I fear that we waited too long to try a bottle with DD. She is 10 weeks and had a rough start with BF that included a tongue tie and using a shield, which she weaned from at 4 weeks. Because of that, I wanted her to become super confident on the breast before we tried a bottle. We introduced it at 6 weeks with no luck and we've tried periodically since then, unsuccessfully. She just gnaws/bites at it and then pushes it out with her tongue. We've tried a few different brands, nipple shapes, etc. Any advice on getting her to latch on a bottle? We've also tried having her distracted and sleepy, but that didn't work either.
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Only advice I have is to not feed LO yourself. Have dad or someone else do it without you there. Otherwise she thinks "mom, wtf? Feed me the right way!" That probably doesn't help much... But that's all I've got! Good luck though!
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Have you tried leaving the house and letting someone else bottle feed her? I also heard you should try to position them differently than when you breastfeed them. So try bottle feeding her with her sitting up rather than laying down.
This was similar to my first time experience. I waited to introduce a bottle because of people talking about nipple confusion, etc. so when I introduced it around the 2 month mark, DD wasn't having any of it. I tried and tried to no avail. Then at 6 months, there was a trip that DH and I planned months in advance (pre-DD!), and I was so nervous because she was still fighting the bottle at that point, but everyone said that babies won't starve themselves and to just go... so we did. And the next thing I know, my SIL is texting us a picture of DD taking the bottle just fine! Somehow she just knew we were gone or maybe my scent was out of the house... good luck, I know it is so so frustrating!!
Eta: the first bottle she took was the Playtex Ventaire ones with the brown latex nipples. After that, she was pretty good with switching between bottles - we mainly used Ventaire and Dr. Browns.
Also want to add that because of this experience, I went a completely different route with DS, and started giving him a bottle a day starting at week 2!! Never had problems with giving him bottles, or nipple confusion.
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With my first we used the bottle every day just out of survival- due to latch and weight issues. I hadn't really worked at it with E, so he was giving us a hard time with it when I went back to work at 3 weeks. What worked for us-
We started reinforcing the bottle 2-3 times every single day, I would nurse for 15 minutes or so, then we finished topping him off with a little in the bottle. For us this really helped his bottle latch because he would spit it out if we only did the bottle at first. After about a week of this he started taking the bottle just fine if we offered it first. He's not as picky about nipples as C was- C would only take MAM nipples, but E will take either them or Avent.
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I agree with @Emsmems. We waited until around 8 or 9 weeks to introduce a bottle (to prepare for when I went back to work) and it was a struggle at first. She eventually took the bottle with DD and over time even with me. Good luck!
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No idea. DD1 was tongue and lip tied, and took a bottle just fine. DD2 just hates bottles and still at 4 months won't take one. We tried starting at 4 weeks with both. If you figure it out, let me know!
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Persistance paid off with us, my husband just kept trying (lots of wasted milk, boo) and eventually he took it. Only when I'm not in the house or upstairs.
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It took the right bottle for is. We use the Playtex Nurser bottles. I just had to keep trying. Now she will take a bottle from anyone.
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DS would only take bottles from DH if I wasn't around in the beginning. I still need to leave the room every now and then when he is taking a bottle.
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My 9 week old won't take a bottle either but he did when he was two and three weeks old. It's more recently that he is refusing!
My mom actually got him to take a bottle at like 6 or 7 weeks. He refuses to accept a bottle from my husband ever.
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@Mrs. High Heels: DH fed her once while I was out at the grocery store (the longest I've been away from her!). She didn't take the bottle well unfortunately
we should probably try it again though. @ScarletBegonia: ugh, wasted milk is the worst! We've wasted so much, too
@avivoca: I've heard lots of good things about Playtex, might have to try those this weekend.
@gilmoregirl: that must be so frustrating to have her take it and then refuse weeks later! Good luck!
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I agree with what @lemondrop: said. We would mix the bottle and breast several times a day.
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Yep. We lived that dream too.
Are you warming up the milk?
The Tommee Tippee bottles worked best for us.
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I try to avoid screen time, but this actually worked for my friend LO- let them watch a kid show when giving the bottle (just until she gets used to it!). Also agree with having your SO give it with you in a diff room/out of house, and have baby sitting up and/or facing away from the chest area.
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not to be Debbie Downer, but we did this and she never ever took a bottle. we tried to introduce a sippy at 4 months and she didn't take to that either. Our magic bullet was spoon-feeding her milk - that is still the only thing that works!
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@fussygal: Before trying some of these suggestions, make sure your expressed milk tastes okay. I spent a couple months trying to get DS to take a bottle before I did this. It was disgusting! I have high lipase in my breastmilk, which makes it taste like soap and metal. Different women's (who have high lipase) milk "lasts" different amounts of time. For me, anything longer than 5 hours after pumping was disgusting, but for others, it's immediate, or it will last a couple of days. I had already made my son hate the bottle by trying to force him to drink the gross, so he never did take the bottle, but you can "treat" the milk by heating before they drink it (freezing won't prevent the problem). It kills some of the good stuff, but as long as you aren't EPing, it's fine. Anyway, I have lots of other info for you if this turns out to be an issue for you.
If that isn't the issue, try a bath, holding LO in different positions, going outside to take a bottle (more distractions), having others feed LO, you feed LO, etc. It's unlikely it's "too late."
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We had lots of bottle struggles too. We started around 5/6 weeks and she only ever took a handful of bottles. It was really only the grandmas that had any success. Even when she took them though she was always crying. The playtex nurser bottles were the only ones she ever took. She got a sippy in her stocking at Christmas at 4m and took to it immediately. We ultimately just had to pack up all the bottles. I think we will try them sooner than 5w next time.
we should probably try it again though. Reply
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