3 Month Old Having Trouble with Bottle

Updated on January 18, 2011
K.B. asks from Waterloo, IA
11 answers

My 3 month old has been in day care for about 4 weeks. Still doesn't want to take a bottle real well he will take it but the milk has to be very warm and if it cools off he refuses to take it. Any Ideas that would help. Sometimes he only takes 5 oz while at school for 9 hrs. We have tried Nuk nipples and straight basic nipples he seems to prefer the Nuk nipples at grandmas.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

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D.B.

answers from New York on

Both my daughter and my son would not take a bottle when I went back to work. But they both made up for it when I got home in the evening. My mom watched them so I know she did everything she could to get them to drink, they were just stubborn. Have faith, your baby will get the milk he needs when you are there. And just keep trying to work with the daycare. It will work out.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

Why are they not warming it for him??? I own a daycare and we have a crock pot filled with water that we keep on warm all day just for this reason. Especially for breast milk. They are obligated to feed your baby how ever he likes it, and you are paying for that service. Insist that your baby's bottle be warmed during the day because 5 ounces in not enough for him to have throughout the day. I am sure he is starving when he gets home. If they cannot do as you ask then find a new daycare. That just isn't right!! Good luck!!

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

My 3 month-old daughter did not drink anything from a bottle during her first 4 weeks of daycare - nothing! She was "the most stubborn baby [they] had ever seen"! She was perfectly happy there, until they tried to feed her, then she screamed.

On the Monday of her fifth week there, she suddenly drank 7 oz at once.

Be patient. A baby will not starve themselves. He will adjust eventually. A breastfed baby only likes a bottle really warm, that's normal.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

Is he otherwise breastfed so the bottle isn't something he has at home? My LC said that around 12 weeks it was common for babies to sort of assert themselves and stop just sucking on everything in their mouths. My DD started refusing a bottle from my husband before I went back to work (around 12 weeks) and I was terrified she wouldn't take a bottle at all. She did, but she wouldn't take one from me.

How much are they giving at a time? How much does he take at a time? I'd try going with more bottles, but fewer ounces at a time. That way he'll finish faster and it'll be warmer while he drinks it.

The flip side is how much does he consume at home? If he's also on a bottle at home, how many ounces and when does he eat? If he's nursing, does he nurse more at night (and is potentially reverse cycling)?

While 5 oz is really low for a 9 hour day, try to think about the whole day and see where this fits. If he sleeps more at daycare than he does at home, maybe he doesn't need as much. Or ask them to show you how he's fed and make suggestions if something your family does works better.

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D.M.

answers from Denver on

Can you try a different type of bottle, nipple?

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B.L.

answers from Cleveland on

My son is the same way. he is 7 months old. he will not take a bottle unless it is very warm. i could say that you could make them warm the bottle up. im sure they have to have a bottle warmer. or you can buy one and put his name on it and take it with him there. he sould be eating more then just 5 ounces in 9 hours. that dosnt seem very healthy at all

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A.C.

answers from Boston on

Insist that the day care keep it warm. I'm sure you, like everyone else with a child in day care, is paying a fortune to have your child there, so tell them you want his milk served warm. They are responsible for taking care of your child, and that includes making sure he eats.

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C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

Try (old school) Playtex drop ins. We had alot of problems with the Nuk nipples. They couldn't get the formula/breastmilk to come out consistently and would get frustrated and give up.

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L.C.

answers from Duluth on

My son was the same way but we stuck with it and now he takes the bottle like nothing!!!
The only nipple that worked (and we tried a lot!) was the playtex orthodontic nipple with the drop in bottles.
We have had to re-warm the bottle halfway through a feeding for a couple of minutes while burping too, that helps.
Good luck, I know it is hard to deal with this!

P.M.

answers from Tampa on

Best bet is to not sweat it and nurse him as much as he can drink once you are home with him. Be happy he prefers Mommy to a bottle.

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