Daughter Won't Take Bottle

Can you try a sippy cup? It may be early, but if you wanted to leave her for a bit you may have to try. I have a bottle addict (15 1/2 mos) and I wish I'd never even started the bottle. It's so hard to get her off of it! You could try a Nuby sippy. They have really soft spouts on them. Other than that, I don't really know! Sorry :(

First of all, congrats on being a LMT. I tried that field and although I did love it at times, I just don't think it was for me and I hated being away from my daughter at night time because I was working full time and going to class part time at night.

Anyways, my daughter was a little bit the same way but we supplemented her from breast milk to formula at about 6 weeks old. Sometimes you really have to force the bottle in their mouths. I have noticed with my daughter that sometimes when she is tired, she wants the breast, but once I give her the bottle she usually does fine. You will need to start feeding her the bottle at least 1 time per day, whether it is breast or formula, that way she gets used to the nipple. You can spend a lot of money on nipples just trying to figure out if that is the reason why she is not taking the bottle, but most nipples are standard. I use 2 different ones on my daughter, 1 for formula/breast milk and 1 for formula/cereal. Another thing you may want to try since she is as old as my daughter, is starting her on some cereal. She may like it! My daughter when she first had oatmeal, she wasn't quite sure of what it was and I only gave it to her at night so she would sleep better, but now she loves it! My babysitter feeds her it once and I feed her it another time before bed.

Oh and a note, if you do decide to start putting oatmeal in her bottles, be sure to cut the opening of the nipple so that the oatmeal can come out.

As I said, try forcing it on her and see what she does. You may be surprised!!

Congrats and good luck!!!

I wouldn't worry about it, just nurse her and be thankful she doesn't have to take a bottle when you're working or away for long periods. She's growing and happy, she's developed an opinion about what she wants, and she knows it's better than any old bottle! I would not force a bottle on her and be happy to nurse, these months don't last long and will be gone forever.

She likes you better.
Keep nursing.
Enjoy.
You won't regret it.

From someone who nursed 1 baby with a few bottles, and 5 with no bottles!

Maybe she just likes the secure feeling she gets when you are nursing her. My daughter wouldn't take the bottle either
when she was a baby, but that was ok with me, because I loved
breastfeeding her, I also figured that if she didn't take
the bottle it would be one less thing I would have to take
away later. Plus it was one less thing I had to worry about
taking with me.
I do know that all babies like to feel secure.
My daughter was on lower end of the growth scale until she was
about 10, and she is still a small person (woman). Her dad &
I are not very big people either. I wouldn't worry too much
about her weight as long as she is gaining, what does her Dr
say if he or she is not worried I would worry either.
That's if you feel like you have a good Dr.
K.
K.

This is not uncommon among breastfed babies. The best advice I can give you is to contact La Leche League, as they have many suggestions to help the breastfeeding mother. One of my five children was also a small baby, I only breastfed him without any supplementary bottles. By six months, he was still a little small length-wise, but he was a little healthy weeble baby. :-) You know, rolly polly all dimpled and filled out. He lost the baby fat when he started walking, but stayed healthy and is now grown up and gone from the nest. I firmly believe in the old addage, "Breast is best!" but also understand wanting to be able to have a break now and then to do something for yourself. Try pumping and giving breastmilk in the bottle...it might make all the difference in the world. Good luck!

My daughter did the same thing to me. I wanted her to occassionally take a bottle so that I could leave her with someone once in a while (I had bad post-partum depression and sometimes just needed to get away). She absolutely refused until she was 9 months old. You may just have to deal with it.
As for growth charts..as long as she's staying on track, don't worry. My ds and dd were always at 10% and 5% respectively, but they grew just fine. Yeah, they're short, but so are my husband and I. The only time I got a lecture from the pediatrician was when my ds turned 12 and hadn't gained any weight. He's a dancer, he eats like a horse. The next year he gained 9 lbs.

Best of luck.

Hi M. S.

The same thing happened to us at just about four months. I was at work and baby was home with daddy. Daddy was so worried because all of a sudden, our little dear just stopped wanting the bottle. She'd scream every time he tried to give it to her, when in the past, she never had a problem taking the bottle whether it was filled with formula or breast milk.

After a little bit of time, a couple of weeks maybe, she cut her first two teeth, at the same time! All of the past few weeks goings on made more sense now - the refusal to take the bottle, the night wakings, the incessant fussiness. We just had no idea she'd get teeth so early. It does happen though. And after those teeth came through, she went right back to the bottle with no problem.

Good luck. One day at a time...

The same thing happened with my son, and I was beside myself, thinking I would never be able to leave his side! It only lasted about two weeks, and then he got his first tooth. I think using the bottle nipple was hurting his gums. So hang in there, I'm sure it will get better soon.

A great solution is the Adiri breast bottle. I used one for my daughter and she took the bottle at a week old. I was nursing her as well. The Adiri bottle is unique because it looks and feels like a breast, so the infant feels more comfortable with it. I just stopped using mine. (My daughter is now 10 months old.) If you are interest in it, let me know. This bottle was a lifesaver.

