I think I've tried everything, help - bottle refusing baby

[HazleNutt]

DC1 happily took EBM bottles 4 weeks old and absolutely refused them from 8 weeks. Never took them properly again and refused to drink milk (BM, formula or even later cow's milk) from anything. Still doesn't. It was so, so stressful to see that he doesn't starve, and of course he reverse cycled and ate the whole night.

And now 8 week old DC2 did exactly the same thing! Bottles fine first, and now screaming bloody murder. I'm abroad and need to go back to work when she's just 3 months old, so I'm getting desperate here. I think I have tried everything, so most advice you can find googling will only give me the rage (don't worry, they'll take the bottle eventually - oh no they won't!).

So I'm posting hoping anybody has any tips that I have not tried yet. I really cannot go thought the same mess we had with DC1.

I have tried the following:

• every bottle and teat possible, including Medela, Avent, Tommee Tippee, Nuk, Mimijumi, Playtex. Both silicone and latex. (neither DC would accept pacifiers either).
• different temperatures, warming the teat.
• me giving the bottle, DH giving it when I'm not there
• different positions, walking around, trying to distract
• giving the bottle when DC2 is hungry, very hungry or not so hungry. Before, after or during the feed.

result are either screaming or if lucky, chewing on the teat or sometimes even sucking, but spitting all the milk out.

Anything else left to try?

Maybe try a cup? I hear good things about Doldy cups (think that's the name).

Mine did take bottles but I moved her on to a cup at 4 months or so just to get her used to one so we could ditch bottles. I used an espresso cup. No idea why, but it looked exceptionally cute.

It spilled everywhere the first few times but she then got used to lapping at the milk and within a week or two she was pretty good.

I think it helps refuses as it's totally different to a nipple so they don't feel like you're trying to fool them.

Maybe worth a shot?

A doctor told me about tube feeding - sounds a bit bizarre but you haven't tried it! You attach a tube to your finger with one end in the milk and then let them suck on your finger to drink the milk. Apparently it's most similar to the nipple

thanks both! I tried the cup with DC1 and he just slobbered it all over. Will try with DC2 in a couple of weeks.

DC2 does love to suck on fingers and I found this: fingerfeeder.com
let's see if this does the trick.

One of my children went on strike from bottles for a month. She didn't breastfeed and wasn't yet into solids, so this could have been quite a crisis.

Fortunately she usually would take them in her sleep, however. Occasionally she'd also take a bottle while still sleepy just as she was waking up. So for that month she had all her feeds during the night and naps, and none when awake.

I've tried when sleeping, she does indeed suck a few times. But then figures out it's not the right stuff and refuses.

Hazle, you have my sympathy, my 16month old never once took a bottle (even at 3weeks old!). An older friend suggested leaving latest teat in boiling water for 20mins to soften it, then when it's cooled putting a few drops of fresh milk on the tip when introducing the teat. Worked with her bottle refuser many moons ago! Didn't work with mine, but maybe worth a try?

Latex teat. Not latest.

worth a try, thanks

You could try an SNS (supplemental nursing system). There are lots of ways of making them, or Medela does one.

Avent do a soft spout first cup that might help.

Or as pp said, a doidy cup might work. I've heard of people using shot glasses too!
Something called a babycup keeps coming up on my FB newsfeed, they are small narrow beakers which could also be an option.

Good luck!

I ordered the Medela system already, will see if it works, thanks.

It's very frustrating that you always hear that oh no, you shouldn't give bottles, they will refuse breast then. In real life, I have never heard this, not once. But I know so many bottle refusing babies, but you rarely ever hear anything about that..

to update, in case someone is searching for similar topics - I noticed that she seemed to be gagging a bit even on slow flow bottles, so thought that maybe she just finds most teats too long. Searched for bottles with shorter teats, and combined with warming the teat before feeding, she agrees to take this bottle:
www.amazon.co.uk/Mebby-Step-Anti-Colic-Bottle-Latex/dp/B00IGYGB64/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1441352695&sr=8-7&keywords=mebby+bottle+latex

She doesn't drink much, 50-60 ml in one feed (and is a chubby one with good appetite normally, would drink 120-150 before she started refusing bottles) so I don't know how it will work when I go back to work and she has to have all her feeds from the bottle during this time. But at least improvement.

I gave up on bottles and persevered with cups. Messy to start with but he mastered it in a few weeks.

This is a bit weird, but I got desperate with my baby who was constipated (grunting, squirming, waking in the night for a few nights, no poos for days).

I knew it was vital he had a drink of water, but he was a bottle and sippy cup refuser.

You know those syringes you get with Calpol, well I filled it up with water and squirted it directly into his mouth. I repeated this 5-6 times and he gulped down the water happily.

Ever since then, he was perfectly happy with a sippy cup for his milk. I needed him to be looked after by someone else that week too so it was like a miracle.

(the syringe water trick also totally moved his constipation that very evening)

Maybe he got used to drinking the faster flow of water without sucking.