What else can I try to get baby to drink bottle?

ltmacs · July 2014

I have been trying for about 4 weeks to get my 7.5 week old to drink bottle. First it was just me trying, then it switched to just husband trying while I leave the house for a few hours. LC told us to try for up to 2 hours at a time, and it is okay for her to miss 1 feeding. we have tried slow flow nipples, medium flow nipples, orthodontic nipples, distract baby, walk around with baby while feeding, keep tip of nipple at baby's mouth (don't jam into mouth), walk around while trying to give bottle. I've also tried giving it to her after she's nursed, when she's asleep, when she's not hungry. Maybe she drinks 1/4 to 1/2 oz, but she is rarely sucking it just sort of flows into her mouth and she swallows or spits it out. Still not working, in fact getting worse and worse. I guess ultimately I will have to leave her alone all day with him until she is feeling starved? I go back to work in 4 weeks and work 12 hour shifts...

Does anyone have experience with this?

Thank you, Lauren

saisongbird · July 2014

Wanna trade problems?

eggmankate · July 2014

Don't worry just yet! LO took a bottle at 8 weeks, but then when she started DC at 12 weeks suddenly she wouldn't take bottles with grandma while I was at work. I brought her to DC and explained that she wasn't good with the bottles. The DC director tolld me that she's never had a baby who would not take bottles permanently. I was shocked to learn at the end of LO's first day that she was taking bottles. It took a few days fer her to really get the hang of it, but she was a pro by the end of the week. I think once LO learns that you are going to be gone for 12+ hours eventually they need to eat.

DC providers are used to this and they probably have tricks to encourage the baby to take it. Every baby responds differently but some take bottles when you mimic the breastfeeding hold while my DD took it while facing outward from DC provider.

sweet*18 · July 2014

We had this exact problem with DS2. After trying different bottles, nipples, people, tactics he didn't start actually taking and latching on to a bottle until 3 weeks after he started daycare. He started daycare at 11.5 weeks old. I had even tried leaving home for 5 hrs before that and he wouldn't drink from the bottle.

We decided to use a latex nipple on the playtex nurser drop in bottles. He would only let 1 lady at daycare feed him. His bottle had to be very warm (not hot but warm), they had to warm the nipple of the bottle and hold him like he was nursing. The first couple weeks he would only take 1 oz a day total (8 hrs at daycare) and then nurse all night long (literally) He takes a bottle from daycare fine now but at home he still struggles so I just only nurse at home. He will be 5 months next week.

((HUGS)) I know its frustrating and hard

flcl · July 2014

Same problem here. We've tried so many different bottles and nipples and no luck. Funny thing is that he took any bottle up until he was 11.5 weeks old. Then he started boycotting them. He'll take milk out of a sippy cup (we took the valve out and DH will gently pour the milk in his mouth) but he loses a lot of milk that way. He'll also take the milk if DH spoon feeds it to him but that takes so long. We keep trying everyday. His pedi said that he'll do it that once I'm back to work and he's hungry, his survival instincts will kick in and he'll take it. She says some babies are just very determined, to keep trying bottles, but not to get too worried.

ltmacs · July 2014

Thank you for writing back! I called the nurse at the pediatrician's office, who asked the NP who said there are babies who refuse to eat the whole time mom is at work and just end up nursing all night. At the time they thought I worked 8 hours, but said it still applies to a mom who works 12 hours. And to follow up with the LC again....

flci what kind of sippy cup do you use? also, do you always leave the house when your husband tries?

the longest I've left is 5 hours, but this Saturday I think I'll do it for 8 hours.

flcl · July 2014

We use a Tommy Tippee one but I think any would work as long as you can pull the valve off. At first, I left the house because we couldn't figure out why he wasn't taking a bottle. Since that didn't help LO, I just go to a different floor while LO tries. Since I won't be going back to work until Aug, I do try to leave the house at least once a week when my ILs visit so LO has an opportunity to try the bottle with someone else when I'm not there. No success yet...

ltmacs · July 2014

Yesterday my mom came over and spent hours trying to feed baby, and it worked! Baby then proceeded to drink a bottle from me and my husband. So happy!
In order for her to drink the bottle from me I layed on my back with her on her belly on my chest and when she started searching for my boobs I put the bottle nipple in her mouth and she started sucking, then I sat up and she continued to drink the bottle. She later let me hold her normal and drank another 1 oz.

YummeeCookee · July 2014

My daughter began refusing bottles around 8 weeks old. We tried latex nipples and she eventually came around. We still use the latex nipples and no probs whatsoever.

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