8 month old won't take a bottle

[Theyoniwayisnorthwards]

He's been EBF and started weaning at 6 months. I've been expressing in the hope of some time out without him but he just won't take the bottle. He just chews on the nipple bit and doesn't suckle. We have been using Dr. Browns, does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

Haven't got much time to post but have a look in the Mn archive, there will be lots of threads on bottle refusal and if you google "kellymom alternative feeding methods" you should get some good tips there too

I've heard lots of people have success with the doidy cup in these circumstances. Worth a try!

Faced this with DD2 at a younger age, and never managed to persuade her that a bottle was acceptable.
We moved straight to a cup with no issues

My 11 m

My 11 month old dd has always refused a bottle we tried from 6 weeks to 5.5 months. I have up and started on a doidy it took a couple if weeks to get the hang of but she can drink out of it well we also give her all her water out if it so she got used to drinking more quickly.

My nearly 8mo is a bottle refuser, which is a bugger as i work 4 hours a week! Dp has had limited success with a sippy cup, which he also has water from at meal times. If it's like me, out of the house for 4.5 hours once a week, they're fine as it's too short a time to get dehydrated.

Ds will happily go 2-3 hours with someone else (my mum, dp, any random stranger he's a sociable little fellow experienced friend etc) to the park or for a walk, is that an option for you or do you want longer? We've built up over time - started with dp taking him in the sling for 20 minutes so i could have a shower, now they vanish off for ages while i sit on my arse eating biscuits do household stuff

I work from home so would like to get a mothers help in maybe one day a week to keep an eye on him so I can get some work done. At the moment I do it all at night when kids sleep and it's not very effective as I'm dozy with exhaustion before I start!

Would also like to be able to go out with just my eldest (nearly 3) for some one on one time every now and then, ideally take him to a class at the weekend and leave baby with DP.

I can and will keep him close if need be until he's ready but I am starting to crave a little freedom! Will try doidy cup!

Try a cup with a straw, worked for mine. Neither have used a bottle and were ebf

Keep track, mine has his own loose routine so i know that at certain times he'll need me less - i can get 2 1/2 hours if we're quick and he has a clean nappy right before a feed! Your Help could always bring him to you for feeds and you work in between? For us that would mean i could work 9-11, 11:15-12:30, 1-4, 4:15-5:30 as long as someone else prepared all the food and cleared up afterwards :o he likes but doesn't necessarily need the 11 and 4 feeds as he happily crashes out in the sling/buggy/car seat if we're on the move. I don't have an older one but am optimistic that if i did we could get to a group as long as it was at the "right" time - dp has been to dad's group at our local surestart 9:30-11 with no problems :) i didn't know what to do with myself it was really odd

Straight to cup, don't bother with bottle, you'll only have to wean them off that in a few months. My DD wasn't interested in any bottles, and not keen on many cups (i.e. tommee tippee ones). We eventually tried some cheap semi disposable ones from Asda (take and toss) and she loved them. She did then take to other styles when older. Plus, if you're sing cups instead of bottles they are easer to clean, we just used to dishwasher them and didn't have to worry about sterilising like with bottles.

like spacegirl we went to a straw cup from his first non-milk drinks - he still uses one now (I get the ones that can't spill) as he seems to believe that real cups are only for drinking shower/bath water, or rinsing his mouth after brushing.

Learning to use a straw is handy when out and about too, because you can always find one.

I have an eight month old who doesnt take a bottle. he has spent 10 hours away from me with my parents when I went to a wedding and I was so worried about him getting hungry! He was absolutely fine, had water in sippy cup with meals, they had individual bottles of formula that you can buy and attach the teat but they werent like normal bottles and he had some of that but really just had a big feed when I got back to him. I go back to work four days a week next month and I will just provide expressed milk in a cup and I know he will be fine.

This thread had made me feel much more positive, thank you all. I'm dedicating this weekend to experimenting with cups and straws!