Bottle refuser - help!

[buzzgirly]

My ds is now 14 weeks, he has mainly been breasted apart from a few bottles when I was struggling with feeding at start. Breastfeeeding is going well although he is not a great sleeper. I would really like to start giving a bottle to help with night feeds and also just so I can get a break. But he is completely refusing it! I have tried the medela bottles and tommee tippee with formula and breast milk but he won't take it.

Has anyone been through this? Any tips/advice on how to get him to take it would be welcome

Have you tried any of the following?

• different teats (the flow might be slower or faster than he is used to)
• someone other than you giving it
• different times of day
• when he is neither tired nor very hungry
• when he is not tired but very hungry

DD is also 14 weeks and breastfed but with occasional bottles of expressed breastmilk so that she knows what to do with bottles. We started with a Medela newborn teat but the last time we tried (13 weeks, after quite a gap) she wouldn't take that. When we moved to an Avent 1-month teat she drank a bottle (given by DH not me, but with me close by) without any fuss. So our experience suggests that changing the teat was the key for her.

Rosie why dont you try writing your method down if you genuinely want to help?

OP- in same boat here. Maybe try a straw? (not done this myself yet) or tommee tippee first cup (the free flow one)

As I explained before is easier to explain over phone. I am not good at explaining things in wrighting, if someone wants me to explain to them and they can wright it down for everyone then great