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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Sorry, I know it's been done a thousand times, but how do I get a BF baby to take a bottle?!

32 replies

Caz10 · 13/05/2008 21:28

She is 5mths... we have tried:

  • tommy tippee closer to nature, both newborn and medium flow teats
  • doidy cup
  • sippy cup
  • me giving it, dad giving it, gran giving it
  • evening time when she's very hungry after her bath
  • lunchtime-ish feed when she's not always all that hungry
  • 1st thing in the morning
  • room temp milk
  • warm milk

Going slighly doo-lally with it, and also panicking as back to work in a month, with one full day to do in less than 2 weeks!

If anyone has the solution, please share!! Thank you.

OP posts:
cyanarasamba · 13/05/2008 21:31

Sitting in bouncy chair/bumbo rather than cradled in arms?

callmeovercautious · 13/05/2008 21:33

Who is caring for her when you go back? As she is 5m you could try a Doidy cup.

Everyone I know who panicked about this found their LOs took milk from whoever when they realised Mummy was not about. One of them took a day with no Milk before they took to the bottle but that was out of the ordinary. My BF advisor told me they would just make up for it when they got home

Original poster
Caz10 · 13/05/2008 21:33

Oooh haven't tried that and we just got a bumbo...will give that a bash tomorrow, thanks!

Anyone else?

OP posts:
harpomarx · 13/05/2008 21:34

never managed it (ok twice) but wasn't that bothered as wasn't going back to work.

If I was going to do it again though I think I would be tempted to go out and leave someone else to it for a couple of hours... I think bfing is so bound up with mum being there and comfort etc that with some babies maybe you have to be out of the picture for it to work.

mummylittle · 13/05/2008 21:34

The only advice I can give is perservere! If she's hungry enough she'll take it!
However now ive got my dd 4 months to take a bottle, she wont take formula only ebm, so I know how u feel!! Very tiring and lots of frustration from both sides xx keep trying and good luck xxx

Nocca · 13/05/2008 21:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EdieMcredie · 13/05/2008 21:45

Caz-Im back to work next month-part time inc one 14hr shift a week. 8 month old DD started to refuse EBM from a bottle at about 3 months and we tried everything.

She now has milk from a tommee tippee cup which isn't an ideal solution as they are not meant for hot drinks.

Ill be keeping an eye on this!!

runnervt · 13/05/2008 21:47

It took me ages to get my ds to take a bottle. In the end I tried to give him a bottle every day. I gave up with trying different people and bottles and just expressed an ounce or so and tried with that. At least that way if he didn't take it then I didn't have to throw much away. It worked in the end and I gradually just increased the amount I gave him.
Hope that helps.

TheBlonde · 13/05/2008 21:48

mam teats were the only thing that worked with my two

Original poster
Caz10 · 13/05/2008 21:49

Thanks all.

DH will have her when I go back, at least for the 1st fortnight - she has always refused a bottle from him but I have always been in the house so maybe I just need to bite the bullet and go out for a few hours.

She was getting regular EBM bottle top ups at around 5-8wks and took them with no problem, but as her weight gain improved we dropped them. Then at 12weeks I was going out for lunch with friends and confidently swanned off leaving Dh with a bottle of EBM...he had to call me after 2hrs of trying she was screaming the place down and still refusing to take it...awful

Since then we've been trying once every couple of days, trying not to make it stressful for her, but with no success.

Doidy cup is great to play with empty but caused a big screaming fit with milk in it

Good idea re the childminders, thanks

OP posts:
bumble75 · 13/05/2008 22:07

Caz, I had similar problem - we tried every time of day, several different types of bottle & teat, holding her in different positions, feeding her in different parts of the house, me going out for hours (this didn't work), letting her play with an empty bottle so it seemed 'normal' (we were getting desperate!), trying to give her the bottle then waiting before bf'ing her, bf'ing as soon as she rejected bottle - the list goes on.

What I ended up doing was trying at pretty much the same time every day and when she knocked it back I would just bf her instead. After about 5 weeks I was about to admit defeat, dh made me try one more time and she took the bottle! I think the fact I was (by that stage) so over it and not at all tense may have helped? Who knows - it's still a mystery to me as to what was different that day, but persisting paid off in the end - good luck!

callmeovercautious · 13/05/2008 22:31

Ok not a doidy cup. Try a Tommee Tippee. The hard spout ones - if you can still buy them. They have to suck a little bit but there is no real valve in them to make it too hard. Cups to play with are a great idea, DD had a TT for months before I put water in it. First day I did she drank some.

ChairmumMiaow · 14/05/2008 08:07

We have the same problem with DS - he took the bottle (tommee tippee ones) fine for weeks, then at about 13 weeks, he stopped. I decided to go straight for a cup and bought a whole load for SIL to try when I was at work (about 4 hours a week).

