Baby won't take bottle!

[fieldofdaisies]

Looking for any tips/magic solutions on how to convince my 6 month old to take a bottle/beaker/anything other than boob!
I've exclusively bf from birth but after suffering with mastitis and going back to work in 4 weeks I desperately want to stop bf and switch to formula. We have tried bottles now and then from when she was born but she's never taken to them. Help!

No advice just here to say snap :( 6 month old won't take anything but my boob even a cup. Back to work in two weeks and I'm worried she might starve!
My hv told me to have someone other than me offer an ounce before every feed. It didn't work for us but tbh I got fed up of pumping an ounce and sterilising a bottle just for it to go to waste so we probably didn't stick at it enough

Sorry to hear you're in the same boat! I'm really starting to worry too about how she'll feed when I start back at work.
When she was born when returning to work seemed years away I naively thought I would be able to continue breastfeeding and express for while I'm out. Little did I know how much time and effort expressing would take!

I had this problem when mine was around 7-8 months. I tried lots of things, including putting her in the baby carrier facing outwards and walking her around the block while trying to give her the bottle. I got some funny looks but after a few tries it did work a little bit! I also tried givong her a bottle before she was too hungry and annoyed and getting others to do it (the last one didn’t work!). Basically truing to distract her while sneaking in the bottle seemed the best way but it took a few weeks for her to have an entire bottle. Don’t give up- 4 weeks is enough time to get there but you’re right to be starting now.

Following with interest. I'm desperate to move my 5mo onto s bottle but he's having none of it.

HV advised trying ALL of the bottles and giving each one a go for two weeks. We have had some success with the tommee tippee but it's hard and I need to persevere. Apparently if you just keep offering them a new bottle then they think it's a toy to play with. Giving it a go every day for two weeks takes some of the play out of it.

I've only just started so will see how it goes.

Another tip is to find a bottle that is soft and is similar to a breast. I used this one: www.comotomo.com

Try NUK latex bottle tips. That's the only thing my DS would take. Either that or a free-flowing sippy cup.

Try and get people to lend you different types of bottles to try? My dd finally took a munchkin latch. My ds preferred mam. Then just keep trying, every day. Get other people to try. Try yourself. Mine just needed perseverance...

Munchkin Miracle 360 cup. I got it from Tesco. Was only thing my bottle dodging daughter would drink from other than me. And I tried so many different bottles, different people feeding etc etc. I think she was 4 or 5 months when she started drinking from it, definitely using at 6 months.

I tried God knows how many bottles with my DH, it was ridiculous, but the only thing he would drink from was a 360 Cup and that wasn’t until about 7-8 months.

However, he has never drank expressed milk or formula from it, he absolutely refuses!!!

I have accepted that at least he will have water in my absence. He’s 14 months now but sometimes I’m away from him for 48 hours which means he only drinks water in that period.

He will only take breast milk from its original source!!

We had success with Mam bottles and really really warm milk.

Thanks for all your various advice. I think persistence is key!

Try making it extra warm too

Switch to cows milk. I breastfed for 6 months, my daughter would not take a bottle with formula (pretty sure I tried every brand going) so I thought, sod it and tried cows milk and she took it no bother!

Can you get your partner or someone else to try give them the feed? That's the only my we broke the want for boob. There were lots of tears but we eventually got there. If someone else does it they can't smell the breast milk and are more likely to accept it. We also used to sing and encourage him like mad through every bottle feed to try distract him, our neighbors must have thought we were nuts .
Also make sure the milk is nice and warm to mimic the warmth of your boob. Good luck.

Try a faster flow teat? Worked for me! All babies are different though

This might be a really silly comment, so feel free to ignore it if it is. We had the same problem with my niece. My sister had to go into work for a KIT day, leaving my niece with her grandparents. Who couldn't get her to take the bottle at all for several hours, she just refused to have it in her mouth properly or suck. After a much closer look at her mouth and throat, we tried again at lining the bottle up exactly to go into her mouth at the biggest possible gap angle. It seemed a very funny angle to insert the bottle, so we hadn't tried it. However it went in much easier. Once the bottle was fully in her mouth comfortably and she worked out it was milk, she was fine with drinking it.

Switch to cows milk.

Definitely do NOT do that with a 6mo unless you want to risk a serious vitamin deficiency.

Don't panic. You will work something out. A 6mo will either take milk eventually when you're gone or just wait it out, and can do so without harm.

Keep trying cups and a bottle, but don't stress it.

Offs grow up. Course they can have cows milk from 6 months. How do you think the world evolved and human race continued before formula was invented??

A lot of babies died if they couldn't be breastfed, that's how.

A 6mo should not have cow's milk as a main drink, because it's very filling and has the wrong vitamin and mineral balance, which prevents the baby from getting the vitamins they need from food. It also has too much protein, which strains their kidneys.

Yikes don’t follow @Sisgal’s advice! Lots of other good ideas on here.

Keep persevering! I’ve tried every brand going and my 5month old refused them all. Recently made a real push by giving her one every day (me, dad or grandpa feeding) and on day 8 she took 50mls. Hallelujah. She might hate formula - maybe try expressed milk first then adjust the ratios so she gets 75/25 bm/formula, then eventually just formula.

@sisgal... we breastfed for much longer... Definitely do not give your 6mo cows milk.

Mine did starve. HV said express and go away for the weekend. Total disaster. DM and nanny couldn’t get DD to have a drop. Wouldn’t eat either. I took her to the Dr on the Monday as she was definitely starving herself. Had to go back on the boob needless to say. I didn’t go back to work. Major mistake to bf but who knew!? She didn’t eat until she was 18 months old at nursery. It was awful and I resented her for being like this. No advice because nothing worked for us. Still a contrary child at 23!

Sisgal...I imagine before formula people breastfed..?

Progress update, if anyone cares 🤷🏼‍♀️

SUCCESS finally with the Tommee Tippee Transition Sippee Trainer. It comes with a bottle teat and a soft flat spout and I've been using the spout.

Tried her with it once a day every day for the past 11 days. On day 8 we had a breakthrough when she drank approx 1oz 🙌🏻 and most of the rest of it ended up dribbled down her chin! Day 9 she had 2oz. Day 10 she downed two cups worth in one sitting and today I skipped two breastfeeds in the afternoon and she happily fed from the cup.

Now I'm going to bed with very engorged breasts almost willing her to wake up for a feed but that's another hurdle.... 🤦🏼‍♀️