To sit here, listening to DP struggling to feed DD(12weeks) with a bottle...

[larks35]

Actually, I'm not sure how long I can do it. We need DD to accept the bottle as I have to go to work for 4 days in 3 weeks time. DP will look after her then. I just find it hard to hear DD struggling with it.

Is it a warm bottle?

I've often read on here that not everyone warms their baby's bottle but none of my 3 would drink one if they weren't warmed up...even if they were starving.

Have you tried it when you're not in the house at all?

Also, try the old brown latex teats. The texture is closer to skin apparently and breastfed babies tend to more readily accept them. Has been the only thing that worked for a couple of friends of mine with bottle refusers.

Try putting something other than milk in it like an oz of water with half a tea spoon of sugar. She's more likely to accept it. Then you can try milk when it's part of her routine.

Are you using expressed milk?

My ds2 wouldn't ever take a bottle with expressed milk, if I ever wanted him to have a bottle, it had to be formula.

like an oz of water with half a tea spoon of sugar

Are you serious?!

Why not give her a can of coke and have done with it?!

FFS......

Try a cup? It doesn't need to be a bottle to feed her

Wrap her in something which smells of you as well

It can be frustrating

Why on earth would you give a baby a bottle with sugar in it, who does that ?????

There are some really good bottles called breast flow
Will try to find

And no no no to sugar water for about a gazillion reasons

I remember this horror well! Don't know if you can still get them, but the only thing my dd would use was some nuk rubber teats iatex was too hard) that were supposed to mimic the bodys shape (and well peed off I was too after spending a small fortune on avent stuff incase the bf didn't work out and them not fitting those bottles only some cheap lurid orange things I used to get from asda!!!)

My DD who never really took to bottles would feed from these

and you can get on eBay or t k maxwww.google.co.uk/search?tbm=isch&source=mog&hl=en&gl=uk&client=safari&tab=wi&q=breastflow%20bottles&sa=N&biw=320&bih=356#i=1

www.amazon.co.uk/BABY-BOTTLE-TEATS-LATEX-MEDIUM/dp/B0013NFOS6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1340740536&sr=8-9

these were the ones I think!

I introduced the bottle by doing bf, slip nipple out and replace with bottle (1oz) then more bf. It meant DS wasnt so hungry that he would get worked up and angry as this was what happened when DH tried to give him a bottle prior to this. Once he was used to that I would express an oz and DH would feed it to DS while I expressed another oz. This meant it was at exactly the temperature he was used to. He will now take his expressed milk from a bottle (warm or cold) from anyone so long as they feed him when he demands it!

No - it was these with the weird dimple!

www.amazon.co.uk/Nuk-Latex-Milk-Teats-Months/dp/B000NJWPLU/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1340740607&sr=8-19

Agree with ruby, breastflow bottles are brilliant. Both Dc had no problems with these, and it meant I could still bf as there was no confusion.

Definitely try a cup or even a soft spoon. Something that has worked for me in the past is to get them to sleep and gently ease the teat in while they are asleep (being held) and then lots of eye contact and gentle reassurance as they wake to continue the feed.

This must be horribly distressing for you but also for your partner who may feel like a failure, best wishes to you both.

Before you all jump at me and try to kill me, I've been given this advice by a pediatric nurse at the hospital when DS was constipated. Only 1 oz of water with a little bit if sugar not a bottle full!!!. Jesus you lot!

thanks all, I've fed her now, neither me or DP could cope with our otherwise happy and content baby being hungry and well, majorly pissed off.

I will look into the linked suggestions offered. We're using tommee tippee closer to nature bottles and we really can't afford to try out lots of different things. DS did finally take to these with formula but he was about 8 months and as I'm only back at work for 4 days for now then I don't really want to introduce formula yet and as for sugared water, well no, but I may try water.

That would be specific advice for a constipated child given in that instance , not general advice Olympia.

Well I am surprised a Paed nurse recommended that, and constipation is totally different to refusing a bottle!

Lactulose is prescribed for constipation, but not by the bottle!

I would try the dream-feed technique mentioned above. If you know that feed time is coming up then maybe trying sneaking the teat in, and the sucking reflex may well take over.

I had the same advice from our HV Olimpia so I don't think you are mad. I do think it is probably from a slightly out-of-date textbook. Our HV was a bit cobwebby. For the poster who thought maybe you should just give her Coke instead I think that is a very silly idea, the OP's DD is only 12 weeks old so she won't be used to all the bubbles.

DD was like this too, she would never take a bottle with me in the house, so in the end I had to just leave and go to work one morning and the little beggar was apparently happily guzzling away 30mins later. I think DH probably felt more in control once he knew I wasn't stressing out downstairs, and DD felt more relaxed when DH felt more relaxed etc. She still took a while to relent each time for the first 3-4 attempts but she was being cuddled by her Daddy not abandoned and savaged by wolves (made no difference to the screams of course) so I tried not to feel too guilty. DD was prob around 3m too. I think we just used the Avent bottles because they came with our breastpump, it never occurred to us to try different teats.

Both mine took bottles early on when I has to go out when they were tiny, and then straight back on the breast after, she'll take it if you're not there xx

Penelope - the coke thing was sarcasm

That is a good point ~penelope, perhaps shaking the bottle first to get rid of the fizz would help?

Coke is good for hangovers too, so if the Op resorts to brandy in the bottle, she could have the flat coke on hand for the morning?