My baby is almost 9 weeks and hasn't really taken to the bottle yet. Any hints for helping him take the bottle?
We've tried Avent and Dr. Browns bottles but so far he seems to have a preference for Playtex drop-ins, though he has yet to take more than an ounce in that bottle.
Hi A.,
Have you tried leaving and having someone else give him the bottle? If he knows you're there he might be more resistant. My daughter never took a bottle - our son took one with no problem. I used the Medela bottle for both of them. Good luck - and if he doesn't take the bottle you might have to wait it out and go straight to the sippy cup around 5 or 6 months...that's what we ended up doing with our daughter.
I don't think you need to eliminate a nursing, but I would NOT offer your boy a bottle if you are in the house. Really, what baby would take a bottle when he knows the breast is available? Have your husband or someone else offer it, and you need to be out of sight and earshot.
A.:
First off a ounce may be all that your son needs.
Second, I have seen a number of families in the last year who were having difficulties with babies taking a bottle. In quite a few of these situations the babies were not able to extract milk from a bottle and so we had to come up with other means for alternative feeds.
Bottle feeding can be more complex than we anticipate.
P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com
My first child would not take a bottle forever. It was very stressful because I was standing up in a wedding when he 12 weeks old and we couldn't get him to take a bottle until 10 weeks! My doctors recommendation, which is what we did successfully, was to pick one bottle (we used Avent) and just stick with it. He said to eliminate one nursing and only give the bottle, if he didn't take it or didn't take a lot wait at least an hour before offering the breast, that if he was hungry he would take the bottle. I also had my husband do it and I was not in the room.
Just another thought, my daughter is 8 weeks and she only takes 2-2.5 oz at a bottle feeding, on some rare occasions she will take 3, so its possible that he is just not hungry.
Our first daughter never took to the bottle and I will say that our lives were put on hold for the entire year I nursed. When our second daughter came along we did not fool around witht the the bottle. My husband gave her one everyday for months, usually in the evening after I put the first one to bed and then I'd go pump. I would be sure he gets one everyday, life was a lot easier witht he second one taking a bottle. I never gave her bottle the entire year I nursed, it was more for my hubby and anyone else who may be watching her.
Good Luck
I can't give our son a bottle, he absolutely refuses. My mom and husband, however, are very acceptable bottle-givers. The first time my husband gave Brian a bottle I made sure I wasn't close by. That way he wouldn't be able to smell me and know that there was a better food source around. He still won't take a bottle from me, and he's 13 weeks. I always have someone else do it. Now I can be around when he's having a bottle, I just can't be the one giving it to him. Wait until he's truly hungry to try the bottle; if he's just kind of hungry he'll be more willing to wait it out for the real thing.
Have dad do it. Mom shouldn't even be in the room/house since the baby can smell her and wants her instead of that hard bottle. The way my son took to the bottle was a big blow of air in his face while he had the bottle in his mouth. Somehow causes him to start sucking. Once he got it - he got it!
