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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Refusing the bottle (and pacifier).

17 replies

StellarEH · 06/11/2018 12:07

I'm desperate for some advice (FTM here). My 12 week old has been refusing the bottle (and pacifier) for the past 4 weeks. She had previously taken 1 bottle feed from a few days old using Avent bottles. Over the past few weeks I've tried different flow teats, NUK, MAM and minbie bottles with no success. DH had also tried feeding as has one of my friends with no success. We have also tried different formulas but this made no difference and neither has breastmilk. I would appreciate some advice as I need to know that she would take a bottle if I need her to.

OP posts:
Giantbanger · 06/11/2018 12:09

Talk to your HV and see if they can advise - some kids don't and never do (DD I'm looking at you!)

Good luck!

Seeline · 06/11/2018 12:13

My DD never did either - sorry, I hope you have better luck!

Original poster
StellarEH · 06/11/2018 12:58

So what did you end up doing? Just gave up trying and continued to breastfeed? Unfortunately the HV wasn't helpful.

OP posts:
Seeline · 06/11/2018 13:13

Yup fed her until 15 months. She stopped milk altogether then - never drank cows milk. She's 14 now and still never touches the stuff. I was lucky as I was a SAHM. Don't know what I would've done if I'd had to go back to work.

Giantbanger · 06/11/2018 13:30

Yip I too just stopped trying and gave up on bottles. BreastFed her til she was 4.

Original poster
StellarEH · 06/11/2018 13:31

But I've got to go back to work...

OP posts:
Giantbanger · 06/11/2018 13:35

Yeah I did too. She fed morning and evening and had juice (and the wee brute would only have particular flavours of juice too) and yoghurt and stuff at the childminders.

How soon do you have to go back to work? Could you try getting someone else to feed her from a bottle? Go cold turkey as it were? The risk of that is that you end up having to stop BF altogether. And she will be very distressed. (ex MIL did it for BIL and SIL - baby was sent to her for a long weekend because SIL was going back to work but SIL ended up having to stop BF because baby would only take a bottle by the end of the weekend. And I am led to believe ex MIL had a helluva few days)

ZackPizzazz · 06/11/2018 13:36

Well no baby needs a dummy so I'd just let that one go. We got my EBF second baby to take a bottle at 5 months just by persisting with offering a Minbie bottle with breastmilk and now he'll also take a Tommee Tippee. But lots of people have success with just skipping the bottle altogether and introducing a sippy cup, straw cup or Doidy cup from 4 months.

TeddyIsaHe · 06/11/2018 13:46

When do you go back to work? Dd was a bottle refuser, but, would take one from someone if I wasn’t anywhere near (ie out of the house).

If you’re going back in a couple of months baby should be able to take a cup, which I found a lot easier than a bottle as there’s no test to confuse matters.

Mylittlepony374 · 06/11/2018 13:47

Hi
My daughter also refused bottles from around 3 months old despite trying EVERYTHING to encourage her. Eventually (I think around 4 to 5 months old) we found the Munchkin Miracle 360 No Spill cup from Tesco. She took EBM from this when I went back to work. Hope that helps.

museumum · 06/11/2018 13:51

i'm afraid my ds was the same, a bottle per day from very young due to tongue tie then complete refusal at around 12 weeks.
i started him on food at 5.5mo and trained him to use a sippy cup. i went back to work at 6mo and he was fine with water in a cup and lots of porridge made up with ebf and normal food then bf-ing evening, night and morning.

i was so so worried at around 3-5months, and tried everything but it was all better when i just gave up bottles and decided to go with food and cups.

InsideOutandBacktoFront · 06/11/2018 13:55

What about the Medela bottles? They are designed so that babies have to actually suck them to get the milk out rather than using their tongue to stop the flow like other bottles. The idea behind it is that baby won't be confused between bottle and nipple as the method of getting milk is the same

harrietm87 · 06/11/2018 13:55

How old will the baby be when you go back? Mine is the same and I actually extended my mat leave as I was worried about this (meant to be going back at 7 months). In fact I needn’t have as he now drinks milk from a cup at 6 months.

ZackPizzazz · 06/11/2018 14:00

Yeah, don't stress too much, honestly. You will find a way, whether it's cup, bottle, or just doing solids and water while you're away. The first time I did a KIT day DS2 refused to drink for eight hours while I was gone. The second time, he took the bottle

Lonecatwithkitten · 06/11/2018 16:12

My niece was the same with 'modern' bottles the childminder had 'old fashioned' bottles that she drank from just fine.

Original poster
StellarEH · 06/11/2018 17:16

Thank you all! Seems like trying a sippy cup in a few weeks might be a good idea. I was planning a KIT day in Jan so I'm hoping things will be better by then :) any other ideas welcomed

OP posts:
MemoryOfSleep · 06/11/2018 17:25

Mine is the same. I'm just keeping on the breast, then planning to do breast milk in a sippy cup.

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