4mth BF wont take bottle or cup - tried for last two months - HELP!

[Truffler]

I have been trying to get my 4mth old to feed from a bottle since 6mths without success. The screaming has stopped now but he never gets the hang of it. We have tried every kind of bottle teat and now cup but nothing seems to work. We try one thing only and then a variety, different time of the day but no success. I have completely run out of ideas and feel like I need to stop BF to really solve this. Also going back to work in a couple of months.

If you're not going back to work just yet do you need to solve this now now now?
By 6m (when you go back) she may take a cup (or even a bottle) - 8 weeks is a long time in child development!

I had this problem with DS. Thing was his Dad walked out when he was 10days olds, and because he still saw DD (who was three at the time), I insisted he took DS too. (I realise that sounds bloody awful - but I knew that if he didn't take him then - albeit for 4-5 hours - and then DD oernioght- he never would) Anywhoo I digress, thing was once DS was 4 months he also went overnight once a fortnight - and he always took a bottle. He NEVER EVER took a bottle from me. He once came home starving!!!! and I offered him the bottle and still wouldn't put it in his mouth.

EXH said that he never had a problem, and DD did agree that he was fed .

Are you trying to get someone else to give it to him. Have you left him with someone else over feed time and let them give him a bottle.

My attitude is (and I realise that I will get jumped on for this) but very very few children self starve. So try leaving him with someone else to feed him, and go out.

Don't give up BF because of this - it seems so sad to do that to resolve the porblem.

PG

PS - he wasn't starving because he hadn't taken a bottle all weekend, he just happened to come home at feed time

Thanks ladies - the reason I am trying now is that DS is a two hour feeder and I am desparate for a break from him as I am finding the pressure too much - he also doesn't BF well when we are out in public so I am finding myself staying at home more which is not good . I want to be able to let my parents babysit too.

Truffler - have to say LOVE the name, it just sounds like a little baby truffling/snuffling for food have you tried

1 expressing into a bottle
2 a bottle of formula given from someone else.

I would hate to see you give up over this, it is not an insurmountable problem with help and/or suggestions from the "wonder of mumsnet"

Truffler - poor you; we've been there and it's tough. DD finally started sipping bits from a cup (one of the doidy, slanted ones) at about 5months. But when she went to nursery at 6 months she went on strike and wouldn't drink anything. The nursery staff were great but their attempts to try bottles with her with not successful and she started losing weight.

That was prety stressful, as you can imagine.

But slowly she got it - it did take a few weeks though. Now at nearly 9 months she drinks her expressed milk from her cup.

So I would say perserverence worked for us. Also, once your DS starts having solids he may be more amenable to milk from a source other than mummy!

I posted on a similar thread to this a while back and there was lots of good advice from others in the same boat.

I've had the same and DS has finally this week taken a btl of EBM and continued to take 3 more. - we'd been trying since about 4 months (5.5m now) I kept trying like you at different feeds, diff btls etc. He took it at his bedtime 6.30 feed, tommy tippee nature btl. I know this won't necessarily work for yours, but do keep trying, you'll get there. (easy for me to say now I know, but I felt like he'd never take one). Maybe try every other day, and try your best to act like it really doesn't matter.

I've read to try at the sleepy feed, read that the mid-morning feed is best - all different stuff, try diff feeding positions, even try when he's in his chair and you're sitting in front of him. (sorry, you've prob done all this). somebody on here suggested to me to keep the teat really warm first and also keep popping the btl back in your jug of warm water to keep it warm.
HTH