Bottle refusers - help, tips and success stories

[Mrs_T]

No, Lily doesn't suck her fingers or thumb either. In fact ladies, I probably missed out a huge chunk of our success story!!! Lily used to comfort feed (I was her human dummy!!!) And could only sleep easily if I nursed her to sleep. So we broke that habit first as I think the two problems came hand in hand. We just started with my OH rocking her to sleep over the Xmas hols - at first it took her up to 40 mins to fall asleep and it does still take on average 10 mins of rocking now but IMO breaking that habit had an impact on her eventually taking to the bottle.

I wish you all buckets full of luck - it takes a lot of perseverance!!!

 

[korndogger123]

Naomi does take a pacifier... but only gumdrops (looks like soothie but she wont take those.), and only in the car, or if she is sleepy but doesn't want food. So one of the bottles I bought was the gumdrop bottles. They have the same nipple as the binkie... she hated them. She also chows down on her hands, my arms, daddys arms, if it goes in her mouth she will suck it... unless its a bottle.

 

[BellarinaBaby]

I went back to work when LO was 12 weeks. We EBF and had first introduced a bottle at 4 weeks. He took that bottle just fine, it was a tommee tippee, so I thought we would be ok. He continued taking the occasional bottle until he was 8 weeks, then he began to completely refuse them. I was a wreck because I knew I was going back to work soon and he would be at daycare. His first week at daycare was not great, he would eat very little and cry while they tried feeding him.

Luckily, there was another breastfed baby that had started there and he was only 6 weeks old. This other baby was using the Lansinoh mOmma bottle, so the daycare suggested we try that. I purchased some that same day and had my husband try giving him some milk while I was out grocery shopping. We could not believe it, but he drank from that bottle! Now we have no problems with him at daycare, the workers say he latches right onto that bottle and just drinks away! It has taken a load of stress off of me knowing he's eating what he should while I'm at work.

I know how incredibly difficult it can be, so good luck to all these babies who prefer the real stuff!

 

[purplelou]

We have tried all kinds of bottles/teats with no luck...LO acts like we are trying to choke her! We tried all people, positions and distractions but no joy. Today we tried a doidy cup for the first time, and she's just taken about 100 ml ebm!!! I put her on the breast after and she slurped away happily, but there were no tears, choking or spitting out! This is reassurring because I go back to work in April and I was panicking that my baby would starve!
Having just read about lipase in milk..I am now worried that my frozen stash might be no good!

how do you work te doidy?? they just slurp it? im soooo tempted to try that!


also, do your bottle refusing babiea take a paci,, mine won't and hasn't figured out how to keep his fingers in his mouth yet they go in, they just don't stay lol

Yep she kind of laps at the milk, you rest the slanty bit against the bottom lip.
And no, no paci here either! She sucks and gnaws fingers though....but then she is teething (at3 months!!)

 

[Mrs_T]

Bump

 

[mrssunshine78]

We've given up trying, I was finding it so frustrating, she used to take a bottle no problem at all, now she'll suck on it, then when she comes off you'll find that's literally all she's been doing, sucking and no drinking!!

 

[Kelly M]

We've given up trying, I was finding it so frustrating, she used to take a bottle no problem at all, now she'll suck on it, then when she comes off you'll find that's literally all she's been doing, sucking and no drinking!!

Pretty much same here. Tried several different nipples and no luck. Tired of trying because it's becoming stressful.

I went out for Valentine's Day last night and I was gone for three hours. My mom watched lo and I suggested if he gets hungry before i come home to try to use a syringe to squirt milk into his mouth. She said it worked really well! It does take longer to feed him that way but at least it tided him over until I got home to nurse him. She said he seemed content to drink it that way so that was good. He was pretty excited to see me and nursed vigorously when I got back though. It makes me feel a little better knowing he won't really starve when I go away for a couple hours!

