Need Help Weening Baby from Breast to Bottle

Try a sippy cup. My first granddaughter went from breast to sippy cup at around 6 months, she would not take bottle either. It is worth a try.

My first child refused all bottles at all times. We're getting ready to welcome #2 and i've been reading about a new type of bottle that people are saying is a miracle bottle for these kids. It's the first years brastflow bottle. They seem to be hard to find in stores, but I find them all over the internet (babiesrus.com, amazon.com, etc.). Good luck!

My 4 month old drinks out of the NUK bottles while I am at work but won't take it from me. He will however take a cup since NUK makes cup attachments that go to the bottle it's has fit perfect for him. Maybe you could try that. It might just be the bottle he doesn't like.

I've always had good luck w/ our bottles - breastflow by the first years, you can get them at target, or babiesrus. A stage one nipple mimics the breast pretty well, (meaning it's still pretty hard work to get the milk out) so he shouldn't be as overwhelmed by the flow as he might with other bottles.

Also, even at that age, they know if you're going to give in. As terrible as it might be for all of you, you may have to try extra hard not to give in to him and not let him have the breast in the alternative for a few days. If he doesn't take the bottle when offered, put it aside and try again in 30 minutes or so. (He'll be hungry and cranky, but likely, he'll get the idea.)

Most importantly: Be observant of how you and others are holding him while feeding. My son is very picky about how he'll take a bottle, you must hold him as though he is breastfeeding, which is much more horizontal than most bottle babies, turn him in and place the bottle where the breast would be. In any event, it might seem silly, but he takes the bottle fine, w/o any complaint from people who hold him in this fashion, but if you try to vary it he totally refuses (we tried a nanny who just couldn't figure it out and had to end the arrangement). Also, gently push the nipple of the bottle toward the top of the mouth to help w/ proper placement and suction - that should help it to closer resemble breastfeeding and stimulate him to suck.

You might also try the nuk sippy cup w/ the big "nipple." It's still soft and pliable but different enough that he may not rejected it out of hand as an unacceptable substitute for mommy's nipple. We used those when weaning off the bottle to the sippy b/c after the infant room at daughter's day care they no longer allowed bottles.

Best of luck!

You could visit a La Leche League meeting or just visit there website (llli.org). Frequently you are told by medical professionel to wean when in fact you do not have to or only on a temporary basis. LLL is a great resourse for nursing moms. If indeed you do have to or choose to wean, the local LLL moms may have some practical advice. They were a great support to me when I was going thru a difficult time of nursing.
Also, you could call the lactation specialist at your local hospital. They can also be a great resourse.
I am sorry that I do not have any advice for weaning but hope that you find what you need.

Hi A., I completely agree with the mama that said to have somone else feed him the bottle. Maybe even with a t-shirt of your draped over their chest since your smell does mean food! It becomes confusing and frustrating to him, he wants to eat and here you are putting some foreign nipple in his mouth! That bottle doesn't mean food to him yet. Since your a SAHM durring the daytime feedings you might even try just propping the bottle up or holding him diffrent like in your lap just some way thats NOT nursing position, till he catches on that this bottle thing isn't evil after all. My babies always liked the bottles with the bag insert and the big round brown nipples, it feels and works more like the real thing!Also make sure the temp. of the bottle is just right. I know what your going through my middle two kids are only 10 months apart, I was able to nurse my daughter for a while durring my pregnancy but then my milk started to dry up so that the colostrume could be produced and she was not happy and her un-happiness only increased when the new baby came along and got to nurse. So needless to say I have pics of me in the hospital in one nursing a new born and in the other a ten moth old!!! Good Luck!

Hello A..
I didn't have a problem with my kids taking the bottle. My problem is my daughter getting off the bottle at night. LOL. My fried did have a problem with her son though about not wanting to take a bottle unless it was with someone else. It helped that I was taking care of her son during the day and I gave him the bottle. If he didn't want to take it I would just wait 10 - 15 minutes and try again, or wait till he was cranky enough he didn't care where the milk was coming from. It is a trying experience. I would try maybe draping a blanket over your chest while trying to feed your son a bottle then maybe he wont smell you so bad. It might work. Or like one of the ladies said to prop up the bottle. There is nothing wrong with that. I did that with my daughter because she was so attatched to me only feeding her. She wouldnt let my fiance hold her to feed her at all. She just wanted her mama. So your son may just be attatched to you also. I really hope some of this helps. Good Luck!!

