ACK!!! 3mo is Refusing the Bottle!

[Thaimac]

My 3 mo breastfed baby has started to refuse the bottle entirely. She took it without hesitation for the first 2 months of her life and now won't have anything to do with it. How can I get her to start up again? We've tried a big variety of nipples - Dr. Browns, Playtex, Medela and Avent. Also tried different flow rates of all the nipples. We've even tried a sippy cup. Every time we try I leave the house and get someone else to do it and still nothing.

Thanks!

 

[hsjb]

We're having exactly the same problem with our 2.5 month-old! Ours had been taking the bottle roughly twice a day since he as about 6 weeks. Then over the weekend he decided that enough was enough and now he will scream until I give him the breast. The thing is, I find it so hard not to give in to his cries. I know that if I hold out and just persist, he will eventually take it.

 

[LLL_Sarah]

Below are some tips that can be used if baby is reluctant to take the bottle:

• Try offering the bottle before the baby is likely to be too hungry,
  
• Wrap the baby in a piece of the mother?s clothing (blouse or nightgown, for example) while offering the bottle,
  
• Instead of pushing the bottle nipple into the baby?s mouth, try laying it near his mouth and allowing him to pull it in himself,
  
• Try running warm water over the bottle nipple to bring it up to body temperature,
  
• Try different types of bottle nipples to find a shape, a substance (rubber or silicone), and a hole size the baby will accept,
  
• Try different feeding positions. Some babies like to sit propped against the caregiver?s raised legs; others prefer not to look at the caregiver and will take a bottle better if they are held facing out, with their back against the caregiver?s chest,
  
• Try to feed the baby while moving rhythmically ? rocking, walking or swaying from side to side ? because this may be calming to him,
  
• Insert the bottle nipple into the baby?s mouth when he?s sleeping,
  
• Keep trying, but remember that the baby can be fed the mother?s milk with a cup, spoon or eyedropper if the baby continues to refuse the bottle.

The method I?ve found is most useful with older babies is to make it a very different experience to breastfeeding. They would rather breastfeed than bottle feed so if you hold the baby in a similar way they will refuse the bottle ? showing you their preference.

 

[turtle]

I had a house full of Avent bottles and then one day my daughter just went off them. I was told by a friend to try changing the teat, ie try another brand of bottle. I tried NUK and she took it just fine, so we switched right away. And I still have a house full of unused Avent bottles! Hope this helps...

 

[Thaimac]

Thanks all for the tips! I love the list! It looks very comprehensive! I'm off to buy Nuk nipples to see if they are the magic ones.