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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Breastfed baby won't take a bottle.

29 replies

Emboo19 · 25/02/2017 19:43

DD's 4 months and exclusively breastfed, we've been trying for a few weeks now to introduce a bottle of expressed milk and she just won't have it!

Her dad does it and I leave the room, as health visitor recommended that. We've tried the medala bottles, closer to nature, and mam ones. Tried different temperatures to see if that makes a difference, it doesn't.
Any suggestions on bottles that worked for breastfed babies? Or any other tips?
Should we just persevere or are we being cruel, if she really doesn't like it?

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 25/02/2017 19:45

Latex (brown) teats. Wrap your worn t-shirt around the bottle.

Try when she's not really hungry.

Make sure you actually go OUT, not just out of the room. They aren't daft Grin

If it's not time sensitive that she needs to take the bottle, drop it for now and try these things in a few weeks so she doesn't build up a negative association.

BertieBotts · 25/02/2017 19:45

Does she take a dummy?

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 25/02/2017 19:48

ds1 was like this....we gave up in the end. Managed to get him to take a spouty cup at about 11 months and moved on from there.

milkjetmum · 25/02/2017 19:51

Dd2 was like this. She only eventually took a bottle at 9 months after I'd been back in ft work a month! Some babies just aren't having it I think (we did exactly the same thing with Dd2 as we did for dd1 without any problems, + tried every bottle/teat/cup etc).

carabos · 25/02/2017 19:58

DS2 was a bottle refuser. We tried everything but nothing worked. I was desperate as he fed every 45 mins round the clock and I was insane from lack of sleep but to no avail. He didn't wean until 27 months and only then because I just stopped - couldn't do it any longer. He did take a sippy cup from about 10 months, but wouldn't have milk (of any sort) in it.

knackeredinyorkshire · 25/02/2017 19:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mum2jenny · 25/02/2017 20:02

My two would never feed from a bottle, but I think at 4 months you've left it too late like me. Sucky cups are the way forward though. Good luck

reallyanotherone · 25/02/2017 20:05

Is there any particular reason you're introducing a bottle?

If it's because you think you should, or so others can have a go at feeding, i honestly wouldn't bother.

At 6 months you'll find you won't be as tied to her, as you have the option of solids if she's hungry and you want to go out for the day.

I couldn't be arsed with bottles, and still managed to go back to work at 6.5 months. Nursery just gave extra dairy, and she tanked up on milk mornings and evenings.

BreatheDeep · 25/02/2017 20:10

We've managed to get DS2 to take one but he's only 10 weeks. He refused the first bottle we tried which was Tommee Tippee but he takes Mam. The one time DH didn't have anything of mine (eg t-shirt) DS2 refused again so we always makes sure he has something. Tend to use the cover I use for feeding out and about as a blanket so it's familiar. He also feeds him in a much more upright position.

I've even managed to give him a bottle once. I do think some babies just won't though.

123bananas · 25/02/2017 20:11

What BertieBotts said. DH had some success with Nuk bottles and latex teats with dd2 and ds.

Dd1 on the other hand just reverse cycled feeding 2 hourly at night and ate yoghurt/cheese from 6 months old when I returned to work.

notskinnyasarake · 25/02/2017 20:12

Dd was also a bottle refuser. We finally had success with mam bottles and teats and me going to a spa. I gave her a giant feed at 9 and she held out all day, caved at 3pm, never had another problem. She was about 6 months old at this point.

CatsCantFlyFast · 25/02/2017 20:14

I've had success with the latch bottle - it's a very soft teat

littlewoodentrike · 25/02/2017 20:15

Neither of mine would ever accept a bottle, but with DC2 we've barely even tried, as it just stressed us all out, and actually, we had no need to. We tried forcing it with DC1, but it never worked, so I don't really know why we persevered!

TalkingofMichaelAngel0 · 25/02/2017 20:15

Im ankther who would say unless you have to, dont bother. I went back to work when dd was 9 months old. I fed her before i left and when i got home before bed, during the night... she was given cheese, yoghurts etc with her meals during the day. She would use a doidy cup eventually. She wouldnt even look at defrosted milk. Tbh that isnt nice. If she was to have anything it was fresh from open top cup.

Sparrowlegs248 · 25/02/2017 20:19

Ds 1 was like this, and never did take a bottle. I feel that leaving it til 6 weeks was a mistake. Ds2 had his first go at a bottle at 10 days old, and has been taking 2 or 3 Oz (whatever I manage to express) each evening for the past four nights.

I was determined not to be in the same position this time! Sorry, that's not what you want to hear. I couldnt persevere with ds1 as he got quite upset.

SansaClegane · 25/02/2017 20:22

None of mine ever took a bottle. They did however take silly cups of water or milk from about 6 months (apart from DC2 who was also a formula refuser). If there's a reason why you need your baby to be able to take a bottle (going back to work or anything else where you have to leave them) then persevere, best to leave the house completely, although baby might put up a fight! If there's no pressing g reason I honestly wouldn't bother and just introduce cups in a couple of months' time.

reallyanotherone · 25/02/2017 20:23

Oh and also bear in mind that some babies figure out bottles very quickly.

One of mine i forced the issue. She took a bottle eventually, so i figured i'd do one a day to keep it up. She started breast refusing after 3 days, and was fully bottle fed within a week as she'd just scream for the bottle and refuse the breast completely.

Original poster
Emboo19 · 25/02/2017 20:26

Thanks for all the replies.
It's not essential she takes one no, I just want a night out bad mummy. I did try earlier, but couldn't really express much. Now I can express and it just ends up down the drain.
Will pick up some latex teats and try with my shirt, see if that works. No she doesn't have a dummy Bertie.

OP posts:
KatharinaRosalie · 25/02/2017 20:27

I finally managed to get DC2 to take bottles with the following tricks:

-latex teat

  • very warm milk
  • also heat the teat up in hot water
  • she had to be rocked to almost asleep

After a while she decided bottles are fine and agreed to drink from anything.

DC1 on the other hand never accepted any bottles. No matter what I tried. Some babies are just stubborn.

Original poster
Emboo19 · 25/02/2017 20:40

Can you just buy the teats and use them on any bottle or do they only fit on the same brand bottle? Just looked on boots at the latex nuk ones, but it doesn't say.

OP posts:
flufffypillow · 25/02/2017 20:44

There is a lot of conflicting advice about introducing bottles when breastfeeding as it supposedly interferes with breastfeeding.I honestly think if left too late they can't/won't accept a bottle.

I would try a simple free flow sippy cup and see if that makes a difference.

Mum2jenny · 25/02/2017 20:53

Eventually I expressed milk and both my DC would take milk from a spoon but it was a very slow option but it did work if I were out for a few hours.

BertieBotts · 25/02/2017 20:54

Yep wide/narrow teats are universal, I think.

Original poster
Emboo19 · 25/02/2017 21:11

My mum suggested a spoon Mum2jenny she looked after a baby who wouldn't take a bottle and that was the only way they could get him to take any milk.
I can and do leave her for a few hours as she's pretty good at spacing her feeds through the day. So it's just to be able to leave her fur a evening/night and to do that, I'd need to know she'd take a bottle.

Apparently the nuk ones only work with there bottles Bertie that's what it says in their site anyway. Seems a waste to have a pile of bottles that won't get used.

OP posts:
Original poster
Emboo19 · 25/02/2017 21:12

For not fur!

OP posts:
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