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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

DS wont take bottle

10 replies

Crocodilehunter · 26/02/2013 11:12

My DS is 14wo and exclusively breast fed!

He has always refused dummies and at 8 weeks we started to introduce expressed milk in tommee tippee closer to nature bottles which he tried but didnt really take to.

We changed the brand of bottle to NUK and until christmas DS Took these bottles of expressed milk perfectly then one day before new year DS wasn't himself at all, a relative tried to give him an xpress bottle and from here the trouble started!
He refused it point blank and was inconsolable! We tried a few more times but was met with the same reaction!

We gave the bottles a miss till he seemed more himself, when we started up again he took them well (for the first couple of days) but has gone back to refusing and crying and he is completely himself!!

Has anyone experienced this too? Does anyone have any tips on how to help resolve this?

OP posts:

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 26/02/2013 11:14

Neither of mine would take a bottle.

I didn't want to push it and distress them so I just EBF until 6 months.

cafebistro · 26/02/2013 11:20

Both of my DD's wouldn't take a bottle. They would take small amounts by cup from about 6 months but that was it.
Are you wanting to switch over to bottles completely? Or are you happy breastfeeding? If you're happy breastfeeding then I would just leave the bottles.

Original poster

Crocodilehunter · 26/02/2013 11:28

I'm happy breastfeeding but am getting a bit of cabin Fever atm would like to be able to eventually leave DS with DP or relatives for an evening while I get a bit of me time! (Is that awful? I felt really bad typing that out lol)
Also we have an event to go to overnight in may (DS will have just turned 6mo) DP would like to go just the 2 of us but this may mot be able to happen unless he's used to these bottles!

OP posts:

cafebistro · 26/02/2013 11:40

That's not awful at all ! In that case I'd say persevere with them. He probably won't take one from you as he knows that he can get it from somewhere else iykwim. Get Dp to try him every couple of days and when relatives visit ask them to try him too.
I always thought that if they were hungry enough they would take it until i received a frantic phonecall from my DP when DD1 was 8 weeks old begging me to come home as DD was refusing a bottle and was screaming the house down!

Awakeagain · 26/02/2013 19:35

I am mumsnetting looking for advice on exactly the same thing!!
An feeling a bit mean as I'm trying to trick ds into having a bottle as he is falling asleep
He has entertained a few sucks
Think I'm just going to keep trying until someone suggests a miraculous solution!

NappyHappy · 26/02/2013 21:44

My friend is going through this with her ds. She has been using a sippy cup without the valve after trying all sorts of bottles. So far so good.

Violetroses · 26/02/2013 21:54

Mine was exactly like this. I'm afraid I never managed to persuade him to take any make or model of bottle, and I tried most of them.

Ended up taking him to the adult-only wedding (they made a last minute exception) at 4 months and went away overnight at 6 months leaving him with his dad and lots of expressed milk. He survived but wasn't a happy boy.

Have just cracked it, and he's 14 months. Am not ashamed to admit how glorious it is to not be breastfeeding every 2 hours...and we're all much happier now he'll take good quantities of milk from a bottle.

Sorry not to be more helpful. Good luck!

Original poster

Crocodilehunter · 01/03/2013 20:36

Hey, thanks for the posts it's comforting to know its not just me struggling with this!

Well good news for the past 4 days DS has been taking a 2oz bottle in the evening (like I said he is v on & off with them so I'm not counting my chickens just yet )

I've had to stand I front of the tv (to distract him) hold him in front of me facing out, let him play around with the teat in his mouth and then just go for it with him! I keep as much of the hand that's holding the bottle as close to his cheek as possible too which seems to help.

He has been fighting it but I've felt really bad just been persistent and not given him a choice in the matter. If he cries, we stop, let him calm down then try again he eventually gives in and drains the bottle in no time (although he took to playing dead on the first couple of nights )

I heard somewhere that they didn't breast feed baby for about 10 minutes after an unsuccessful bottle feed so their DC didn't get instant gratification and associate that with turning down bottle, so I will be keeping to that as well!

I'm still open to any advice and tips, fingers crossed I can come back with further success!!!!!

OP posts:

aamia · 02/03/2013 07:49

My DS is very stubborn and began refusing bottles when he started teething. The free flow tommee tippee cup works best although he still won't take huge amounts. Now he is weaned I leave him with food - so he has very very milky baby rice mixed with puree. This seems acceptable and gets about 100ml milk into him for only 3 tsp rice!

louschmoo · 02/03/2013 10:02

The only bottles my DS would take were the cheap atandard neck teats that cost about 1 quid from the pharmacy. I spent a fortune on Dr Browns, MAM etc before finding this out! DS would take a bottle easily in the early weeks, then he got a bit more alert and started refusing bottles at about 16 weeks. We persisted with 1 bottle a day - I would make myself scarce and DH/MIL would feed him. After a few days he was fine with it again and we had nor further problems.

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