My son is almost four months old and I'm also struggling giving him a bottle. I'm a stay at home mom and a jewelry representative trying to work two nights a week. I'm usually gone from the home four hours, which is a bit too long of a stretch for him, so that is why I'm wanting him to take a bottle a few times a week. I'm very happy breast feeding, but would like to have the comfort of knowing that he's getting fed and is happy while I'm gone. I don't feel like many have responded to your question (including me)with answers. They are just saying be happy about it. I didn't get the impression you were dissappointed in breast feeding...just that you needed an alternative on occasion...me too. Hoping others will respond with some suggestions. My 2-year old son was weaned at 10.5 months and I couldn't get him to try any type of bottle...had to go right to a sippy cup. It was a few days of concern about whether he was getting enough liquid, but it all worked out. I'm thinking about starting some rice cereal with my son to see if that might help him sustain until I get home from work.

A few questions to consider (sorry to just jump right in but my little nurser is waiting on me)...

Why does she need to have a bottle? If she's nursing and having plenty of wet and dirty diapers, there's no need to give her a bottle to check how much she's eating.

Is it breastmilk or formula in the bottle? If it's formula, she may just not like it.

How often is it given? If it's a good distance in time (a couple weeks, you said?), she may have simply developed a dislike for it. I know that if I had to choose between my mother's warm skin and the taste of her milk or a rubber thing with formula or breastmilk tainted with the taste of a synthetic material, I'd choose my mama any day.

Now on to the weight charts. If you're looking at the one in the doctor's office, STOP! They're not going to do you any good. Those stupid things are based on male babies who were formula fed in the 70s. For a more accurate source, go to www.kellymom.com and look for the weight charts on that site. There are charts for boys and girls and are based on breastfed babies. And, as long as she is following a curve and is developing normally in every other area, chances are that she is doing just fine. I'm speaking from experience because my daughter and son are both towards the bottom of the growth charts. My daughter was even off of it for a while. At about 3 months or so, she was declared 'failure to thrive' because she completely stopped growing for a few months. But, her other developmental milestones were right on if not early. Now she's doing just fine and the doctor even mentioned her being a little big. So, don't worry about it too much.

And (back to breastfeeding) I encourage you to continue to breastfeed your little one. The time goes by so quickly and she'll soon enough not want it at all. If you can eliminate the bottles, she'll probably be a much happier little girl. I know it's tough and can even be inconvenient, but it's so worth it in the long run. I got to the point that I made it convenient. If we're in a store and my son is hungry, I'll find a chair and feed him, that simple. I am discreet about it and sometimes wear a shawl. But, I'd rather have a happy and full baby than sore breasts and a little one that won't stop screaming.

I pra the Lord gives you peace, guidance and an understanding of what your little girl is going through so that you can help her be a happy little girl once again.

God bless,
A.

All children go through stages of eating and not eating , believe me if she is hungry she will eat, no child will starve themselves at that age.So she doesn't want the bottle , keep trying off and on but be ready for her to breastfeed. As long as you are on a very healthy diet she will thrive.Fat babies are not always healthy babies.Never make her eat, it can cause problems later in life. My parents kept telling me how other children were starving and would be happy to have what was left on my plate, I said well mail it to them cause I'm full. Sadly I was made to eat it even if it meant I vomited later from eating too much.Now both my sister and I struggle to keep weight off.
Your daughter will be fine just love her feed her and clothe her and she should be perfect.Keep her warm at night and always let her know she is your special baby girl.The first are always the hardest.

I went through the same thing with my son. We actually started giving him a sippy cup. I can't remember what brand it was, but it was the kind that had the really soft top to it. That way it didn't hurt his gums when he decided to chew on it. He is 2.5 now. He is very coordinated and I think it has a great deal to do with him using his hands so early. He would try to help hold the cup. It had two handles on each side that were also a softer rubber. GOOD LUCK

Hi M.,

Lots of advice here. You could try a cup, she might need help until she can hold it herself. My two nursed LONG beyond when they could drink from a cup, guess they just liked it the best ;-) If a cup of some kind doesn't work out, you could try having daddy, sitter, whoever, give her the breastmilk or formula with a spoon or a medicine syringe (just don't squirt too much in at once).

Stop worrying about the growth charts and focus on whether she is hitting her milestones on time and is generally healthy. You said she's in the "lower half"--there's a big difference between being just slightly below the 50 per cent line and being down at the very bottom. Also take into consideration whether you and your husband are tall or short.

Good luck, enjoy her and the breastfeeding!

K. Z.

I went through this at this same age with my daughter. I'm a working mom and I pumped and gave her breast milk in the bottles at the sitters. My husband is a teacher, so when summer comes he stays home with the kids. She wouldn't take the bottle in our house. The dr. said that as long as she isn't dehydrated, she can miss a meal if she chooses. When she got really hungry she would eat. We used a sippy, so she got some fluids and she would take the bottle when she wasn't in our house, but other days she was just hungry. She may be a little cranky, but she won't starve by missing a meal now and then.

Try a sippy cup or even a regular cup. My son never did really take a bottle.
One other thing to try is pump some fresh milk and see if she'll take it. If she does, there may be a problem with your frozen milk. Neither of my sons has ever liked frozen milk, I think it smells a little funny, too. Some women have extra enzymes that can basically digest the milk - I don't know if that's my problem of not. But since it's so infrequently that I need to be gone for a feeding, I just pump before I leave and it's enough to get him through until I get back.

Good Luck:)