Breastfed Baby Suddenly Refuses Bottles!

Hi H.,

My daughter did the same thing. Initially she would take a bottle from my husband or others and then just stopped. I tried everything under the sun - different bottles, nipples, holding her differently, leaving the house so my she couldn't sense I was available somewhere nearby, to no avail. If I was unavailable she would eventually take one when she got hungry enough - but only after screaming her head off which I saw senseless. Finally, I exclusively fed her from the breast until around 51/2 - 6 months when she would take my expressed milk from a sippy cup. She loved the cup with the handles on each side...easy to hold and for some reason drank my milk out of there no problem. I hope this helps...I totally feel for you!

H., the very same thing happend to me, only it happened the day I went back to work. She was 16 weeks old and refused to eat for 8 hours and never took a bottle again. Her Doctor recommended trying a sippy cup (the kind that has no valve or isn't leak proof) she also recommended that I start giving her rice cereal mixed with breast milk. I was hesitant because everything said not to start solids until 6 mo, but she needed to eat. This worked for the few months it took before we could start solids on a regular basis. Hopefully your little one will not be as stubborn as mine and will eventually go back to the bottle. Good Luck!!

My son started doing this at 7 months. Now it's been 1.5 months since then and he still won't take one. Just start her on the solids while you're gone. You can start with rice cereal mixed with a LOT of expressed milk (and maybe a little banana for flavor) and she will get enough milk that way to tide her over while you're gone. You can try and get her to drink milk from a cup but if she's like my son, that may or may not go over well. Basically, expect her to nurse like crazy when you're with her. It's not the end of the world when they refuse bottles, but it definitely adds a new challenge. I was able to adjust my schedule to run home around noon from work each day and nurse my son. This was enough to convince me that he wasn't going to starve while I was gone. Good luck!

Hi H.-

The same thing happened to me but a bit earlier than your baby. My daughter took bottles fine from week 1 to about 3 months and then refused to take one from anyone. We also tried everything under the sun including different bottles, nipples, waiting it out until she was hungry enough and would take the bottle with me gone from the house (and she won--she waited 11 hrs and still refused and I gave in because it broke my heart and felt so wrong!).

Like a few of the other moms, I'm still breastfeeding and my daugther is nearly 10 months. She's quite skilled with the sippy cup but I will nurse up to 12 months (she'll drink anything but milk from the sippy cup). I had originally wanted to be done at 6 months. The stress of the situation became more than I could handle and was too at wits end so just decided this was the easiest on all of us. I did a lot of research on this and it seems that the 4-5 months point is when most babies do this. It's really common and there are tons of other parents out there with the same problem.

All I can say is good luck and hang in there. It can be really stressful.

D.

My sons first words were when his father finally decided to try to feed him from a bottle. I swear I am not making this up and it was not just my imagination because his father heard it loud and clear as well. He said Mommy No over and over again until his father decided to stop trying to feed him at six months old. He didn't say a word for several months after that but I will never forget his first words were Mommy and No!

Have your husband take his shirt off for the skin on skin contact and try holding her the way you would while your breast feeding and then hand him the bottle and see if that helps. Don't let your precious little bundle see the bottle until after she is calmly relaxing in Daddy's arms though. Sometimes it is simply just the intimacy between mother and child that the baby is craving. Sometimes allowing the skin on skin contact and the familiar position will allow enough comfort for Daddy to be able to feed her.

My sons father was never able to feed him but that is also because he refused to be a part of that in the beggining like I had suggested several times. He now regrets his ignorance and fear of our child because he sees the amazing connection I have with our son that is unmatchable to anthing he has with him. Don't let your husband give up because it is so important for our children to connect with both mother and father. The best gift we can give our children whether we stay together or not is allowing our children the amazing love they can get from both parents.

I also started my cycle again 3 months after my sons birth because I was pumping my milk and it was just going bad in the fridge waiting for someone else to take the time to use the bottle. Ladies if Dad is not interested don't bother pumping regularly. It's not worth having your cycle when you don't have to!

First of all you can not be the one to give her the bottle. It must be someone else, and you can not be in the same room. If she knows you are there she will not take it. I had the same problem with my 3 month old daughter. Just keep trying and eventually she will take it. If she is already 5 months old, you may want to try a sippy cup.

The same thing happened to me about a month ago with my little guy (almost 5 months). I actually posted here with my quandry.

I, too, had tried many different bottles.

What worked for us was using a lovey. I put it between me and him when I nursed him and then my husband or my mom would hold the lovey near his face (cheeks) when they fed him. It seemed to help.

He's still a bit tempermental with the bottles and we figured out that its not really the bottle that he has an aversion to -its not being with ME. Ugh!

Good luck, I hope your phase is shorter!!
Hugs,
B.

Hi H.- I am also a SAHM of 4 with my youngest now 5 monthes- He will not take a bottle and neither did 2 of my others. My kids when presented with a bottle would scream refuse and after about an hour of crying go to sleep. My kid's Dr. said no child will starve him/herself but for me the crying wasn't worth it so I just waited until they were 8-9 monthes and could use a sippy before I left the house for more than a couple of hours at a time. Good Luck..this to shall pass (and for me #4 is the end so I am just enjoying the babyhood!
B.

When my twins were born, we used bottles until I figured out how to tandem nurse. Then I went to straight breastfeeding until I went back to work. When I went back to work, my husband watched the twins and it took about 5 or 6 hours...and they finally got hungry enough to drink from the bottle. I think when they realize it is the only option, they give in.

I see you are a SAHM, maybe if you are able to wait a few weeks and try again she will come around. I am sure it is nice to have dad give a bottle with four little ones, but maybe if you can hold off awhile she will be okay with it.

Also, are you giving formula or expressed breast milk? If it's formula maybe she doesn't like it. You could try another formula or pumping and storing a little instead.

If not, maybe you could try introducing a sippy cup? The brand Nuby has some very soft spout ones that make an easy transition (but beware, they sometimes leak). They are sold at Walmart and Target. Good luck!

Try a sippy cup. My 8 month old still refuses a bottle. He will take a sippy about 75% of the time which allows me to be gone for more than 4 hours if needed. He started with the sippy around 4 1/2 months and did great. Good luck.

This may sound weird but, maybe she at her young age is aquaiting her daddy leaving on business trips and being away from home with being bottle fed. It is a possibility. I don't have any advise other than what has been stated before me. But good luck. I don't think your child will starve. She will drink from the bottle.