How do you get a baby to take the bottle?

[mili]

I'm desperate now. dd2 refuses the bottle. she doesn't like the taste of formule milk either.

anyone?

ds2 doesn't either. Think will put him straight to sippy cup when he's older, although I'd hoped to stop bf to sleep soon! he's 22 wks.

she's nearly 6 monthes and i thought to put her to the cup as well, but not sure if she'll take it. do kids that refuse the bottle take the cup? without a prob?

is that a no?

mili, I never got my dd to take a bottle. She did not do so well on a cup at 6 months. But slowly took to a cup (open/sippy) after 9 months. At 12 months, she would take cow's milk in a cup.

Why do you need dd2 to take a bottle/formula? Are you going back to work?

If you are really desperate! And she won't take a bottle or a cup you could try giving her milk on a spoon. Midwife once told friend to do this with expressed b/milk when friend had very sore nipples and baby refused bottle.It did work for her!

mili- I thought my dd2 would never take a bottle (she is 24 weeks this week) I had tried every combination - or it felt like it!

I tried one of those new tommy tippee bottles that have just comeout - dd2 took it straight away - so this might be worth a try.

I'm not desperate for dd2 to take a bottle but would like the option or someone giving her a feed if I go out and she wakes up - both a rare occasion (remind me what is a social life again? )

My dn never took a bottle - my dsil just got her to use a sippy cup - with no problems. hth

don't want to alarm you but ds1 refused bottle and cup (stopped bf at 12mths) and I ended up spoonfeeding him for about 2 yrs (terrible I know) and would add rusks to his milk to make it less liquidy. He is now 4 and drinks milk with a bit of persuasion.

I would just persist with the bottle - different bottles and formulas, or try a cup that she can hold herself and leave her to it. Also try different temperatures - some babies like stone cold milk, some like it warmer. Don't stress though, that was my mistake with ds1.

Mine never had a bottle.
Went onto a cup when weaning.

My DD likes those new Tommy Tipee breastfeeding bottles too. She latches onto them rather than trying to suck like other bottles IYSWIM.

What are they? Haven't seen them.Can you get them in boots?

You can get them in Boots and in Sainsbury. My dd mix feeds and uses them. I agree with Tuesdaychild that it does look as though her mouth is in a latched on position rather than just sucking away at the very end of the teat. I would give them a try .

They are called "closer to nature" which sounds a bit annoying but if they work then who cares!

I have had the same problem with my dd. She is now 6mths and i have tried all sorts of different bottles and teats including closer to nature one, but she wasn't having any of it!
She finally started taking water/juice out of a 'boots' bottle to cup system (it's basically a bottle with a soft spout).
She will occasionally take formula out of this bottle but definately won't take expressed breast milk. Fussy little madam!
I'm back to work soon, but figure as long as she is eating her meals and drinking juice or water then i can still do morning and night feeds.

I have been through this TWICE. In the end I just refused to bf until she took the bottle. DD had taken it from 6 weeks until 3 months and then decided she didn't want it. I just bf until it got near to the time I was going back to work (next week now sh*t). It was horrible looking at her 'why won't you just feed me mummy' eyes, but dh was too much of a wimp to persist. I just got her to take the bottle when we went on holiday, I got sick and spent 6 days in hospital and she went on complete food strike. I had to go through the whole thing again, but luckily it did work. I sympathise I really do. Good luck. She is still bf fine at other times.

Am using the MAM teats with the avent bottles as you don't have to faff cleaning those STUPID screw bottom bottles.

Am using the MAM teats with the avent bottles as you don't have to faff cleaning those STUPID screw bottom bottles.

Have juat looked on the Boots website; the closer to nature bottles are half price! Going to see if they are instore too.

oh, wow! didn't think the problem was so widespread. i was kicking myself for not having started earlier. my mom put up with me for a year and half on just bf. i refused the bottle as well. i need to start work soon, as well as some courses, so i really, really need her take the bottle. besides, i really feel trapped now. i tried all sorts of bottles, but no go. i started a couple of months ago and then she was screaming her wee head off. now she pushes it away with her tongue in distaste. so that might me an improvement....? oh, well, i think she might take the cup. i hope.....
plus (as if its not bad enough already) i can't express!!! i'm really feeling trapped. i have to have her off by the end of august!!! eeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!

I found the tips in 'the baby whisperer solves all your problems' quite helpful. tbh I bought loads of different bottles and teats, but it boiled down to dd being one determined little madam. You MUST persist. Don't give up, but your need the support of somebody else and a free weekend maybe to sort it out.

mili, we had this with ds3 (Oddly enough, ds1 and ds2 were absolutely fine with a bottle!) If she's getting upset, I'd leave it for a few days to let her forget about it, then start again with a different bottle. We used Playtex bottles with the disposable liners in the end after trying several others. The Medela Haberman feeder is also supposed to be good for bottle refusers. i found that if I walked around with him facing away from me he took it better. He still wasn't brilliant at taking it but one day, when I left him with my Mum (while I went to a health spa) he took 4 bottles for her!
Also re expressing. While I was with ds3 I found it difficult to express anything very much. But while I was away from him at work I could express loads! Do you have a good pump?

Me too DD 13wks, had a few bottles (avent teats) before 6wks but we haven't given them consistently and now at 13wks she is absolutely refusing bottles - screams the place down if I persist for more than a minute. Tried a trillion different teats hoping to find the magic bullet but no luck so far. I think I am going to have to get very brave and 'tough it out' with her - I need to go back to work at end of Sept - also starting to feel v. trapped like Mili.
Any experiences with this - how long does it take before they give in? How long can you leave it before it's unsafe and they start to get dehydrated? Not looking forward to it at all.

First time I did it dd went 18 hours. Second time she only went an hour. I need to add I expressed like mad the first time and it wasn't warm at the time. Second time I found calming her down when she was really upset helped enormously. Those eyes though.....FEED ME MUMMY FEED ME....

2nd time round; once dd had taken the SMALL bottle of ebm (in case she wouldn't take it and waste the precious stuff) then bf her. After she had taken the bottle a few days on the trot, I made sure I had a large volume of milk to give her, so she didn't associate a bottle with a bf immediately after it. Think that is why it failed first time btw

2nd time round; once dd had taken the SMALL bottle of ebm (in case she wouldn't take it and waste the precious stuff) then bf her. After she had taken the bottle a few days on the trot, I made sure I had a large volume of milk to give her, so she didn't associate a bottle with a bf immediately after it. Think that is why it failed first time btw