My 11Wk Old WON'T Take a BOTTLE! HELP!

I am only responding because I saw you got some of those scare responses from people that I hate. I do not know if you plan on using formula or breast milk in the bottles, but do not let people tell you your child will "get sick" if you use formula, because it is just not true. My boys got both breast milk and formula from birth, but only got breast milk for the first 3 months. They are healthy, happy boys, who never got an ear infection, or even the flu.

On another note, you may want to have Daddy introduce the bottle, and do not just give in and give her the breast if she refuses. Keep trying for a couple of hours and she should get hungry enough to try it out. The flow is faster, so it will take a little getting used to (make sure your nipples are slow flow to start), but once she does she may even prefer it. My boys did, although they were happy on the breast too, anywhere with food!

Good luck.

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We switched several times and finally ended up with the Gerber Nuk nipple. That said, our 12-week old screamed and cried and refused three feedings before finally taking it and sucked down 6 oz in no time flat. Have your husband give the bottle and leave the room (or better yet, the house) while your baby is adjusting. It'll be easier on all of you.

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Hi SP,

As a mom to an 11 month baby now, I have recently faced this situation. From birth my baby took The First years breast flow technology bottle on and off like once a week. But suddenly around 12 weeks he refused that bottle. So after that we had to try a lot of different nipples. Its really hard to find the one like your breast because every baby is different. But I got success with MAM bottles. It probably was because my baby took the pacifier when he was a month old and the shape of the pacifier and MAM nipples is the same. In addition these bottles are BPA free and does not cause gas to my baby because of their vent system. So I would say try different bottles. Eventually you will find one that suits your baby.
All the best. I know this is a hard time but it does not last for long.

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My second daughter (12 weeks old) is picky with her bottle too. I use the playtex bottles and had to switch to their rubber nipples instead of the silicone ones and that seemed to help. Also, if I'm around, she doesn't seem to want the bottle, so it might help if someone else tries to give it to her while you're in another room of the house or gone.

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SP ~ We just went through this same dilemma! What really helped us was for me (mom) to leave the room so baby couldn't hear, see or smell me while the baby was being fed. We use the Playtex drop-in system, the nipple somewhat resembles the breast. Our baby wouldn't take the silicone nipple but would take the smelly latex ones - maybe a texture thing. Once I new she would take a bottle, even though she was reluctant to, I did "baby bottle boot camp" over a weekend. I pumped breastmilk while she learned to take the bottle from me. It was hard, she didn't care for it at all but we got through it. I even gave in once or twice and nursed her. She's got me wrapped around her tiny fingers. We can now bottle feed her while I'm at work and I can nurse her when I'm home. We started the find the nipple that works game and it seemed like it was too hard on baby, not to mention expensive. Once I knew she drank from the Playtex one we stuck with it, even though she refused it a few times after. Keep working with the formula or pump if you that's what you do. I know breast milk tastes better than formula. Don't ask how I know... Your baby girl will catch on. It takes time and patience.

Good luck with bottle feeding and Good luck with school!

K

Hi there S,
I had the same problem with my last two boys. With my middle son Liam, I had to switch to a bottle and formula when he was 7 1/2mos. old because I had some major dental work and my milk started to dry up, so it became a necessity to switch. He didn't really like the playtex ones also, but I found a nipple that worked and he took the bottle pretty well with no fights soon after. Then, I had my youngest son, Sean and he had gotten thrush and made it impossible to nurse him when he was about 3 mos. old and so I tried with the playtex bottles and he didn't want them at all. Plus it didn't help that he had colic really bad. But I tried the Avent Bottles and he took right to them. We never had a problem with him eating from then on out. So, I from now on will recommend the Avent bottles. And I know that they run a little spendy, but it's a worthwhile investment when it comes to your babies. I hope that this works out for you. Good luck!!

Have you had someone else try and give her a bottle other than yourself? I had to go back to work when my son was 4 months old and he wanted nothing to do with the bottle. I started having my husband give him a bottle at a regular feeding time and I left the room. Once your baby knows you're in the room they likely won't take the bottle because they would rather have the boob. Just keep at it.

