Getting baby to take the bottle

H

hk1

New member
We've been trying to get our baby to take a bottle for about a month now with no luck. She is now two months old. We have tried three different types of bottles and have tried giving it to her at different times. I have to go back to work in two weeks and am starting to panic a bit. I am pumping and trying to feed her this from a bottle. When I go back to work I will continue to only give her my milk not formula.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone been through this? When you went back to work did the baby eventually take the bottle? I really can't stand the thought of her being distressed when I go back and don't think my work will be sympathetic about feeding issues...
 
How long do you wait before you give in and breastfeed her? Let her go a few hours and she ll take it.I know it s hard but you only have 2 weeks left. Try to have someone else than you feed her the bottles and try to stay away from her for a day or 2. Good luck
 
Your baby is unlikely to take the bottle from you as she can smell your milk. Try getting someone else to give it to her and you should leave the apartment if possible.
 
Hey there, have you tried latex teats? Their texture is the closest to our nipples so babies who are fussy tend to take them better than silicone teats. NUK has latext teats, they are the only brand that carry them. I used them from the beginning with my son and he took to the teat very well. Hope it works for you too. NUK is sold in most department stores here i have seen them in SOGO causeway bay and Apita in Tai Koo. BTW try to feed her the bottle in the morning when their mood is alot brighter after a good night's sleep and they are usually hungrier. Good Luck!
 
Been through this with my first I was breastfeeding her only . No mix feed etc. At about 3 months I had to suddenly fly to the US due to a death in the family and had to be away for 2 weeks. Anyway I could not take her on this trip so she was at home with my husband. We brought lots of different teats nothing worked. She would not take the bottle for half the day and was crying and crying. Hubby mentioned she got so hungry she eventually took the bottle. The hardest part is the crying. Anyway with baby # 2 I would definitely mix feed. Breastfeed during the day. First and final feed with the bottle just it would be easy to transition from breast to bottle. When you eventually go back to work she probably will not be happy but when baby is hungry they will drink. Would not waste your money on buying different teats.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I never had this problem with my first. I started him on the bottle for one feed a day at one month with no issues and tried the same with my second. Still no luck. Really dreading going back to work now knowing that she might be very distressed...
 
Hi canadianinhk, i know it is stressful, i had feeding problems with my son when he was one month old too so i feel for you. Try to stay positive and persevere, every baby is different and some just take abit longer to take to changes. I have friends who had the same problem initially but persistence paid off very well in the end. Perhaps you can work out a system with work to go back to work abit later? A doctor once told me this advice which i found very useful; "it will get worse before it gets better" :)
 
Hi,

Here are tips that can be used if baby is reluctant to take the bottle:

  • Try offering the bottle before the baby is likely to be too hungry,
  • Wrap the baby in a piece of the mother?s clothing (blouse or nightgown, for example) while offering the bottle,
  • Instead of pushing the bottle nipple into the baby?s mouth, try laying it near his mouth and allowing him to pull it in himself,
  • Try running warm water over the bottle nipple to bring it up to body temperature,
  • Try different types of bottle nipples to find a shape, a substance (rubber or silicone), and a hole size the baby will accept,
  • Try to feed the baby while moving rhythmically ? rocking, walking or swaying from side to side ? because this may be calming to him,
  • nsert the bottle nipple into the baby?s mouth when he?s sleeping,
  • Keep trying, but remember that the baby can be fed the mother?s milk with a cup, spoon or eyedropper if the baby continue
s to refuse the bottle.

Most babies will not accept a bottle from their own mothers. In fact, often the mother has to leave the home for the baby to take the bottle. It is like they know when you are just hiding in another room.

Another idea is to try to make the bottle feeding as different from the breast feeding as possible. Try different feeding positions. Some babies like to sit propped against the caregiver?s raised legs; others prefer not to look at the caregiver and will take a bottle better if they are held facing out, with their back against the caregiver?s chest.

Good luck,
SARAH

Sarah Hung IBCLC
www.lotuslactation.com
 
Agree with Sarah. The Medela spoon feeder is good. I had one you could have had but just gave away with my pump :(

Try googling it. It may be another option instead of a bottle. We used the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles which have rounded teats. Have you tried those?

We were lucky and had few issues with introducing the bottle (I also had to go back to work early). I have heard from friends that you do have to stick with it and when they realise the bottle is the only option then it will be fine. Might just take a bit of crying to get there unfortunately. Good luck.
 
Just wanted to say thanks for all of the advice. Nuk bottles with the latex nipples and sitting in her bouncy chair instead of being held did the trick. That and my wonderfully patient helper. I'm still not happy to be going back to work but at least I know she'll eat while I'm gone :)
 
Hi, any tips on getting a 8 month old bottle feed? I had been giving her water in avent bottle for 2 months and she has still not learnt to suck, rather chews the bottle. Tried tommie tippe bottle and sipper cup but n vain.
 
have you tried giving her diluted juice instead? maybe water isn't very attractive.

my older one (now 33mths) never learnt how to suck...am still trying to find ways to teach her - it just came naturally for #2...don't know why - but she graduated from bottle to water flask and normal cup by 1yrs....skipped the sippy cup stage altogether. the only thing now is i can just give her a packaged drink as a snack (when we're at a playgroup and everyone is drinking tree top apple juice - I have to pour it into a cup)...an inconvenience on my part if she can't suck...
 
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