S. G.
www.always4myfamily.com

i have a 2 yr old son who would not latch on and would not take a bottle. make sure u get the clear nipples. thay have bottles made for the transishon. try them. he will not stard him self he will take it u just gotta give it to him. hold him like u would if u where gonna brest feed him. but give him the bottle. plus if hes 5 months old he should be eating food also so hes not gonna go hungry u just need to insist on him taking it

I had a very similar experience when my daughter was 4 months old. I had gotten sick and was not taking an antibiotic because i wanted to bf but then i knew i needed to get away and get well so i didn't get her sick. lots of crying that day in the dr office!
My daughter was familiar with the bottle due to me pumping and others feeding her all along (family members, sitter, friends, etc.) The day that i went to the dr to get the antibiotic i came home and it was time to feed. i combined formula with some breastmilk and then handed it over to the sitter. of course my daughter was hysterical-hungry, confused, not wanting formula. The sitter took her in the backyard (pretty day) and told my to go inside. it was horrible, i could hear her crying and it was all i could do to not so "ok, one more time...". but eventually, she was hungry enough that she figured it out and took the bottle/formula. that night, her dad fed her and again she fussed but i stayed away. it was so h*** o* my to not comfort her and just quickly step in to solve the problem but it only further adds to the confusion and prolongs the inevitable. not to mention, if she is crying and i'm crying and i'm trying to feed her the bottle while leaking...much worse!
It only took about 2 days and finally i was able to feed her without the fussing.
I have given this same advice to 2 other friends and it worked for them as well. Another friend slowly weaned by going to bottle with breastmilk during the day and still breastfeeding the last feeding at night. After a few weeks, the bottle changed to formula during the day but still breastfeeding at night. And then after a few more weeks of that she eventually was on the bottle and formula the whole time. In my case, that may not have worked but worth sharing--it may make sense for your situation.

Hi A.! My son was just like this, would not take a bottle unless it was given to him by someone else and I had to be totally gone or out of the room (because he can smell you and wonder why you are not feeding him). My husband could get him to take it if I was not anywhere around. My son would cry a little, about 5 min., then would realize it was all he was getting so he would take it. If you have to stop, you may want to get your parents involved and see if they can keep him for a long weekend. I had a friend and this was how she would totally break her kids from nursing, it may work for switching to the bottle. I hope this helps!

Is it because of drugs that you have to take? Because you'd be surprised. The doctors will usually say that you have to stop nursing simply because they want to be safe, but they often don't know whether any given drug is safe or not.

There's a guy - or staff of many? - in New Zealand who has (have?) been documenting what's ok and what's not. Here's the link: http://www.rphworld.com/pharmacist/viewlink-22927.html

If you scroll down, you can find a quick-read chart. I tried to copy and paste it here, but it came out messy. Just take a look, and you might find that the medicine/s you have to take are actually safe for breastfeeding.

I hope you're feeling better. As for weaning to the bottle, if you have to, after all, maybe you can start out by breastfeeding, and then switch to the bottle after your baby's hunger is sated a little. Or, same basic idea, start when he's really not all that hungry. Also, make sure that it's a low-flow nipple. Very important, as the regular ones basically gush! He might find that annoying.

Oh! You might also try the BornFree! sippy cup and find it works better than a bottle. My daughter loves biting on that particular nubby thing to soothe her gums. That is how I introduced water and vegetable juices to her. It's also actually closer to the nipple feel, I think, because it doesn't totally disappear (collapse) between the gums when the baby applies any pressure at all, if you know what I mean. There's some substance to it.

Oh, and let him play with the bottle (, sippy cup, whatever). It's probably his way of becoming familiar with it. Let him play with it often, not just at feeding times. Let those positive associations form :)

L.