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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

The battle of the bottle: any top tips?

10 replies

KiwiPanda · 09/04/2009 09:30

DD - 16 weeks - refuses to take a bottle. She had no problem with one initially (she refused to latch on to me for first 5 days so was fed EBM by bottle for that time and took a bottle of EBM about every other day for a while after that)

So how do I win this battle of wills?? She just rolls the teat around in her mouth like she doesn't know what to do with it, and gets very cross if I carry on.

Should I keep trying every day? Leave it for a while?

I just want her to be able to take a bottle so that I can occasionally leave her for a few hours with DH or even go out for an evening in the future...

OP posts:
tinierclanger · 09/04/2009 09:33

Have you tried getting DH to give it while you're out of the room? She may just be holding out for the real thing which she can see is available while you're there!

messymissy · 09/04/2009 09:34

16 weeks is still quite little so it will take her a while to adjust, just perserve - but remember it will be easier on you both if you ask DH to do the bottle feeding as she will smell your milk and wont understand why BF is off the menu and a bottle is offered - she is not silly and knows which she would prefer!!

so, easier if you get DH to do it - maybe on one specific feed, the same one each day so that it becomes part of her routine.

Original poster
KiwiPanda · 09/04/2009 09:43

Actually it's DH who has been trying - to no avail! I went out the other day (just locally, thank god) and she refused to take it from him and went into meltdown-mode, I had to jump into a cab and rush home!

So it definitely sounds like we should just keep trying though? Maybe I could try getting DH to try it while I'm in another room, then if (when!) she won't take it I can come in and feed her. or would it be best to give her a bit first so she's not REALLY hungry?

OP posts:
dinkystinky · 09/04/2009 10:02

My advice would be to leave it - if you're in the house at all, she wont take it. She's obviously decided she prefers to the bottle and why take nasty plastic when you can be cuddled up close with mum and have a nice warm boob to drink from? My DS1 was the same - took a bottle at 6 weeks, then from around the 16 week stage started refusing it - we persisted trying to give it for months which caused much misery and heartache all round with DS1 missing feeds and both of us in tears (DH was at work during the day so I had to try to give him the bottle). In the end we gave up until just before I had to go back to work. I got a selection of bottles and gave them to DS1 to play with a few days before we started operation bottle feeding, then that weekend I left DS1 with DH (just returning to express milk) all day on the Saturday - DH would offer DS1 a bottle of EBM if he was hungry (having one of my worn tops over his shoulder) but only offer it for a couple of minutes and not force the issue. If DS1 didnt want it, he'd put it away and continue playing. DS1 didnt feed for 4 hours then took a bottle and the next feed and the one after that - we did the same on Sunday (with me out for the morning only) and he took all the bottles again. Then the next week, I gave him bottles of EBM during the day (wearing one of DH's big heavy jumpers to hide the milk smell on me) and BF him morning and night and it was all fine. Non confrontation and hunger was the only thing that worked for us.

Original poster
KiwiPanda · 09/04/2009 10:04

Thanks dinkystinky, that sounds like a good plan. There's no urgency to getting her to take the bottle as I'm not going back to work for months, so would definitely prefer a more gentle approach like that. I might just try once in a while (or get DH to) just to see if she's changed her mind, but not force the issue.

OP posts:
mears · 09/04/2009 10:06

I would leave it too.

When you try again, you could start a breastfeed then slip her off and pop a bottle in - that is what I did when I was going back to work. Make the teat warm too.

I don't always agree that someone else should do it. I wonder if babies refuse sometimes because they know it is not their mother? Also, other people like DH can feel nervous and that transmits to baby.

Since she is 16 weeks old, you moght find it as easy to give EBM by cup and avoid bottle altogether.

messymissy · 09/04/2009 10:11

When i got desperate to wean dd off the breast at 13months!!! - my HV suggested that the morning feed is the easiest one to substitute first as they are hungry and will accept it more willingly - i was doubtful, thinking the bedtime would be easier - but the mix of tiredness and wanting milk was too much at bedtime, so I gave the morning a go and boy it worked!!!!

Jojay · 09/04/2009 10:14

That's good to hear dinky - my DS2 ia like yours - took it well for a while then refused it from about 3 months. I to plan to leave it until just beofre I go back to work, then try harder, so it's good to heear it can work!

Fufulina · 11/04/2009 11:16

Hi KiwiPanda - I had this with my DD. But I resolved at 14 weeks that I really needed her to take a bottle so I felt that I could leave her if I wanted to! Very important for my frame of mind IYSWIM?

Anyway - first day I tried for 15 minutes and she was outraged. Then I gave her a full boob feed.

Next day (I resolved to give her one bottle a day) - I warmed the milk right up (warmer on the inside of my wrist than I thought, but your milk will be 37 odd degrees), and also I found that if I sat her facing me to give her the bottle she took it. She took it without any problems. I think if I held her in breastfeeding position, she couldn't understand why she couldn't have fresh milk from me, but facing me, it was different enough that she took the bottle - IYSWIM?

Since then - I've given her one EBM bottle every day (usually her 4pm feed) and she's happily taken bottles from my DH and mum.

HTH

Fufulina · 11/04/2009 11:17

By the way - I also found she was gagging on the teat, so I made sure I aimed the teat towards the top of her mouth - she latched on and then I tipped the bottle... Only had to do that for the first few feeds and then she got the hang of it.

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