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Original poster

BF baby refuses bottles and I need to go to work

37 replies

Willowrose63 · 28/11/2021 11:52

Baby is nearly 10 months old. We have tried many different bottles several times with no success. Wondering if you had experience with this and what did you do about it? I work 12.5 hour shifts so with commute time I will be out of the house for 14hrs ish. There is a breastfeeding room where I work so thinking that her Dad will just need to bring her over at some point during the day.
Any advice appreciated thanks

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barbrahunter · 28/11/2021 11:54

I am hopelessly out of date, but just to say I had this problem and I found Avent bottles worked for me, is this make one you've already tried? The teat is more breast shaped.

Hiphopopotamus · 28/11/2021 11:55

Have you tried your partner giving bottles when you’re not around. Sometimes if they know they can have their ‘preferred’ option, they will refuse a bottle, but if you’re not there and a breastfeed isn’t an option, they will take a bottle.

The other option at ten months might be getting them used to a cup - you can get some really good ones that teach them to drink from a cup without spilling.

snackess · 28/11/2021 11:57

My DS took breast milk from a cup (at 14 months) when I returned to work. One of those Tommie tippie plastic ones with a free flow spout.

Might be worth a go. Mine never ever took a bottle. I tried literally 20-30.

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pandora206 · 28/11/2021 11:57

I had this problem when mine were a similar age. We just went straight to sippy cups in the end.

Cyw2018 · 28/11/2021 11:58

Try a Sippy cup and let little one be independent with it.

starrynight21 · 28/11/2021 12:05

I'm a grandma - when my daughter went back to work, her DD wouldn't take the bottle. I guessed that since my daughter's boobs were nearby, of course her DD expected that she'd be able to breastfeed and so she was refusing to change. I went over and stayed for a few days, and at feed time my daughter would go for a walk and leave DD with me and the bottle. It worked really well - DD had no option but to take the bottle . Do you have someone who could do this ? I do think it helps to get the boobs ( and even the smell of the boobs ) out of the baby's range so they have no choice. Good luck !

MinesAPintOfTea · 28/11/2021 12:12

Yes to a sippy cup - ds was another who never took a bottle. Also at 10 months it isn’t that bad if they have a few long stretches without milk so long as they are eating well.

Garman · 28/11/2021 12:12

At 10 months it doesn't have to be a bottle, a cup or sippy cup should be fine. Also at 10 months a baby might be fine with food and water while you're gone, and will feed more when you're home to make up for it.

AegonT · 28/11/2021 12:24

At that age a sippy cup would be better. But also she might soon be able to go without for longer than you think. Does she drink water? Does she eat well including dairy? I went back full-time just before 8 months with my first - just 8 hour shifts. Even the childminder couldn't get her to accept any milk in any bottle/cup. I fed her at the childminder's house on my lunch hour till she was 12 months then just fed her before and after work. She started eating well including yoghurt at 10 months.

DockOTheBay · 28/11/2021 12:33

She will probably drink when it comes to it, or will just eat more. My daughter was 10 months when I went back, she had a cup which she would drink from when I wasn't there and then she would just have more breast milk when I got home (night sleep went out of the window for a while unfortunately)

Himawarigirl · 28/11/2021 12:44

I went back to work when my eldest was 11 months old and she refused to take a bottle. She was only on three feeds a day by that point and would only miss one of those while I was at work. I’d been trying to switch it to an expressed milk or formula feed but she wouldn’t have either, or water, because she refused anything that wasn’t a breast. But she did fine at the childminders. It was three days a week and on those days our childminder gave her some liquidy and milky food, like yoghurt, and also persisted in trying a range of different sippy cups with her. Eventually she liked one of them and started drinking water happily during the day. And she maintained her two big breastfeeds morning and evening with me and didn’t seem to have any problem.

Original poster

Willowrose63 · 28/11/2021 13:51

@AegonT she will take sips of water but mostly likes taking it in her mouth, spitting it out and grinning . She does eat quite well and a big variety of foods.

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Original poster

Willowrose63 · 28/11/2021 13:53

@DockOTheBay oh no!! Have heard that can happen with the night sleep

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Original poster

Willowrose63 · 28/11/2021 13:55

@starrynight21 thanks for the tips! Her and Dad are having a day together today to see if they have a bit more success with the boobs out of the building!

