8 months old refusing bottle

[KtLou12]

My 8 month old breast fed baby still won't take a bottle and I am due back at work in 3 weeks time! I feel like I've tried everything 😩 My HV advised a doidy cup but she is not fussed and will only take the odd sip with A LOT of encouragement!
Has anyone had a similar issue or have any advice on what I can try?
I work around 7.5hrs and she will be looked after by family

Just keep trying. Maybe different types of bottle teats?

I did the opposite of what they advise (try dad doing it away from home etc).

I cuddled up and put a MAM bottle right by my nipple. Make sure you're using the fastest teat for the age.

Hi op, my dd2 was the same. In the end I just had to accept it. (She's 2 now and still BF at night!) She would always eat well whilst in childcare. She was a little older though at 10 months, however DD1 who did take a bottle, refused to whilst at childcare so again only ate purée/baby led. They both took water whilst there but got alot of their liquids out the purée whilst at childcare.

She won't take milk from a bottle or won't take anything? How is her food intake?
It's not ideal, but can you do a feed before going to work, and then lots of fluid containing food such as pureed fruit, veggies, porridge made with expressed milk. And then a feed when puck her up and another before bed?

Have others tried giving her a bottle with you not around?

I think mine will be the same 🤣 she will be 9 months once I'm back, did they seem to manage with just food with water/ milk intake in? I think this might be the best options tbh as she does well with her water just not milk! 🤣 Thanks for your reply!

She loves her food! She's a very good eater! I've tried so many teats I even have one that looks like a boob 🤣🙃 thanks for all your responses! I tried her going to her nans with her dad and the cold turkey approach but she just refused the whole day and went bed without feeding so they summoned me home 🤣

Start her on solids? Should be okay in combination with bf.

I've just remembered OP. My childminder used to put some milk into the purées that she made for them. If you could express a bit just to add to things like porridge or anything really, mine loved avocado, banana and milk as a purée, but she literally added a little to every meal they had there. That would definitely help keep their intake up.

Thank you! I will give that a try! She loves banana so I'm sure she will like that!

This.
I used to do this with milupa Orange sunshine rice.
My son loved it mixed with breast milk.

Same issue with all of my 3. The first two drank their milk from tommee tippee sippy cups or those 360 cups when they first went to nursery. My 3rd is capable but unwilling - and doesn't really drink much at nursery at all! She eats well and breastfeeds in the morning and evening and seems to be getting by ok....

It's so hard isn't it! I wish there was more advice on this when they are young I was naive and just thought a baby would switch to a bottle 🤣 how old is your little one and what kind of foods do they have while at nursery?

I had the same and pushed the breast feeding to the start and end of the day with a sippy cup for other drinks. She survived and is now a healthy 27 year old.

Big feed in the morning, at pickup and bedtime/overnight. She will be fine if her food and water intake is good! They can also offer a bottle, she might fancy it and get used to it. But don’t worry, she will not starve :)

Thank you! This is looking like the best option from all the comments! She is a good eater so hopefully this works for her! 🤞

It's so hard isn't it! I wish there was more advice on this when they are young I was naive and just thought a baby would switch to a bottle 🤣 how old is your little one and what kind of foods do they have while at nursery?

She's 13 months now - been there since 10 months ish I think? It is hard! She eats a full range of foods there - pastas, soup, curry.... And has sips of water from a sippy cup too, but has never entertained the idea of a bottle. She has started to drink some cows milk at home now, which is helpful.. It will be ok though! Nursery seem to have a way of working these things out 😀

If you haven't tried them, I'd try the Nuk bottles with latex teats - worked with both my bottle refusing babies and a friend's baby. Then persistence (can't remember how many days), and mixing milk into food too (baby rice/ mashed vegetables). Good luck!

My oldest was in nursery by 8 months and started taking a bottle in there, I think she had fomo 😂

My second was a complete different story, she refused to entertain any bottles ever. She was really headstrong 😂 she’d drink water from a cup but the minute milk was put in there she chucked it!

I had problems with my DD1 who was ebf and wouldn't take a bottle at 12 weeks. She did give in and take it in the end.

Try a Tommee Tippee First Cup. Basic but great!

Exact same situation here. We tried every bottle type available but DC refused them all. Resorted to big feed in morning and the moment I got home. DH also brought her out to my workplace a couple of lunchtimes so I could feed her then. I expressed for milk lollies (it was a hot summer) and banana milkshakes which worked and other than that she drank water. She’s always been a great eater, maybe partly due to this.

Thank you everyone! Feel a lot better knowing it's not just me in this situation I've been feeling so guilty about going back but knowing she can get what she's needs with feeds around work and food has made me feel better!
I've not tried the nuk bottle suggested so I will give it a go and the Tommy tippee cup!
She's being looked after by family while I'm at work but this is making me wonder if nursery is a better option so she's around other babies she is better around other children and they help distract her from milk feeds!