6 month old baby suddenly refusing bottle in favour of the boob

[AbbieG]

My 6 month old is going through a really weird 2 weeks - he's been breastfed for all feeds except the 11pm dream feed up until now (which has always been expressed and from a bottle) but is now refusing his 11pm dream feed (and going through the night), and is refusing all other bottle feeds at other times of day. This may seem like a good thing, but I was thinking about tailing off the breastfeeding, now it's looking like I'm going to have to continue!

In addition to this, he's started screaming every time I put him down in his cot. He's always gone down like a dream. I've re-started the baby whisperer sleep training (pick up/put down) which usually works eventually, but he will only let me do it, never my husband. Last night he woke up screaming at 10.30pm - I, then my husband offered him a bottle, which he refused. We then tried sleep training for 2 hours, and when it still wasn't working, i offered him the boob, which he ravenously took. This morning, when we knew he'd be starving my husband offered him the bottle again, but he refused. In the end I breastfed him. What do i do?!

Well baby's can bottle refusse. Could be he's teething or developmental changes.

How soon where you thinking of stopping and why if you don't mind me asking?

He's 6months I take it you've started solids and could easily give feeds in a cup rather then a bottle.

It could be teething or developmental. Just hope it doesn't go on for ever. it's very tiring.

He's actually 5.5 months, so aiming to start solids in the next couple of weeks. When I say i'm tailing off the breastfeeding, I actually only meant for the dream feed. I was planning on starting that feed as formula once his digestive systems matured enough at 6 months and he's taking solids, then I can finally stop expressing!

Would you give all feeds in a cup from 6 months? And is it likely he'll take that if he won't take the bottle?

Well sounds like he's already droped the dream feed so no need to worry about him taking a bottle at that time.

I'd just indtroduce a cup along with solids and if you need to leave him for a time. Get whoever is looking after him to offer snak and or milk in a cup it may take a few weeks for him to get it but you could start now with milk if you wanted to.

It's best to stick with one type of cup and offer when not to hungery so he can play with it a bit and get used to how it works. HV will recomend a free flow cup, I'd stay away form valve cups they have to clench with teeth (not good for teeth) but you could try one with a soft style top to start with.

Will try with a cup then during the day to get him used to it - thanks for the idea.

Re dream feed - for the last 2 nights he's been waking at 9pm and will accept the boob only, which is a real pain. I was so looking forward to starting to go out again in the evenings, and I don't know what I'm going to do if this continues.I just hope this is another phase and he'll go back to the bottle as quickly as he dropped it. I can't imagine feeding him from a cup for the sleepy dream feed.