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Original poster

Willowrose63 · 28/11/2021 13:58

@snackess 20 to 30 my goodness! I gave up after 5 or 6. She does take small drinks from open cup/sippy

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mumsiedarlingrevolta · 28/11/2021 13:58

Exactly the same happened to me with DD (she is now at university so did survive )

Was incredibly stressful at the time and no amount of different ppl/milk/bottles worked. HV suggested going to cup and also doing things like adding milk to yogurt to spoon it in.

Assume baby is eating? Because at that age she really doesn't need to have a bottle or breastfeed-she can get what she needs from cup of milk/food etc.
It is so hard when it starts to come to an end but you have have done brilliantly to feed her for so long-
Think you need to go for solutions other than bringing her in to feed.

Original poster

Willowrose63 · 28/11/2021 14:00

Thanks very much everyone for all the responses and advice!! Appreciate it

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EL1984 · 28/11/2021 14:01

Hi, my boy is now 15mo and never took a bottle when he was smaller either. He started nursery at 11months and I was worried about the milk, although he had really started swinging towards having more food by this point.
From 9mo we made tommiee tippee sippy cups a regular feature with water and milk during the day in. At first he was a bit funny with the milk but after a few days he was guzzling it back. I kept up breast feeds in the morning, before bed and during the night if he woke.

The other thing that may have helped is him seeing other kids drinking from the tommie tippe, I would also drink from them whilst he was eating his food - so modelling.

I wouldn't worry about trying a bottle at this age. Just a few weeks until most kids stop with baby bottles.

Hoptoit1 · 28/11/2021 14:15

I had to go back to work at 7 months (maternity leave wasn't as good then) and Dc1 wouldn't take bottles or beackers so I gave extra feed before I left for work, I expressed at work and then nursery gave dc lots of milky things during the day so they'd try with a bottle and if that didn't work they'd make the milk up with some porridge or baby rice and fruit. Dc did however take cows milk from a beaker so they often gave some in an afternoon. I then gave extra feeds in the evening.
Sometimes it's the association that bm comes from mum so you could try formula in a bottle or a mix of formula and breast milk, sometimes it's the temperature difference. Dc3 was like this would only take formula (mixed with breast milk) and not too warm. Also dc3 wouldn't take a bottle from me but would take a bottle from nursery staff.
With Dc1 I really worried but actually I shouldn't have because we put in work arounds and Dc1 was still getting same amount of bm just in different forms. It's hard not to worry but you'll find ways to work around it, dc may want more breast feeds when you are around for a little while and will also over the next two months be increasing oral intake and able to drink cows milk to supplement bf.

Iamkmackered1979 · 28/11/2021 14:16

If she’s eating solids and drinking water feed her when you get home/at night that’s what I did. We used mam bottles. Perhaps she’ll take once she realises you’re not there? It’s so difficult I’m a nurse so so long shifts and it was so hard to begin with but we managed to feed until 15 months and he weaned off it himself. Hope things go smoothly for you though

bluetowers · 28/11/2021 14:18

Don't be anywhere near. Wait til she's hungry then hand a bottle to someone and go out. Mine wouldn't take a bottle

bluetowers · 28/11/2021 14:18

Wouldn't take bottle if they could smell me close by

Wavingnotdrown1ng · 28/11/2021 14:32

I had one of these - she never took a bottle from me but did at nursery and from my MIL in her house when I wasn’t there. This was from 7 months when I went back to work FT. I fed her before work and in the evenings and three times at weekends until she was 14m (dropping the middle W/end feed at 11m). There are ways of adding milk to food, as your HV has suggested, especially baby rice and porridge or Wheatabix. You might also want to make arrangements to pump at work, especially if you haven’t ‘trained your breasts’, as my HV put it.

stalkersaga · 28/11/2021 14:34

At 10 months I wouldn't even bother with a bottle. She can have milk and water from a sippy cup. Feed before you go. She'll be absolutely fine.

yikesanotherbooboo · 28/11/2021 14:35

I'm here to agree that at 10 months she doesn't need bottles. Food, drink from beakers in the day and bf morning and evening with you.

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