9 month old breast fed son refusing to bottle feed!

[AMAM1982]

Hello all, I am a first time mum and really having a tough time at the moment. My 9 month old son has been exclusively breast fed since birth. He is now eating 'real food' as well, three times a day, but all his milk is breast. He is not the best sleeper (wakes at approx 3am every night, wanting to play for over an hour until he goes back to sleep) so my husband and I thought we would try to do one bottle feed a day. We started with the 11pm feed. My husband went in to his room, woke him up and offered the bottle - he was beside himself. So decided to try in the day time instead, at 3:30 in the afternoon... but he is totally refusing the bottle and getting quite upset with the thought of it!! ANY tips on how to get him to take a bottle would be greatly received. Thanks in advance x

Trial and error! We went through the same and tried lots of diff bottles but I also worked out after a long time that he didn't want my expressed milk out of a bottle but would accept formula!? just thought I would mention that. I won't reccomend specific bottles as I think each baby is different and what one likes won't work for the next. Just do not get stressed about it as I did, accept it may be a bit of a challenge and try different approaches until something clicks...good luck! X

Thanks so much - its so stressful isn't it! I will try to keep calm like you say, as know stress is not going to help anything. Its just so frustrating. I have just ordered some MAM bottles as we have MAM dummies. Maybe familiarity with the teat will help. I have half a mind to just keep breastfeeding though if it carries on being so difficult!

We are doing formula at the moment because even though I have masses of milk, I now find it really difficult to express enough. I used to be able to without a problem its really hard these days.

Thanks again and fingers crossed x

Hi OP - I feel your pain, my DS is doing something similar. Just a couple of ideas, going by my experience: I found it was best to try bottles/ cups during the day, because in the evening & at night he is always so focused on tanking up for the night (not very successfully, since he, like yours, is constantly waking up) and getting cross with anything that interferes with that.

Secondly: DS is continuing to refuse bottles, but I have had some success with a straw cup, which I give him before and after his lunch of solids, while sitting at the table. He likes this new 'game' of slurping his milk while everyone else (or just me) is drinking from their cups.

I think it's just a question of patience & teaching him - he will get it before too long.

Good luck