How to Get Baby to Take a Bottle

Hi J.,

He's awfully young to be weaned. Do you have to take him off of you and onto a bottle? My son is about to turn 11 months old and I still nurse him and will continue to do so till he's weaned himself which is the natural process. My daughter weaned herself off of me when she was 3 1/2 years old.
Sorry you feel so trapped. This is a very short phase, one that when it's gone, it's gone and the bonding experience you have with your child will change.

E. P.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi J.,

You definitely have to have someone else help your baby go on the bottle -- he knows you've got the real goods! For my oldest daughter, it was her father -- and she gave him a run for the money! But I was going back to work so it had to be done. Leave the house when it happens, it'll break your heart to hear your frustrated baby cry. With my younger daughter, a friend offered to do it, who'd already been through this with her own children and it didn't bother her one bit. Lots of love and patience are needed! Most babies will eat eventually when they're hungry. Once the bottle was introduced, I still breastfed when I was home until the girls weened themselves, and pumped my own milk when we were apart when they were infants. I even froze it in ice cube trays so my babies got only my milk for the first six months. For daycare, I'd mix half freshly pumped milk and a couple of ice cubes in each bottle. Hope this helps, it's a tough transition but gives you all options if you succeed. Good luck!

I breastfed my two.. The oldr one got bottles and a pacifier from the get go she nursed until 18 months and took a bottle. My youngest refused anything but me to the point of near starvation...he was 12 lbs for like 3 momths.. I had to work and left plenty of milk formula cearel... he would not EAT. then when he finally took a bottle he gained 1lb in 2weeks. by 9 months he weaned himself... It;s kinda the baby's call. Good luck and hang in there..

I've been there. My son never took a bottle (OK, he did once, just to show us he could, then never again.) At 3 months old, he would go for 8 hours without eating rather than take a bottle. I started working (my son stayed home with dad), and nursed him at lunch hour and through the night.
A couple of things to try: a cup - yes, just a regular small cup, of water. Or one of the more bottle-like sippy cups. Talk to your doctor about how soon you can start solids - shouldn't be long before he can do rice cereal mixed with breast milk.
Good luck!

Hi J.
You might have better luck getting him to take a bottle from someone other than you. If you are giving him the bottle he's going to resist because the "real" stuff is too close!!!

Hi J.,
I just wanted to tell you I've been trying to get my now almost five month old daughter to take a bottle consistantly since she was six weeks old. At first she would take one a day for me with no problems. Then she stopped taking them for me and would cry. I tried every bottle imaginable and finally found the adiri natural nurser bottle worked the best (although I'm not really sure it matters that much). I've left her with family for the day in the past and she has taken some milk from this bottle but always refuses once she is with me. She will only take it for her dad if he feeds her while she is lying in something and facing him rather than in his arms(I also have to be unseen and unheard). I've also started introducing cereal early. My hope is that maybe if she learns to appreciate other foods she won't be so offended when offered a bottle. I mostly work nights but one weekend when she was about 3 and half months old I worked during the day and she would not eat for over ten hours! The following day she took milk from little dixie cups until I got home. It's really difficult and I know what you mean about wanting some freedom. If you haven't already tried leaving her with someone else for the day this might help. Good luck.
A.

This question (for a two month old) was posted earlier today? this week? and in May too. Try to search this site from the home page for the same question. Here's the link to the one in May:

How to make a two month old drink from a bottle
http://www.mamasource.com/request/4279250929640800257

This was my advice: Try this tip from the La Leche book on nursing: stand and hold the baby upright facing out away from you, hold the bottle up for her to drink from and walk around.

Worked for us after 2 months of trying. We used Dr. Brown's bottles. Our breastfed daughter took bottles fine from weeks 4-8, then zero bottles for two months of trying. Tried many tips, this one worked. She let me feed her and others too this way.

Hi J.
I had the same problem with my so taking a bottle . What worked for my son is when my babysitter or his dad feed him, they held him in the same possition as i did to nurse him and stuck the bottle in his mouth. I have also heard (untill they get used) to it have the person giving the bottle put on your robe or a shirt that you have had on so that they think it is you. It is slow going it took my son a good couple weeks to get used to it.
Hope that helps
K.

It isn't always the bottle (although my baby likes the playtex drop ins, fast flow nipple, latex not silicone.) It could be the nipple (fast flow vs slow, latex vs silicone, etc. It did take about two weeks for my son to start taking more than a couple of ounces and he increased over a matter of days and now he drinks a whole bottle just fine. It could be the temperature of the formula, too. My son would only take his room temperature to cold, not warm. He just didn't like formula warm. Just give it a couple of weeks. Also, give it to him when he is really hungry, he may take to it more easily. Good luck.

