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baby won't take bottle

Hi
My little boy Alexander is nearly 12 weeks and is exclusively breastfed. I have expressed some milk but he is having problems taking it from a bottle. I have tried him on TTippee and Avent bottles and with his dad feeding him but still no avail. Any tips would be fab!!! xxx

Replies

  • Hi Rachboo. When you say he is having problems, what sort of problems do you mean? Is he unable to get the milk out, or do you mean he just refuses it? xxx
  • Hi rachboo, I don't have any advice but I feel for you - I'm having the same problem with Lily (10 weeks). She just lets some dribble in her mouth and then turns her head away and refuses any more. If we persist she gets really wound up.

    Will be watching this thread with interest. Would love to go out without a baby on my boob just occasionally :\(
  • Pink Toothbrush, Alex is just the same!! He just messes with it briefly and then pushes it away. We have tried offering him the bottle when he is only mildly hungry and also very hungry to see if it makes a difference, but NO - he just lets it dribble in to his mouth, out his mouth and in to his neck creases!! Lovely!
    Well I have a couple of days to get it right, I am 30 on Fri and have a few nights out organised this week! XXXXXX
  • Aargh, he needs to take it by this week?! I was hoping to be able to leave her and go to a wedding in July...! image Good luck, have a nice time!

    PS My HV says that if baby is hungry enough, they'll take the bottle - trouble is I'd feel very guilty about leaving her with someone knowing full well they'd have to put up with her making a HUGE fuss before giving into the hunger and just taking it.
  • hi.my lo is now 19wks.it took me a while to get him to take the bottle and he's really fussy! he doesnt take a dummy either! I tried for about 2 weeks with no luck and lots of stress on mine and my husbands part! i gave it a rest for about 5 days theni finally figured out it was the temperature of the milk!I also bought a couple pf the cartons of formula as i thought perhaps he thought it odd to get breast milk from rubber teat and it worked. got him used to formula from a bottle first.he likes it pretty warm and WILL NOT take it otherwise! image (plus the breast to bottle tommee tippee bottles are great)
  • rachboo and PTB, Amber is the same and I need to have some dye injected into me next Thurs, so can't bf Amber for 24hrs afterwards - not sure what I'll do...
  • Thanks Lizzie, great advice- have passed on the info to hubby (i think he wishes i would just stay in!! no way!)
    2peasinapod- poor you, thinking of you. I am going to try formula after Lizzies advice (i wanted to only use breast milk but will try anything now!!!!)
    xxxx
  • hi. good luck with the formula bottles...once little one is used to it switching back to breast milk was fine for me. using the formula took the pressure off slightly - after all the effort of expressing its so frustrating when they dont take the bottle and you have to waste it! xx
  • i agree with lizzie when my son was little he refused bottle until i heated it up until quite warm and he took it straight away x
  • Just an update - my mum managed to get Amber to take 7oz from a bottle today!! It was heated up and she gave it to her when she was quite hungry... I really hope you have some luck soon. (BTW we use the Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles with slow flow teat).

    xx
  • I've had a real hassle trying to get Bethany to take a bottle, she used to take one fine but then we left it for a while and she started refusing.

    I've spoken to some friends who have been in the same situation, and they basically used tough tactics- 'you take this feed from a bottle or go hungry because you will not be offered a breast'. It sounds really harsh but it was only for one feed each day. I started doing the same but she only had to take a couple of ounces from the bottle and then I would top her up from the breast. I had loads of tears and fussing but I just stayed firm and it seems to be doing the trick. In a way it is the same as going out and leaving them- just showing them that for now, bottle is the only choice. But it isn't pleasant!!
  • Were having the same problems as you ladies, nice to know were not alone!! Between last night and this morning I've managed to express 5oz (first attempt!!) when she was next due her feed earlier, I fed her thinking that would take the hungry edge off and then got my hubby to try her with a TT bottle.... She relented a little and let some in her mouth before pushing it away screaming, she got herself in such a mess shes now asleep in her moses basket

    I've got baby clinic this afternoon so going to speak to my hv and see what she says, but has anyone tried a doidy cup instead of a bottle? They're slanted and can be used from 3 mnths - might try one if the bottles are really not going to work
  • Hi MrsT,

    Just replied to your other post! My lo would only take a bottle when I sang take that, rocked him standing up whilst looking out the window - multi tasking at its best. I tried everyday for a month and he only took a bottle 3 times. We've tried everything!

    Anyway, at the weekend we bought a doidy cup and it's done the trick. He sat on his Dad's lap on Sunday and lapped up the milk. All very cute but quite messy!!

    Not sure how successful it would be for a night feed though!

    Good luck
  • We've fixed the 'problem!!!' heated the bottle in boiling water and shes taken it no problem..... shes had 5oz by hubby without complaint and is now very milky drunk image I think it also may have helped that she had just woke from a nap and we got to her before she started creating havoc.

    It's nice to have that time off and hubby is sooooooo chuffed that hes feeding his baby image
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