Introducing the Bottle to a 2Month Old

Hi S.,
I also breastfed and since I have quit I used the same bottles I use to pump into. They are Medela bottle, and now my daughter will not take anything else but the medela nipples. I hope this helps. Thanks, N.

Go to the store and buy different nipples. My son wouldn't take the bottle right away either. He ended up taking the flat nipples right away that I picked up.

Neither my husband nor I had any luck getting our now 1-year-old to take a bottle the first couple months. We were so afraid of it and tried everything we read - don't force it, tickle his cheek with the nipple, etc. Then one day, our 17-year-old niece was over (she works at a day care), she took the bottle and shoved it into his mouth. He took to it immediately and we never had another problem. As far as bottles go, we used Dr. Brown's but I would check into Born Free because they are BPA-free, which is a good thing.

Have you tried the Medela bottles? They have a flat nipple that's suppose to be easier. We used the Playtex Nurser system with my dd and we didn't have any problems. It may be the material the nipple is made out of too. We use silicone, but I know there are other materials out there. Perhaps that is the problem? I know there are some kids that just won't take the bottle, no matter what you do. Are you putting breast milk in the bottle or formula? If you're using formula, I would suggest making it half formula and half breast milk. That will make it taste more familiar. Good luck! :D

The first bottle my breastfed babies would take are the playtex bottles with Drop in Liners. The would have to use the rubber (orange colored) nipples and wouldn't use the silicone nipples at first. Hope this works if you haven't already tried it!
Also make sure to use a slow flow nipple.

I have had the same trouble. It has helped to be gone or at least out of the room. My boys won't take thawed-frozen milk so it has to be fresh or just in the fridge a few days. Keep trying an ounce or so at a time every couple days. But, there are babies who never do take to the bottle and will go hours waiting for mom. They get cranky but it really isn't a problem, so don't stress about it :)
You can also try a sippy cup instead, there's no reason it has to be a bottle.

i also breast feed my now 7month old DD i went back to school and wanted to make sure she had what she needed but we couldnt get her to take any bottles we did get her to take "breast flow" bottles then there was a break of her not needing them and now she still wont take a bottle. thank goodness school is only 2hr gaps i still nurse and i am her only sorce of milk she does eat 3 4oz meals of solids now though.
good luck as every baby is diffrent

That's a toughy! My oldest daughter did the same thing. She absolutely refused to take a bottle from ANYONE! She never even took juice from a bottle. She started on infant juice in a sippy cup at about 6 months. Luckily I was able to be home with her and nursed her exclusively until she weined (sp) herself about a week before her first birthday. It worked out for me because I had already planned to nurse her for the entire first year anyway. My best suggestion would be to just keep trying. Good luck!

S.,

My husband gave the bottle to my son. It took about a month for him to really drink. He took a little bit at first and then progressively took a little more. He gave it to him shortly after a medium sized feeding (so he'd still be a teeny bit hungry). We also tried to find a nipple that looked most like mine. I stayed out of the room too which helped a lot.

The only other thing I'd say is be consistent (maybe stick with one person feeding the bottle) and be patient. It will come.

Good luck and God bless.

Julia

We tried a couple different bottles with our first that we had received as shower gifts, but she wouldn't touch them. When we tried the Dr. Brown's bottles (recommended by my sister's), she "went to town". They were the only bottles she'd drink from.

I've heard that there are new avent bottles that have a valve that are supposed to work well - that's what my sister-in-law uses with my nephew.

I'm just biased with the dr. brown's bottles - no colick, no gas hardly. They worked very very well.

You will get a million answers to this question. Every baby is different - my son switched back and forth (breast to bottle) very easily, my daughter did not. We also tried several brands and had some luck with the Playtex (clear nipple, bag type). Not always, but sometimes she would take these. I say pick one type and keep at it.

My baby was the same way b/c I breastfed exclusively 4 the first few mths. We tried 4/5 different bottles, until a friend of mine told me about the Dr Brown bottle & she took it w/o any problem. Hope it works for you.