DS liked the ASDA trainer cup - like a bottle but with a rubbery spout - sort of half way between a bottle and a cup, which was the first one she tried.

However, I tried going out in the evening when he's hungrier, and he downright refused to take it from DH - he phoned up to ask if I had any tips to get DS to take the milk and I couldn't bear the crying in the background so got him to pick me up.

I'll be watching this with interest too, although my tip is to offer before your DC is obviously hungry, or at very early hunger cues (DS is not good at these!)

Original poster
Caz10 · 14/05/2008 11:43

Thanks again!

callmeovercautious the TT hard spout cup is the one we've had most success with - however success for just now is defined as DD not screaming madly for ages, she still hasn't drunk from it but will tolerate it in her mouth!

ChairmumMiaow I have one of these cup/bottles too, it's the only thing I haven't tried yet so I guess that is what is coming out next!

Mam teat/bottle was a resounding failure this morning !

I think dh is starting to panic about being left with a screaming hungry baby...

OP posts:
Boobalina · 14/05/2008 12:08

Hi there,

My DD (7 months) was the same. I tried Avent teats / sippy cup etc and no joy with milk. But she would take water from the cup. So I went and bought Tommy tippee bottles and teats (the boob shaped ones) and gave a a teat which was slightly below her age limit (ie, not the 3 one for 6 months and over, but a No. 1 at first and now its a No.2 teat). I let her have the bottle with just water in it at meal times and she took it and then gave her formula. I went through trying different formulas (SMA, Apitimal) and found Hipp Organic was a hit as its as sweet as boob milk and doesnt taste too rank!

I am now on my last boob feed this week and will be stopping next week and I never thought it would be possible!

The HV told me yesterday that DD only needs a bottle in morning and eve now and to make up extra with milk onb cereal, yogurts, cheese etc. Do at 8 months yours could do the same. Mine doesnt really want the bottle mid morning or mid afternoon anyway - would rahter a rusk and some water or rice cake etc....

Boobalina · 14/05/2008 12:09

Sorry - yours isnt 8 months - doh

MrsTittleMouse · 14/05/2008 12:13

We had that problem with DD. DH got up to her every morning for a week and gave her a bottle when she was at her most hungry. She couldn't know that I was in the house, and it took a whole week for him to be really successful. DD is stubborn, but DH was more stubborn. He basically said that once she had taken a sip or two then he knew that he had it cracked and that it was just a question of quantity.

You have my (our) sympathy though, it isn't easy!

horseymum · 14/05/2008 13:49

not easy, we have equally large selection of cups and one stubborn dd! However, we are more stubborn (only just tho!) I had to leave her for a day to do a course and she took maybe 2 oz all day then 3 feeds in a row from me when i got back and was fine - tis called reverse cycling and means making up for it later! Easier said than done but don't stress- she will probably take absolute minimum to get by then catch up and gradually get better. Once you think about weaning it will definately get easier as you can get liquid into her with food.

Original poster
Caz10 · 14/05/2008 20:59

thanks all!

horseymum how was your dd when you left her that day? mine yells and cries when she is hungry, and went into hysterics that one day I went away and her only alternative was a bottle, dh said he thought she would throw up she was crying so hard! if i thought she would just calmly do without and make it up later I would feel better!

OP posts:
rosyrabbit · 14/05/2008 22:20

my dd is now 10months and still will not drink milk from a cup or bottle.

She will drink a little water or juice a few times a day from my mug or sports water bottle or sometimes an advent cup.

Sorry I can not help more but i do know how you feel.

DD also used to play with the bottle but never drink from it.

I think you should try with water 1st. my dd is so stubborn and believes milk should only come from mummy... lol

gloriana · 14/05/2008 22:32

With both my DS1 and 2 NUK teats were the best - recommended by the NHS breastfeeding counsellor and worked a treat.

TinkerbellesMum · 14/05/2008 22:48

A month is a long time, so try not to panic.

Have you tried a syringe? We begged a couple of 60ml (2oz) syringes off the hospital and GP which we gave her top ups in. They usually say single use only on them, but that's because they're for hospital use normally. As long as you don't steam sterilise them they're fine to keep using until they get too stiff.

horseymum · 15/05/2008 15:00

Caz10 - my DD was ok without me, had normal sleeps etc so didn't feel too bad.

ark08 · 15/05/2008 15:07

I've got the same issue with baby no 2 but first baby eventually got the hang of it when I slipped the bottle teat in his mouth half way thro breastfeeding.

Bramshott · 15/05/2008 15:16

We had this with DD2 at a similar age and in the end did early weaning so that she could eat yoghurt, cheese sauce etc and not be so dependent on milk.

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