Baby Refuses the Bottle - Wichita,KS

Updated on April 17, 2010
D.B. asks from Wichita, KS
10 answers

Hi moms. You'd think after 5 kids, I'd know it all but not so.. lol. My 3 month old baby girl is breastfed. I am really wanting her to take a bottle now and then of breast milk so that I can run errands and my husband can take care of her or so that he can feed her while I'm cooking dinner, etc. She absolutely refuses. I have spend much $$$ on every nipple on the market. She has no clue how to drink from a bottle and just chews or moves it around on her tongue but she will not suck on it at all. Does anyone have a trick or is there a miracle bottle/nipple out there? My latest purchase was the Breastflow bottle that is patented and is supposed to mimic the breast the closest. It bombed out. :(

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C.D.

answers from St. Louis on

You didn't mention whether you were trying to give her the bottle, but I've read that with some kids, mom has to be out of the house, otherwise baby will smell them (!) and know they can get the boob instead. We didn't have that problem with my daughter, and she just wanted to EAT, but we also started with the bottle when she was about 4 weeks old I think. good luck.

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S.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Tommy Tippee bottles are a new type at Babies r us. I just know they are supposed to support and mimic breastfeeding, but it doesn't mean she will like it. I have heard others try a little cup as silly as it may sound.

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N.P.

answers from Phoenix on

We introduced the bottle to my son (now 3 months) when he was only 5 weeks old...we went through almost every nipple out there, including the breastflow one which didn't work for us either. What did eventually work for us was a latex nipple (as opposed to silicone). We went with the ones from Playtex so we could use the drop-in system (my breast pump lets me pump directly into the drop-ins so it is all nice and easy). The other thing that helped was having my husband be the one to introduce the bottle. While he fed our son, I went into another room and pumped so that I could keep up my milk supply. After a couple of weeks of struggling, he actually finished a full bottle! Oh, and another thing that helped was to make sure the milk was warm enough. Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Spokane on

Im sure after 5 kids you have heard it all so after my 1 im not sure i have much that will help.

have you tried opening the top more. babys have to work much harder to get milk out of a bottle so she may be frustrated. Your breast may flow very easily. try different bottles not just different nippples. try with and without inserts.

If nothing else works I was always conforted by the logic...If they are hungry they will eat!!! It may be that if you are still offering the breast as well she know that she doesn't have to use the bottle. She may be a smart stubborn girl! you may only ba able to offer only one or the other.

hope this help you!

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K.G.

answers from St. Louis on

We had great luck with the Soothie bottles, which has nuks that are just like the nipples. Our youngest had a hard time with the low-flow, so we gave him the stage 2 nipples and he did much better. We also dipped the tip of the nipple in breast milk before giving it to him so he knew what to do with it. And I walked out of the house so my son knew I wasn't around!

Something else that may or may not be an issue is to put the nipple far enough back in her mouth so she can suck. Put the tip o fhte nipple on the roof of her mouth about halfway back, and that will make it a lot easier. My oldest, when a friend was babysitting him, was already an old pro at bottles. But my friend didn't put it far enough in his mouth for him to be able to eat!

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A.R.

answers from Kansas City on

One other thing you might try is a slow-flow sippy cup rather than a bottle. I've read about people skipping bottles altogether and transitioning to a cup to save weaning them from the bottle later. This may work for you if she really hates any nipple other than yours! :)

Good luck!

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R.A.

answers from Wausau on

My son did the same thing! I tried every type of bottle I could get my hands on. In the end my son still refused. I talked to the pediatrican and she told me that sometimes kids are fussy. Thankfully I am a stay at home mom, but it took 15 months before I was able to get out again.. ALONE!! haha Does she take a nook? If so try finding a bottle that mimics that nipple (my sons also refused those) Good Luck and let me know if you have any luck, I am due in Aug and am fearful my second one will follow in his brothers footsteps! :)

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

sucking from a bottle is a different technique all together, from sucking from the breast. And it feels different.
Plus she probably gets nipple confusion....

I used the "MAM" brand bottles/nipples. Which you can get from www.amazon.com
This really worked for my son. (and me). LOL
Its a natural nipple and it is BPA free.

just keep trying...

good luck,
Susan

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

Try the Avent or Nuk. My daughter had the same problem with twins and one took the Avent and the other would take the Nuk but it took a lot of work and not giving up and they'd take it when I had them. She did nurse still but if she had to go to the doctor or anywhere they had to eat so we finally got them to do it. Keep at it and maybe when she's a bit older too she'll take a bottle of some kind better.

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

okay, you've tried every nipple out there......then it's just a matter of "who's in charge"! I know this sounds harsh, but if your baby is hungry enough...she will learn to use the bottle. DON'T GIVE IN.....it may take 2 or 3 tries before she latches on.....but if you keep offering the breast as the consolation prize, then she'll never learn.

Sometimes, it takes strength & fortitude on our part ....to achieve what will ...in the end make us all happy.

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