Bottle battle with 5 month old - advice please

[emilycleo]

I'm trying to get my 5 month old daughter to take the bottle. She has drank from a bottle on and off since birth but would only take 1-2oz, now she won't even have the teat in her mouth and refuses it altogether. I'm thinking of just giving her a cup - does anyone know what the best cup is to give a 5/6 month old baby?
Or any tips re getting her to take the bottle much appreciated. I think I've tried most things, different bottles and teats, different temperatures, different flows, different times of day but not having much joy at all.
Help!

hi have you tried NUK bottles/teats?

I've also got a bottle refuser here. She is now 12 months and I never did manage to give her a bottle even though I tried everything. Have you tried giving it to her while she is half asleep? And were you giving expressed bm or formula?
I found that the best cups were just the cheap tomme tippe cups. The free flow ones. It did take my DD a long time to work it out though.

Why do you need her to take a bottle? I only ask because if there's a deadline (IE, returning to work), and you're stressing about it, she'll be picking up on the stress.

DS was never one to take a bottle, and went straight on to a free flow cup. He used to sometimes take water from a bottle, but never milk, I think because in his mind milk came from mummy :)

Yes I've tried NUK with latex teat medium flow, they have been the most successful in the past but now she won't take from the NUK either.
I've tried both expressed breast milk and formula.
I tried a tommee tippee cup yesterday and she choked! Bit too fast at the moment.
Not tried while she is half asleep, will try that next, thanks.

I don't have a looming deadline but I'm missing a good friend's wedding tomorrow because I can't leave her. I guess its no big deal in the scheme of things, it would just be nice to have the flexibility for various reasons.

How old was your DS when he took a cup and what cup did you use?

Is it normally just you who tries to give her the bottle?

Yes its almost always me.

Giving DS a bottle completely, not half, asleep was the only thing that cracked it for me. Gave him a couple of fast-asleep feeds of EBM in MAM bottles with newborn teats and muscle memory just seemed to kick in the next time I tried it awake.

Why do you have to miss the wedding? Even "child free" weddings don't exclude EBF babies!

Its so good to hear others struggling to get their baby to take a bottle. I bf my 5.5 month old and am now trying to get her to take a bottle of expressed milk (need to return to to work) and she just refuses! Tired or awake?!? Any ideas are most welcomed....

Sorry this is such a late reply. Is there anyone else that could try giving her the bottle? With you out of the room/house? If she associates you with bf, she's not going to want the bottle if she can see you. Leave her with someone fir a few hours to see if she will take it off them but just stay close by so you can go back and give her a bf if she still refuses.