I have to agree, the Playtex drop-ins and the Rubber/Latex nipples (as opposed to the clear silicone nipples) seemed to work best with several babes I nannied in the past, and with my youngest (who was not breast fed except for the first few days--long story).

When she's older, you may want to try again with a different bottle. My older daughter was not picky and took anything that was presented. My baby was picky at first, but now she's 6 months and will take silicone and latex nipples.

Make sure the formula or milk is nice and warm. Our oldest would take it cold, but our baby is SO picky! It seriously needs to be borderline hot for her to take it... Thankfully, she's starting table foods and is nowhere near as particular with that!

I also think you are WISE to be thinking ahead to January, even though other women here may not think so. Those next couple of months fly by, and your daughter will be much more adjusted if she's already used to a bottle by then. I wanted to be a breastfeeding mama, but it didn't happen the way I would have liked--my girlies are formula kids and they are strong and healthy.

Also, GOOD FOR YOU, for going to school and raising two little ones! That's pretty amazing :)

If you are a stay at home mom you can breast feed. She does not want the bottle. It does not feel like mom or the warmth of mom or the intimacy of mom. Not every child will take a bottle even those who are on formula. Some choke and upchuck from the nipple.
She may have a problem that is physical but I doubt it.
The main problem she has is getting you to give her the breast every time. If you do she will eventually take juice or water from a sippy cup.
When I was at university we moms took our babies to class and they seldom fussed at all.
Don't try to take a full schedule of classes until this baby is older she seems like a clinger and will need your attention.
You have two months to give her the breast before you return to school. If you are on the semester system you have til the end of January so nearly three months. If you are on the quarter system take an extra quarter off. It won't make a bit of difference in the long run. But shorting your daughter will and it will effect your relationship life long.
There is no rush except when we are young we believe so. I did not graduate until my 29th birthday and it has left me more than enough time to build a fantastic career. One of my daughters like me had her children in the midst of her education and took a break to be a parent.
Relax and enjoy this moment they are not babies for very long. You were very smart to have the children first and when you are young.

My daughter never took a bottle but one of my best friends had to go back to work and tried various bottles and had great luck with Dr. Browns bottles. She had tried SO many bottles and this one was a lifesaver for them!

http://www.handi-craft.com/products/bottles-howitworks.htm

my daughter loved the soothies. its the pacifier they give you at the hospital. they sale them at walmart fred meyers and probably other places too. my daughter wouldnt take a bottle that wasnt a soothie or a pacifier that wasnt a soothie. without that i would have been in trouble.

Hi S.P.,

What worked well for me was... get a baby bottle nipple and put it over your own nipple. It has your milk and will feel natural to them because your holding them next to your skin. It will help them get used to the new texture and rubbery smell.

what worked well for my friend:
She loved the Playtex drop in bottles. She found a nipple that was the closest to her body shape. Her kids took to them real well.

good luck~

I breastfed my daughter as well, but have to say that she was easy with the bottle (breastmilk) as well. I started going back to work when she was 8 weeks old and never had a problem. I used the regular evenflo bottles. Maybe you could try the one with the wide base (don't know the brand), so it's a little bit more "breast-like".

My 3 year old never took a bottle, no matter how much we tried - he hated it. My now 18 month old didn't care much for it, but we did have decent luck with the Avent bottles. They are pretty soft, like a breast. I also found (as a child care provider) that having someone else (me) feed newborns/infants that didn't want a bottle helped. Meaning NOT mom OR dad, so the baby didn't have any reason to suspect that the "real thing" was somewhere close by and being witheld. My kids included, babies seem to prefere mom's breast to a bottle when it's available and so being in a different place (daycare) with a person who is not lactating - they can smell it - always makes a difference. I wouldn't worry too much about it, maybe try having grandma feed her when she baby sits or something and stick to pumped milk so at least part of it is familiar. When she is hungry enough, she'll eat. And later she'll be able to take some cereal that can be mixed with pumped milk (at about 4 months) and you will be able to relax knowing that she will get food into her body one way or another.

My pediatrician told me that as soon as you start feeding her formula, it changes the PH in her stomach and changes the way she digests breast milk so pumped milk is best when ever available.

