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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

EBF 5 month old refusing all bottles

14 replies

Trickytricky · 02/03/2016 17:10

I'm at my wits end with my DD. She is completely refusing to take a bottle and I'm desperate for an evening out/some time to myself. I've tried expressed breast milk in different bottles. We had some luck at Christmas when she took 30ml from a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottle which my DH gave her. Then she took another 30ml in January (again with my DH feeding). Alas since then we've had no luck at all and she's been screaming whenever I offer the bottle. I decided to try another type of bottle - Munchkin Latch - today. She seemed to latch onto the bottle and ended up taking 10ml. There was no screaming to start with but the hungrier she got the more bad tempered she got.

It's extremely confusing as in all other respects DD is a angel baby. She sleeps through and has done since 8 weeks and hardly ever cries/complains. We follow the Baby Whisperer's EASY routine and it's been really successful for us.
I'm just totally at a loss as to how to get her to accept a bottle. I've tried different positions, different bottles etc.
Has anyone got any tips or success stories? I just wish I'd tried her on bottles sooner - I definitely would have done if I thought it would be this difficult!

OP posts:

HeadDreamer · 02/03/2016 17:15

My DD1 took a bottle from very young, 6-8 weeks or so, and then started refusing from 3mo on. I think by a certain age, some babies just wised up to the fact that the bottle isn't mummy, and there isn't much you could do. (You'll also hear the reverse where they refuse to feed. People call it nipple confusion sometimes).

What happened is when DD1 was 7mo, she retook the bottle again. But not like a newborn at all. She was sitting up in a high chair, holding onto the bottle with her hands. I believe in her mind she thought it's part of weaning. She then moved onto a free flow at 10mo.

I didn't bother with bottles with DD2 because of the experience with DD1. She took the free flow cup from 10mo too.

What I'm saying is, even if you haven't got any luck with the bottles, feeding her like a baby, the end is very close in sight. Very soon, she'll be weaning (if you are waiting for the 6mo). She won't be eating a large amount of food straight away, but she might be willing to feed herself milk from a 'cup'.

HeadDreamer · 02/03/2016 17:16

Both DDs were breastfed btw. DD1 has a bottle a day from very young. In case it didn't come across in mmy post.

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 02/03/2016 17:18

What size teats are you using? If it's the ones they came with they will be too slow, try a medium or vari-flow teat and see if that helps

Original poster

Trickytricky · 02/03/2016 17:19

Thanks HeadDreamer - I was thinking I may just have to wait until 6 months and weaning. Yes I am waiting until 6months to start on solids. My problem with waiting for weaning to crack the bottle feeding is... I was under the impression that even when they start weaning babies get most of their nutrition from formula or breastmilk. Is that true?

OP posts:

Alibabsandthe40Musketeers · 02/03/2016 17:19

Neither of mine would take a bottle, we started them with a cup of water when they started to wean at 6 months.

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 02/03/2016 17:20

I would also recommend the doidy cup if you want to try cup feeding. They are designed for babies to use frim birth, and my local hospital uses them for babies to have ebm and they use them through weaning and beyond too. My DD has always got on great with it.

Original poster

Trickytricky · 02/03/2016 17:21

WhatTheFreak... Thanks. I thought that I may have to move to the next teat. I will order some for the Munchkin Latch bottle. Do you think variflow or the 3month ones would be best? As she's EBF I thought slower ones would be better.

OP posts:

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 02/03/2016 17:22

It depends really on how fast your letdown is, 3 month might be too slow. variflow just allow her to take as much or as little as she wants,so would be my choice.

LotsofDots · 02/03/2016 17:23

We had a similar situation - neither of my 2 would take a bottle at all, right up until I went back to work at 8-9 months. Very stressful. They both eventually took nuk bottles with silicon teats, though that may just have been the point at which they gave up and decided to drink rather than anything to do with the bottles.

HeadDreamer · 02/03/2016 17:24

Trickytricky it might take a while for them to eat enough solids to not be hungry. However, with DD1, she actually feed herself with the bottle. In a high chair. She was able to drink quite a bit from it as I was back at work from 7mo. I'd say don't stress too much. But if you are still very keen on getting her to take a bottle, try just giving it to her and see what she does with it. (It'll only work if she can sit upright with a bit of support. You wouldn't want her to choke on the milk)!

I never tried it with DD2.

Rinceoir · 02/03/2016 17:24

Mine was exactly the same. If it's any consolation I did try her with bottles at 3weeks old and she wouldn't accept them then either. She never did but we managed. If it's just a few hours out she might manage without a bottle, she might take one for someone else, someone could sponged her some milk or you could try a sippy/doidy cup (mine wouldn't take milk for us from a cup either. It's really hard, but as others have said soon she'll be on solids and it will be easier.

HeadDreamer · 02/03/2016 17:26

I also start giving a cup to both of them from 6mo, btw. I can't remember when now, but it's maybe 8-9mo, I could leave DD2 with DH for a whole morning/evening. She can eat enough to not need a feed for 4-5 hours.

cathpip · 02/03/2016 17:27

Dc3 never took a bottle, dc4 has eventually taken a bottle, it has been hard work but we found the mam bottles with a medium flow teat worked for us, he's been taking a bottle since 5 months and dh had more success to start with, but he will happily take one from me now.

Coconut0il · 02/03/2016 19:44

DS2 has never taken a bottle, I decided not to waste a fortune on different bottles and just wait it out until he could use cup. He's 6 months now and has a free flow one.
He can also go about 4 hours between feeds so do manage to get out sometimes He's never had milk in his cup, think he would rather wait!

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