My 3mth old wont take a bottle! Help!

[Primrose8]

A few weeks ago baby started taking about 60ml from my husband at night but husband got stuck abroad due to the ash cloud and since he got home he wont take a bottle at all anymore. I am so exhausted due to the night feeds and am dying for some independence.
We have tried different teats, warm milk, different positions and am considering a beaker. What do they mean by a beaker, is this a doidy cup?
Anyone got any other ideas?

DD wouldn't take a bottle (at 12 weeks, we had never tried), so I tried giving her bf then once she was calm and in the sucking motion, I switched to the bottle... I'm hoping to do this a few times and eventually she will hopefully just be able to go straight for the bottle... as far as I know sippy cups can only be used from 4m+ (not found any suitable for younger babies)

I think they do mean a doidy cup, that's what I would've tried. They can just sense it I think, if you are a bit keen for them to do something. Are you making sure that you are about 80 miles away when your DH tries with the bottle? If you are anywhere near then your dc will wait for his preferred option IME.

I think you are right about the doidy cup, he doesnt have the coordination for it yet, I will wait on that a few weeks. I just cant imagine he will ever take enough from a cup though. I will try combining bf and bottle for now.
I try to leave DH whilst he gives bottle but I can hear through the ear plugs and after 5 minutes I cant take it anymore he gets hysterical it just seems so cruel as generally he is such a happy and contented baby I feel I am being so selfish.

I'm watching with interest as I need my baby to take bottle around 3 months as well because I will be working two days a week...so I hope hope that she will take a bottle!!

she spits out the teat at the moment whether it be expressed milk or formula...

Hello! My 12 week old baby took a bottle of expressed milk without too much hassle until about 5 weeks when DH was working a lot of long shifts and wasm't around to give a bottle for more than a week. SInce then its been an endless battle, we've tried me going out, using mummy-smelling muslin squares, different positions, every temperature of milk with not much luck. DH works alot of hours so doesn't even see DD every day never mind be able to get into an "evening bottle feed" routine. Last week my roots could take it no more and I went to the hairdressers for 3 hours and abandoned DH and DD. He got her to take a full bottle by standing in front of a full length mirror so DD could see the cute baby in the mirror drinking the bottle so obviously thought it must be ok for her to do the same!

I think babies are cleverer than we think and are completely aware that if they scream for 5 mins Mummy will come out of her hiding place and brestfeed them!

Good luck!

Hi Primrose8, I had the same problem that you describe and had success with starting with the breast then sneaking in a bottle. We too tried all sorts of teats (Dr Browns, Medela (rubbish), Nuk (some success), but in the end she was happiest taking the Avent even though it looks like the biggest of the lot.

In the day, you could try sitting her in a chair facing you and see if she'll take it that way. It might get her used to the teat. I had no success at all with expressed milk, but formula worked and at 5 months, she is now happy taking the bottle (although still only when in her bouncy chair!) and pretty much from anyone.

Saying that, it's 7:30am and she's just refusing her breakfast bottle altogether! But that's another problem...

Good luck!

Primrose8 this has happened to me too. Long story short, baby had a daily bottle of ebm, then it became a few times a week and by 5 months we stopped it due to DH working crazy hours so I just did all the feeds. DS2 is now 10m and the last few times I have left him, he just refuses a bottle (ebm, not formula so nothing to do with "taste").

I am away this weekend for 48 hours for a hen and I am in total fear of what is going to happen. I have been cup feeding him ebm from a doidy cup. It is messy but works.

Maybe try that?

we've had sim problem - took tommee tippee fine from 1 week to recently, but had got lazy on giving bottle. DS (17wks) would only play with teat. have just got breastflow bottles and is much better - even left with gran at weekend!
they're cheap on amazon.
Have also got doidy cup - but while manuf say can be used from birth, way more goes down front than in mouth, even with lots of help.
Soz for poor typing - feeding!

Thanks everyone for you messages of advice. I have persevered with daily chewing on teat and then throwing the formula down the sink. Its so frustrating but I am trying to get him familiar with a teat so eventually he will suck from it!
I think that the teat and the milk either bm or formula is irrelevant I think that if BM is near he will hold out for it so I think that I will have to leave him with DH. I think I will have to leave him for a whole day and that be the end of bfeeding. I think as long as I offer the BM he will not take a bottle.
Has anyone done this? It just seems so cruel and I worry my lovely contented baby will no longer be contented once BF is no longer offered.

Also Misspaella please let me know how DS2 gets on over the weekend. Make sure you manage to have a good time and dont worry too much!