him NOT to take over for the nanny anymore. The sooner she is able to feed him, the better. I'm sure it's taking it's toll on her too.