Please help- breast fed baby aged 5 1/2 months refusing bottle

[Harrietsmummy2013]

My breast fed baby took a bottle when she was a lot younger without any problems. She's now refusing and getting extremely upset when we try. I go back to work in two weeks and am running out of ideas. Have tried different bottles, yoomi bottles which heat to breast milk temperature, different size teats, switching from breast to bottle and nothing seems to be working. I'm going to be away from her four days a week and am really anxious about her not having milk and also about stressing out my husband and mother in law on the days she's not in nursery if she's upset and refusing bottles. Does anyone have any ideas??!

Have you tried a cup? DS2 refused any and all bottles but would happily glug down a few oz from a Doidy cup from about 4.5 months. It's a bit messy but it got it into him and he seemed to get the hang of it straight away. Once he was used to it he was able to manage milk from a Nuk sippy cup with a soft spout.

Have they tried giving her a bottle when you're not there?

Also try a sippy cup instead?

Was just coming on to say - have you tried a cup? Think that's normally recommended in the circumstances

Have tried a weaning cup which she did not like and have tried both bottle feeding her myself and my husband doing it with me out of the room. When I was away from her recently having a KIT day at work she basically did not drink all day, husband gave her her first purée that day just to get something in her. She eventually fed at 5pm just as I was on my way home but had refused blankly till then. Good news at least was she loved the purée and I have tried the same today and she gobbled it down! Clearly no concerns about food at least!!

Ah ok I have just googled doidy cups and I did not realise what they were, I didn't know about these.... Ok something new to try thank you. Can u get these from boots etc or only online?

Thank you, i didn't realise quite how emotional this would be. Tried so hard to establish breastfeeding as we really struggled to start with and I wasn't sure I'd keep going on many occasions. Feel like I have shot myself in the foot now and created a problem for everyone else. Breastfeeding is now a dream, so easy and convenient and I know she's getting exactly what she needs. Hindsights a wonderful thing, i wish we had known to keep giving a bottle once a day to keep her bottle skills up.

I haven't seen a Doidy in Boots but have in some other shops - think the last one I saw it was Jojo Maman Bebe. They also have them on Amazon.

Agree with using the soft spout cup. My now two yr old wouldn't take the bottle at 6 months but loved holding sippy cups we had with hard spouts but couldn't drink from them. The soft spout as someone previously mentioned is messy to begin with but a great success & then you don't need to wean off the bottle. Also after 6 months it is advised not to use the bottle because prolonged sucking is bad for their teeth. I expect you know all that & someone has already mentioned this.

The make I used are Tommy Tippee & I'll use them again for when I wean my now 4 wk old.

Good luck

I would disagree - I know babies who've taken them every day then suddenly refused. Please don't beat yourself up. Babies use bottles for a relatively short time of their life.

I didn't give my second child a bottle ever and went back to work at 9 months. It was fine!

Thank u all for your tips. I feel a bit more rational after a nap this afternoon! I'm sure it will work out and at least she's loving purée so can enjoy her tasting her first foods. Will try the soft spout and doidy. I think I'm prob a bit emotional about leaving her and going back to work too :-(

Hi OP just to add to the advice you have already had - this was me a few weeks ago - was really stressful doing KIT days with no idea if DS would have milk - and various people acting like it was all my fault for not trying sooner.
Anyway DH kept trying all of the above - we had some success with doidy and a tommee tippee first cup - not soft spout. Then lo and behold something clicked and he is now happily taking a bottle.
Almost overnight it became a complete non issue.
The temperature definitely makes a difference - whereas my DD wasn't fussed at all.
So hang in there - I know how it feels - and as you say it is an emotional time anyway as they start weaning and you're preparing to go back to work. Lots of change.
Good luck

Like above, I feel your pain as have just gone through it myself- tried every bottle, got totally stressed out over it. I used Mam bottles in the end and practiced at least twice a day, first with breast milk then with formula as she was wasting so much bm. Suddenly it just clicked and she is now on bottles for all but one of her feeds. She is 5 1/2 months too, it has taken a while, but perseverance is key. Also try giving them a bottle when they are sleepy as this was when mine took it best. Good luck.