I've heard that you should try to find a bottle nipple that looks like your real nipple... The texture is different, though. Some babies just do not want to take a bottle. Have you considered continuing to breastfeed through December? By the time you go back to school in January, she will be around 5 months old and could take milk in a regular cup or sippy cup, which she might accept better than a bottle.

Another good reason to keep breastfeeding right now is all the illness going around. When you breastfeed her, you not only give her food and nourishment, you are giving her all the antibacterial, antiviral properties of your breastmilk and all of your antibodies to help her fight sickness. Formula fed babies are at higher risk of developing illness (or having it be more severe) because though they are being fed, they are not getting the "medicine" that's in breastmilk.

Try and have daddy give her bottle when she hungry and do not be in room. I was nanny to baby who were just starting to use bottle when i came to work with them. Baby would not take from mom, only wanted breast. Also hold her close like breastfeeding.
The advent nipples work greaet

Hi there,

We used the 1st Years Breastflow almost immediately as we were trying to breast feed and bottlefeed and my baby took it just fine. Good luck!

I wonder if the Adiri bottle would work for you:
http://www.adiri.com/

It looks like they've gone out of business, but you might be able to still find them. Here's a quick Google shopping search for them:
http://www.google.com/products?client=safari&rls=en&a...

Good luck! :-)

The only one my daughter will take is the playtex drop-in with the darker nipple (not the clear one). It is a much softer plastic and therefore more similar to the breast. We tried Dr. Brown and Avent before this one and she wouldn't take either.

Hello Sp,

This is very common with infants. Here are a few ideas.

First, have someone other than you use the bottle. She may not use the bottle because she's waiting for you to use the breast.

Try the bottle when she's hungry, like after a nap.

Lastly, try a lot of different nipples. Every baby is different. I worked as a Nanny for an OB/GYN a long time ago, and we had to used at least 5 differnt nipples before we found one the baby would like, so there isn't one "most like Mom".

Good Luck. This is a hard transition.

R. Magby

My oldest never would take a bottle. there was once when I was sick with a high fever and my milk dried up and he wouldnt drink anything a whole day! I was relieved the next day when my faver was down and I could nurse him again. He wouldnt take any kind of bottle or cup til he was almost 1, but then it was drinking out of a cup through a straw! he would drink a caprisun with no problems, but would not drink out of a bottle to save his life!

I left you a message earlier but got cut off :) I like scent too, or adiri natural nurser, although it's expensive we just bought one and washed it each time then sanitized it every night, or you could just buy two. It really looks and feels like a breast! And the other one was using latex not silicone nipples. they're the yellow ones, playtex natural nurser has them. Those were our little one's favorites.

All little ones are different. Some just have a hard time transistioning to the bottle from the breast. I personally use the Born Free bottles after having to try practically every single bottle out there on my son. At first he just had trouble latching on to the bottle. And that was with any kind of bottle, once he got a little older however he seemed to start getting the hag of it and after bottle after bottle he has settled on the Born Free bottles. I love them. They are easy to clean, BPA free, and have a special system in them to help reduce air bubbles and gas. They work great for my son. I have heard though, that the Gerber Nuk bottles have nipples that breastfed babies like since they are so similar, my son didnt care for them. All babies are different. Unfortunatly you just have to keep trying different things. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Hi SP,
We had luck with the Avent (I believe the newer ones are BPA free) and Born Free, which are for certain BPA free. Stick with the breastmilk in the bottle if you can as it is best for baby. We had my husband and my mom start giving the the bottle first with my daughter and it went pretty ok. It was hard for me though as a breastfeeding mama to be in the other room knowing that someone else was feeding my girl! I pumped while they gave her the bottle. Whoever is giving her the bottle should hold her in such a way so that her face is close to the breast and she is in a position as close as posbile to when you nurse her. Good luck!!!!

my kids did very well with playtex drop-ins. I think she even likes the rubber nipples better.

Good luck

I love nuk nipples. They are wonderful. They are supposed to be closer to breast feeding than others. I did recently hear about adiri bottles, which seem like they'd be GREAT. Hope this helps. http://www.adiri.com/

The rubber nuk (Gerber) given by Dad worked for us :)