 

[san fran shan]

Mine are still being picky. The latest thing that worked for Emma was to walk around the house and then I stood under the ceiling fan running on low speed. Maybe staring at it distracted her enough?? It's beyond frustrating!

 

[Mrs_T]

I think having a break from trying is a good idea! Like you, I got to the point where it was too stressful and depressing to carry on. Try again in a month, that's what I used to do.

AFM - Lily is now exclusively bottle fed. Was a bit sad when I realised I wouldn't bf her again, but it's for the best and I gave her a great 9 months of the good stuff

 

[baby287]

Ladies!!!!!!!!
My lo took bottle in the beginning but started to refuse them. I tried EVERYTHING.. Different bottles, nipples, sippy cups, open cups, different places, people, me there, not there etc...
Then I ordered the ADIRI nurser. Its a more expensive bottle but at this point I didn't care. It just came yesterday and just now tried to give him 2 ounces and he took it!!!!!!!!
Hopefully this continues
I vowed this would be the lady bottle I bought so thank goodness it worked! its worth a try ladies.
Good luck everyone!!!!!

 

[milosmum]

Good idea for a thread I found very little advice when DS refused a bottle! I tried on and off for a couple of months but with little success then gave up for a few weeks and came back to it on a different way. He was about 4-5 months when I started to give him an empty bottle to play with between feeds when he was awake and not hungry and I did this every day. At that age of course everything went in his mouth so eventually he started to put the teat in his mouth and chew on it. At that stage I then put an ounce of ebm in the bottle and one day he put the teat in his mouth sucked and got milk! After that i increased the milk volume and started to use bottles for feeds. he gradually got better and better and by 7 months we swapped entirely to bottle feeding and now at 16 months he still has two bottles a day!

 

[dalismom]

Ladies!!!!!!!!
My lo took bottle in the beginning but started to refuse them. I tried EVERYTHING.. Different bottles, nipples, sippy cups, open cups, different places, people, me there, not there etc...
Then I ordered the ADIRI nurser. Its a more expensive bottle but at this point I didn't care. It just came yesterday and just now tried to give him 2 ounces and he took it!!!!!!!!
Hopefully this continues
I vowed this would be the lady bottle I bought so thank goodness it worked! its worth a try ladies.
Good luck everyone!!!!!

i have been looking at these! what stage did you get?

 

[Mrs_T]

Hows everyone doing?

 

[san fran shan]

Emma is hit or miss with taking her bottle. I am now breast feeding first then giving them a top off bottle. I found they take the bottle pretty easy the first time and most of the refusing is after they are burped. Previously I was giving them a large bottle with breast milk and firmula mixed. The bigger bottle meant more stopping. The top off bottle after breast feeding is smaller and they can drink the whole thing without stopping.

How are things with Lily?

 

[dalismom]

no luck here,i think im just going to suck it up and forget it lol, he is soooo stubborn!

 

[purplelou]

We had initial success with a doidy cup...but then she's refusing that too
I've ordered a NUK bottle with a latex nipple! Fingers crossed!

 

[Mrs_T]

^^^Fingers crossed..,let me know how it goes...

 

[purplelou]

Ok, so we've had the latex teat for a few days, and we tried boiling the bottle and teat etc instead of cold sterilising ....because we wondered if the sterilising solution smell or taste was causing a problem. I also read on here (maybe this thread..can't remember) that one lady ran the vacuum cleaning whilst her dh fed the baby..so we did that too.
The first day, LO chewed the tea and swallowed a few drops of milk, second days the same, today she drank one ounce of milk (without the vacuum!)
It took quite a while but it is a start. Will keep you updated though..this is the best we have managed !

 

[x Helen x]

mimijumi bottle worked for us!!

 

[Kelly M]

mimijumi bottle worked for us!!

We stopped trying bottles about a week ago. Got tired of it. However, after seeing your comment and hearing about these from another mom, I decided to purchase one and give it a try. If it works, my life is saved. If not, I'm only out $15. Fingers crossed!!!! It gets here in two days. I'll let you all know the results.