BF baby refusing bottle yet again...

[ChocolateMoose]

When DS was a few weeks old we gave him a bottle to 'make sure he would be ok with it' (hah!) if I left him for an evening or whatever. At 6 weeks - still fine with bottle. Couple of weeks later - not liking it much. Then totally refusing it. We eventually got him to take it again with lots of practice. Around 4 months he was fine - tended to faff around with it a lot but would drink from it.

At 5 months he stayed with grandparents for a couple of days. Refused bottle at first so slight panic at first, but then fine, very happy with bottle. A week later I went out and he refused to take bottle from DH, but was tired and stroppy so didn't worry too much.

This was just over a week ago, and I've tried four times since and all he'll do is chew the thing and talk through it. No sucking at all.

We're supposed to be having a proper grown-up night out with friends on Friday night and my mum babysitting, but if she can't feed him I won't be able to go. Am distinctly fed up with this. All I want to do is go out for an evening and not worry that he'll starve...

This may be obvious / stuff you've already done but have you tried getting someone else to give him the bottle - rather than you doing it - when you know he's really hungry? Often if it's you doing it, they will bugger about knowing that eventually you'll just get your boob out and they'll get what they want. If it's someone else, and he's properly hungry (rather than just snacking) you might get a better result.

If the bottle really is a no-go, at 5 months he might be able to cope with drinking a little bit from a cup - have you tried this? A friend of mine's DS never took to the bottle but was happy to be fed from a Doidy cup from about 5 or 6 months I think. Worth a go at any rate - good luck and hope you get to enjoy your night out on Friday!

Try the Avent soft spouts. You can buy them in mothercare or supermarket and fit them onto any wide neck bottle instead of a teat (I think). Always worked with mine as its very different from a teat.

Also, whenever I give ds2 a bottle I have to stand up or he fights me for my boob.

I have had a recent major breakthrough with my 5 month old twins with Breastflow bottles which you can buy in mothercare. I had to stand up, hold them facing away from me and jiggle them about but they got the hang of it after about half an hour.

Good luck

TT

I would also vouch for Breast flow bottles. I used these in the early days with ds2 before graduating to soft spouts (just used soft spouts with ds1).