https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 23 May 2026 13:52:38 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2283795 Sat, 05 Sep 2015 08:51:51 +0000 glitterboots 2283795@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just went through this with my daughter. The first two days I was back at work my husband gave her milk with a medicine dropper so she wouldn't get dehydrated. Now we use the playtex bottles, make the milk very warm, warm the nipple, and put milk all around the nipple. By day four she was a lot better </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2283525 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 19:56:13 +0000 kick641 2283525@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mama Bird: the OT we went to worked in a children's hospital. She did put some pedialyte on a pacifier and kind of work with that for part of the first appointment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282657 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 08:36:27 +0000 wonderstruck 2282657@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With one of my sons, we had this problem because with most bottles, milk drips out even when baby isn't sucking and that really kicked in his gag reflex. Medala Calma and Breastflow are the two I've found that only release milk when LO sucks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282574 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:54:01 +0000 NeekieRose 2282574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD2 was not a fan of the bottle at first. Like she would scream for hours instead of taking it. She also wanted nothing to do with a paci. Good news is, she came around to the bottle, even though she still won't take a paci. So hopefully your DD's disinterest in a paci won't affect the bottle situation for you too. </p> <p>Could you try to pump some and give her bm in the bottle? Maybe that would help with the transition to a bottle? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282565 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:48:41 +0000 BandDmommy 2282565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms. RV: I have never heard that... interesting.. I may try that.. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282563 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:47:44 +0000 Ms. RV 2282563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Maybe try dipping the nipple in sugar water until LO gets the idea (should only take once or twice). The hospital where I gave birth does this to pacifiers so newborns will take needles a little better... I guess they will want to get all the sugar off and therefore figure out they should suck which then in turn is awesome so they learn to keep doing it without the sugar. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282562 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:47:24 +0000 Smurfette 2282562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Tommee bottles were the only ones my LO would semi take. But we had to do bottle boot camp the weekend before day care. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282559 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:44:40 +0000 BandDmommy 2282559@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@getjazzy: Ugh, I'm in the same situation. My daughter is almost 10 months and REFUSES a bottle. I've been EBF and my guess that is what it will be until she is a year old and we move her to WCM. I wanted to send her to daycare with her brother but her bottle refusal is so strong I can't in good conscience send her to school until I know she will take milk out of a cup. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282554 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:41:01 +0000 LuLu Mom 2282554@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mama Bird: I just went through this, it got so bad I was back and work and she would only take MAYBE 2 ounces the whole day I was gone and just nurse all night when we got home. It was so tough, like you I tired every bottle, every nipple, and after being back at work for 7 weeks (!!) without taking a bottle, our daycare lady asked if she could try formula and she GOBBLED it down. She refused breastmilk from a bottle but loved formula, I think she liked her breastmilk from the original source only, she was very much a boob cuddler when nursing, so I think she associated that taste with mom. It worked for us, it might work for you. </p> <p>I will say we are on formula full time now because DD couldn't figure out how to go from bottle to breast, in my situation is was more important to me to have her eating all day than to nurse her. It was a tough decision but she was very small and needed to bulk up (only 2% for weight at 4 months) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282540 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 07:24:47 +0000 Mama Bird 2282540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@getjazzy: oh my! That must have been so hard with your first LO. I'm glad it's working out better with the baby.</p> <p>@Amelieisme: thanks, I'll give it a try!</p> <p>@MrsSRS: definitely! I'll make the bottle extra warm next time. Right now it's nice and warm when I make the bottle, but by the time I've offered it for the fifth time the milk does get cold...</p> <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: I think it's the nipple itself, maybe I'll look around for another kind... though I'm not very hopeful because she won't take pacis either and just seems to have a problem with anything plastic.</p> <p>@yellowbird: maybe that's what will happen! Though I've found all these horror stories on Google of babies that keep on refusing all day, and then eat all night :shocked: </p> <p>@kick641: definitely not fighting with her! My pedi isn't worried and thinks she'll eat when she's hungry. But my gut feeling is she might be like your LO and won't figure it out without some extra help... what kind of OT helps with bottle feeding?