My youngest dd, 11 weeks today, started daycare this morning. I return to work next Monday, so this week is just a trial week to get her used to the change. She's at the same daycare as her older sister (age 2).
She takes a bottle fine from her dad at home, but this morning the daycare called and let me know that she was not taking the bottle. They tried 3 times, but she refused. I'm freaking out. Any tips to get her to take a bottle at daycare?
We use Dr. Brown bottles.
papaya / 10560 posts
Exact same thing happened to me. I have a few thread about it..need to find them. They had to just keep trying and keep trying. Eventually they'll take a bottle if they're hungry enough!
pear / 1579 posts
@matador84: it's so stressful! I'm so thankful that I'm not at work because I would really be freaking out but I need to rectify this before next Monday 
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
First of all. She won't starve!
I would also ask their suggestions for other bottles to try. See if they will try a few out for you.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
We had to try a lot of bottles. We also did a bottle camp the weekend she started. She got a bottle on Sat and Sun if it was the time we should have been at day care. Eventually it got easier and easier for her to take the bottle at day care.
papaya / 10560 posts
@MarieJ: I was super stressed about it. I had to leave work one stay to nurse her. I did send a couple extra diff types of bottles, but in then end she did take Dr. B's, which is what I already had. Maybe try switching to a level 2 nipple.
pomelo / 5258 posts
@MarieJ: Hugs, it is stressful. LO didn't drink anything the first two days at daycare and it took over a week to get her to drink 8floz.
If she takes a bottle fine at home I wouldn't switch it up. My LO refused all bottles and we ended up back with the Medela we started with and out over $100 in bottles.
pear / 1579 posts
Thanks, everyone! Hopefully, she'll drink from it tomorrow. I'm going to have her dad give her bottles tonight.
persimmon / 1196 posts
Can you send in something of your husband's (a stuffed animal/blanket/article of clothing that smells like him) for them to give her when she's feeding? (Sorry if that sounds too much like a pet parent talking - just a thought!)
Maybe watch your husband carefully when he feeds her, and note anything specific that he may be doing (stuff he may not even be aware of). Does he hum while she's eating, always hold her on the left/right, bounce or rock to soothe her? It may not make a difference, but it probably can't hurt for day care to do as much to mimic what he's doing as possible.
Sorry she's stressing you so! When I was a baby, I wouldn't take a drop from a bottle the first time my mom tried to leave me with a sitter. I was a stubborn little thing, but I got over it eventually.
persimmon / 1472 posts
We had the same thing happen with our second daughter! My mom watches her for us during the day and on the first day she went from 7am to 4pm without anything to eat! She cried and refused every bottle attempt but my mom just had to keep trying. Once she took one bottle after her 9 hour strike, she realized it was ok. Still fought it a bit the second day but by day three she stopped rejecting it. Like PP's said, they won't starve themselves and will eat eventually. Good luck!
grapefruit / 4988 posts
We went through this and I remember being so stressed. Our daycare realized pretty quickly that she preferred one teacher, and she got her to take the bottle by giving her a pacifier first, and then switching it out for the bottle. After a few days of that trickery, she learned to take it from any teacher and without the pacifier.
Daycares are usually pretty good at figuring out what works so I hope you have more luck tomorrow!
papaya / 10343 posts
I agree with @lady baltimore: regarding if your husband always does bottles a certain way? My LO isn't in daycare but we have had all sorts of problems getting her to eat from bottles and even now at 8mo and solely bottle fed from 2mo she is still incredibly specific about how she will be fed. For our LO you have to hold her a certain way (with her back to your chest facing out) and hold the bottle a certain way (horizontal so the milk doesn't come out too fast without her sucking) and she need a totally distraction free zone. A quiet room with no one moving. If you do all of those things, she will eat for someone else.
pear / 1579 posts
Thanks, everyone! @lady baltimore: @Mae: Crazy thing is that she wouldn't even take the bottle from DH tonight.
@littleveesmommy: I hope she gets over it quickly & starts drinking her milk! Thanks 
@catlady: I hope she does better tomorrow. Thanks!
cherry / 222 posts
Try not to stress about it (impossible, I know), but the same thing happened to me. She protested bottles at daycare for 2 weeks, but she finally caved. We did try a few different kinds of bottles and ended up with the old-school Playtex drop-ins. Our daycare said those were often successful (though the introduction of them did not correspond to her taking the bottle). Our daycare did have minimal luck during those first two weeks giving her milk via spoon when she was super sleepy and not really paying attention. Unsurprisingly, she is a stubborn toddler
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