Have you tried the MAM's bottles or the Haberman (Medela Special Needs) feeders? These are both most like breastfeeding. The problem for BF babies with a lot of bottles (other than the nipple being strange) is that the milk flows without any sucking and they can feel flooded. The MAM's and the Habermans do NOT release any milk unless the baby sucks.
These bottles are hard to find though - the MAM's can only be ordered online, and the Haberman's can be bought in some stores. Checkout Medela's web-site for a place near your home.
Good luck!

P.S. I tried FIVE bottles before the Haberman and that worked. My little one has now graduated onto the Dr. Brown's bottles. I am STILL breastfeeding and she is 7.5 months, and yes it feels great when someone else can feed them!

Hi J.,

I just went through the same thing with my 3-month old. The only bottle we finally had luck with (and it took awhile!!) was the breastflow bottle. You can get them at Target. They're kind of a pain to clean, but they're definitely unique.

Hi J.,
well, I had difficulty getting my daughter to take a bottle, too . I had heard that it might be better if they take it from daddy, rather than from you - they know that with you, the milk isn't supposed to come from a bottle :-)

In the beginning, I felt sort of trapped by the nursing, too. But after a while, I felt so freed by it! I just had to take the baby - didn't have to prep formula, bottles, sterilize, etc. Just me and the baby and my boobs! If you practice in front of the mirror, you can be very discreet and you can nurse the baby and people won't even be able to tell! I think my daughter was around 4 months old when I just had to point her in the right direction and she knew what to do! I do remember early on, I really had to look to see what she was doing and to assist her, but by 4 months of age,she was doing great.

Is your son on a schedule? I also felt that I couldn't go anywhere, but my daughter was pretty regular in her feedings, so I did know that once I fed her, I had a good 3 hours before she would be hungry again.

What I did do was to try and make the bottle fun - I would nurse her and then try the bottle, with lots of praise for trying it, and I wouldn't let her get too frustrated with it. I think they have a learning curve with the bottle - it's a different sucking pattern than nursing. Give him lots of time to get used to it, make it fun, and try to try on the perspective that nursing can be freeing. If you are concerned about people seeing you, you can always drape a baby blanket over your shoulder. They make some great nursing clothing that helps you be discreet.

Good Luck!
Warmly,
E.

Have you tried leaving the house and letting someone else give him the bottle? You'd definitely want someone who is comfortable with him crying for a bit, but likely - when you're not there with the breast he usually eats from - he'll take a bottle from a grandma/dad/someone else. I think the key is you leaving, so getting food from you is not an option. A lot of mothers go through this and this is one suggestion I've heard several times.

What type of bottle are you using? They make these wonderful bottles called breast flow i think they are by first years. I
ve only seen them at babies r us they are wide and have a nipple inside a nipple whick is supposed to be like the same idea as nursing. it was the only bottle my son would take. Good luck

I had this problem with my daughter. I have no advice, but I do know that it is more common than you may think. I know two other mothers who babies refused to drink from a bottle. I tried everything under the sun to no avail. i ended up having to just keep breastfeeding, her dad was not happy cuz he was never able to feed her. It bothered me for the same reasons as you, when I needed a break, or even wanted to go to bed and sleep a full night I could not cuz I was the only one that could feed her.
What I have heard is if you do not introduce the bottle early enough, this is a huge problem. I intorduced the bottle at 3 1/2 months.. my friend had tried around the same age. no luck for neither of us.
Good Luck.
M.

It can be frustrating when you feel trapped by nursing, but it does get easier. Make sure you aren't the person giving him the bottle, he won't take it. Also, why not just go to the cookout w/the baby and just find a quiet corner to nurse. As someone else has said, it is such a short time and so important, just continue nursing. Good luck.

While breastfeeding you are less trapped than by bottle feeding. You don't need to mix anything, pack anything, etc. If you need to go out go out and pump. My son was fussy about bottles and we used the Platex nursers. The start up pack is the best because it comes with four different nipples to try.

I'm sorry - that must be so frustrating. I know they're a little far from you, but you might want to call Lactation Care in Newton Mass. They are wonderful and very supportive. They have a website too. Dot, the woman who started the whole thing, is great and has lots of good ideas. Good luck!

geez I wish I knew, I am currently in the same boat, BUT my son is 8 motnhs old! He finally considered taking the bottle the other day after going back to trying Good Start formula with Dr. Brown's bottles... (I had tried both in the past) I figure he just decided he would agree to it. BUT he will only drink about 1 or 2 oz and will want the breast later on... I am a teacher and have the summer off and am going to torchure him and myself by working this issue out with him, and will have to cut him off and let him cry - he is not going to be happy! Good luck to you!