</p> <p>@Corduroy: wow, four days! Sounds so stressful... And you're right, I have to try to get a break. It's so draining to be "indispensable". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282427 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 00:02:22 +0000 Corduroy 2282427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mama Bird: Hugs! What a boob lover. She sounds like my DD. In my experience baby really will eat when hungry. For my daughter it was her 4th nine hour day without me (3rd consecutive). Before that she would act like she was gagging for any bottle or pacifier offered. They just weren't boob. In all the scenarios you're worried about (major illness, etc) baby will eat. </p> <p>It is hard to go without a break. I suggest taking a break even if LO doesn't take a bottle. She will eat if she wants. There is plenty of time in the day to make up a missed feeding is she skips one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282375 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:56:05 +0000 kick641 2282375@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would try talking to your pediatrician. We had (have) that same problem with my DD. I tried for weeks before daycare to get her to take a bottle, and then believed she would get hungry enough to take it while she was away from me all day. No. We ended up making a few appointments with an occupational therapist at the recommendation of our pediatrician and found the latex nuk nipples work best. I tried like a million things before that and we have like a dozen different bottles but the OT was necessary for us. </p> <p>I'd also recommend not fighting with your baby about the bottle. Offer it, and if she says no, stop and try offering it again in twenty minutes. I don't know if you're already doing this but no one told us how stupid it was to try to force a bottle on DD and we wasted a lot of time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282372 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:54:28 +0000 yellowbird 2282372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nothing worked for ds until I went to work for a whole day and he had no choice! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282355 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:39:14 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 2282355@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If gag reflex is the problem, can you get a slower nipple and try feeding so the bottle is parallel to the ground and maybe the flow won't be so fast? It could be the nipple too! You might need to try different brands to find one that works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282341 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:22:46 +0000 MrsSRS 2282341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Try warmer milk? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282308 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:55:29 +0000 Amelieisme 2282308@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Try Lanisoh Momma nipple. Tried like 6 different bottles and this is the only one DD would take. I was getting nervous because I had to go back to work at 8 weeks so was glad we finally found our answer. Each baby is different though. Good luck finding your solution! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282268 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:32:40 +0000 getjazzy 2282268@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds exactly like my first. I waited until the "recommended" 6 weeks old to introduce the bottle or pacifier since we were ebf too and by then, he wouldn't take either! It sucked. </p> <p>I tried several different bottles and nipple styles with no success until I tried latex nipples and that he would SOMETIMES accept. </p> <p>Honestly, it wasn't reliable enough so I basically had him glued to me until he could go s few hours between feeds. I nursed him until he was 13 months old and it wasnt always easy. I hope you are able to find a solution!</p> <p>With this baby, I introduced a pacifier at the hospital because she wanted to suck 24/7 and my poor nipples were dying but since it caused no nipple confusion, we also went ahead and introduced a bottle of pumped milk in the first week to avoid the problem we had with LO1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-wont-take-bottle#post-2282254 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:24:12 +0000 Mama Bird 2282254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So my almost seven week old DD will not take a bottle or a pacifier. I'm EBF and have (barely?) enough milk so far. I've tried offering two different bottles (Evenflo and Similac Smart). I've tried when she's hungry and when she's had a little milk and is calmer. At best, she takes a couple of sucks and spits it out. At worst, she flips out and starts screaming. DH tried to feed her with no luck (though I was in the house so maybe she could still smell me).</p> <p>I'm not sure, but she seems to have a very sensitive gag reflex. Is there anything I can do to teach her to drink from a bottle? It's not a desperate situation yet, but I'm getting scared of all the what ifs... what if I get very sick and can't nurse her? What if she's not ready to drink from a cup by the time I go back to work? What if I have to go away for whatever reason?</p> <p>I never realized how good I had it last time. DS had his first bottle of formula still in the hospital and took bottles without trouble. If I needed to see a doctor, go away for work, whatever, I could! This time, I haven't been away from baby for more than 40 minutes and it's driving me mad a little... </p>