S.,
Is there a reason she NEEDS to be bottlefed??
You can pump and try to bottlefeed but still try to nurse her too. She's so used to you for feedings that it's going to take a while for her to get used to the bottle. If you can still nurse her she needs it as long as you can give it, even if you have to pump and store it.
Since she's a breastfed baby what kind of nipple are you using?? I think Playtex silicone nipples or advent are best.(better latching)
Try giving others one of your nursing pads or your bra-something that smells like you.
Good luck!
R.

When others are trying to give her a bottle, are you in the room with them? If so, leave. Baby can smell your milk close by and would rather have it straight from the tap, so to speak, lol. So try leaving the room for those bottle feedings and see what happens. Some babies just don't like bottles, ever. You may want to try some of the nipples that are most like the breast, that may help, too.

Do you need to introduce a bottle becasue you are going back to work? If not then don't even bother with a bottle--jsut nurse her before you go somewhere with out her and when you get back and then use a sippy cup when she is old enough. If you are going to work then is there a way that the person watching her can bring her to work for breaks? If not she will take a bottle eventually if she gets hungry--also have you had someone else try the bottle while you are actually gone? If she can smell or see you she will hold out for you!

I use the avent bottles and nipples. They are supposed to be shaped most like the breast. It worked with both my girls and it is working with my son (he's 3 1/2 months old). My kids also took well from the Nuk nipples that the hospital gave us samples of. Do make sure when you are buying the nipples that you check the age on the nipple - they make them to flow differently for different ages. I actually always used the 0-3 month ones for my babies, even when they got older. It flowed slower, so was probably more like drinking from the best. It does take a while sometimes, so just keep trying.

Hope this helps.

I had the same problem with my third!!! There were a couple of times I had to leave work to go home and feed my daughter because they had spent an hour trying to get her to take the bottle!!

I posted on here and someone told me about the breastflow bottle. It is designed with a double nipple system so the baby actually has to apply pressure along with sucking. Just like they do when they are nursing. My daughter took to the bottle pretty well, but she did have days that she still would not take the bottle!!!

Try having someone offer her a bottle with you away from home. Like another poster said when they can smell you some babies will not take anything else!!!

Good Luck I hope this helps you.

A.

My sister in law had problems like this. The bottle that worked for her baby was the Playtex drop-in bottles. It could be the type of nipple your using. Try both the silicone and latex, some babies prefer one over the other. Try out different nipple shapes as well. There is also a bottle on the market that is supposed to best resemble the breast: Adiri Natural Nurser.

My son was breastfed for 1 yr. but started staying with my mom at 6 weeks old while I finished out teaching for a few months. He did really well with Avent. I'm sure you've tried this but I was told that when you are trying to get them to take a bottle when they are used to breastfeeding, mom shouldn't even be in the same room. They know you are there and would rather have you.
One of my friends had twins and has the bottles with the tube that comes out and goes to a pacifier sort of nipple. Her babies do really well with those.

My second son (now 13 months) wouldn't take any bottles except the Playtex drop-ins, with latex nipples (soft, more like mom).
My first son preferred silicone nipples with the Playtex Ventaire system.
I'd suggest trying the latex nipples first (even though they need to be hand washed), and possibly switching to latex (dishwasher safe!) once she gets the hang of bottle feeding.
Good luck!

My husband gave the bottles. My girls had no trouble, give me the food. My boys, on the other hand, were pickier. My husband found the temp of the milk had to be perfect, body temp. Too cool, boys wouldn't take it, too hot, no go. Also, we used the Playtex nurser. My husband found he could push on the bag to to squirt some milk in their mouths so they could taste they were getting milk. After a few screams, they would realize they were getting milk, and then start taking it. Lastly, I had a friend who would wear her husbands shirts around during the day. Then when her husband got home, he would wear the shirt, and the baby would smell mom.
Hope this helps. good luck, hang in there. I have also heard of babies just waiting until mom got home. But 2 mos. seems too young to have a baby missing meals.
R.