To beg for your tips with a bottle refusing baby

[Bottlepanic]

Please help! Baby is 4 months old and EBF. We’ve been trying to introduce a bottle for about a month but it’s just met with chewing
/mouthing the teat and then screaming.

We’ve tried dr Brown; medela calmer; Tommee tippee; nuby, and we’ve tried numbers 1 and 2 teats, but he hates them all.

We know he’s perfectly capable of doing it, because he’s taken one bottle from me, and he happily guzzled 4oz from a bottle for my friend at the weekend. But apart from that one anomaly, for me or his dad - nothing.

I have to go back to work in about 6 weeks and I haven’t been able to leave for more than a couple of hours for the last few months; it’s driving me absolutely crazy.

Did anyone have a bottle refuser and manage to turn it around? I’m pulling out my hair here

Neither of my little buggers would ever take a bottle. We just waited until 4 months and used these: www.johnlewis.com/tommee-tippee-closer-to-nature-bottle-to-cup-transition-sippee-trainer/p3080348?sku=236558751&s_kwcid=2dx92700027800954077&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzL2k777L3AIVqbDtCh0rQwp4EAQYASABEgKhKfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Also, my youngest, who is almost 6 months old now, wouldn't even take from a cup when I left her with my mother a few days ago. My mother stringed milk down her with a calpol syringe (baby didn't seem to mind, she's a pretty easy going little thing).

Good luck.

I would give up tbh. I went back to work when DS was 6 months and he refused all bottles and formula point blank. I remember asking my HV for advice when return to work was looming and she said if he was BF before and after work and eating bits and pieces through the day he would be fine, and he was. Although not ideal, she also told me that if formula was a no go to let him have cows milk in a cup, which he did but not much, just gave him extra yoghurts and cheese. Still BF now at 17 months, it will be fine.

Thank you - today and tonight have seen 3 failed attempts, painstakingly pumped milk down the sink, and now an epic row with DH because we’re both worried about how he’s going to feed this child. I’ve just ordered one of those cups as well as the NUK 🤞🏻

Hope you have more success when they arrive.

Thank you! DM has pointed out that experienced nursery staff should be able to cope with him when he starts there in a couple of weeks and that calmed me down.

In the meantime the NUK recommended by PPs has arrived today so we can see how he likes that.