Tips on how to get a BF baby to take bottle

[Anonymous]

HELP! We are trying to get our BF baby to take a bottle and she is not wanting to take it. My husband has tried to feed her every time, but I'm wondering if others can please share any helpful tips. I am starting to worry that when I start back to work in 6 weeks she will starve!!!

[Anonymous]

Use a nipple shield on yourself when nursing so baby becomes familiar with the "new" nipple.

But give it time and introduce it gradually. It took us a good 3 weeks before we had successful transition to the bottle.

[Anonymous]

we tried all these bottles:
avent
playtex
nuk
adiri

and finally foudn this cheap no brand name bottle that came in a gift set and she would drink from it (we started trying at 10 weeks, I was going back to work at 12 weeks)

it took us 4 weeks for her to drink from it right

i tried leaving the house for feedings, letting her be really hungry, etc etc
nothing worked really, but she eventually took it

good luck, my only advice is be patient

[Anonymous]

For us, the Nuk bottles were what he finally took.

It still took awhile before he'd accept the bottle. At times we had to feed him by dropper to get it into him when mommy was away. Not pleasant, so i hope your baby transitions easier.

Keep trying, be patient, and do know that the baby will most likely eventually give up and take the bottle. You may have to have the caregiver feed by dropper/cup at first, but the baby won't starve.

[Anonymous]

My first took a bottle of pumped milk happily from day one (well, day 10, really) and never had any problems going back and forth between nursing and bottles. My second seemed fine with bottles when we introduced them, and then at 12 weeks he rebelled. Screamed his head off. In the end, I just had to leave and let him and his dad (or the nanny) work it out. And, low and behold, they did. After a couple of weeks of really fighting it (taking a few ounces over an hour or so between crying jags), he started to take it without a fight. I went back to work at 16 weeks, and he hasn't had a problem in the 3.5 months since.

Get out of the house when someone's trying to give him a bottle; my son would wig the second he heard my voice or saw me. And give bottles every day, multiple days if necessary, to get him used to it. He'll eat. I happen to think that it's not about the bottle -- it's about the preference for the breast, period. So I wouldn't spend a lot of money trying different bottles. He'll get it eventually. Good luck....

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you very much. All advice much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

We had the exact same problem (search for earlier post on this). Nothing worked, not different bottles, not leaving the house (he just did not eat), etc. My brilliant nanny finally realized that he would suck down a bottle if she nuzzled it in while he was sleeping (just like sleep-eating while breastfeeding). Then, gradually he finally started to take the bottle while awake. Who knew?

[Anonymous]

This sounds silly also, but make sure when you are giving the bottle that you squirt a little from the bottle into her mouth so that she knows there is milk inside! Our DS has always been a pretty good eater but that was our trick with the bottle--put it in their mouth/on their lips and squeeze the bottle a little so that they realize its not just a plastic toy or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Our DD refused the bottle for almost 5 months, and we tried almost every single bottle on the market, including a ridiculous breast-shaped thing. When she started daycare, they had to spoon-feed breast milk to her from a bowl. Finally, we switched care providers and they tried the latex NUK nipples (available at Wegmans, the BF Center on K St., and online). The NUK nipples did the trick and she was taking a bottle within a week of switching. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The best thing I can say is to have patience and don't worry. Babies always adapt to the change, as unnerving as it is when you go through it. This topic comes up every two or three months, and we haven't lost a baby yet!

But I almost wish the people at Medela would put an informational pamphlet in their pumps about this. You are working on it with 6 weeks of time left, but some mothers don't experiment with a bottle until the week before they go back to work.

[Anonymous]

OP - when you say you are trying to get your BFd baby to drink from a bottle do you mean formula or expressed BM?

Not sure if you are trying to work in a combination of the two (BM and formula) or just keep it BM, but in two different forms (from the boob and bottle).

[Anonymous]

Like some others mentioned, I would try NUK nipples or Sassy MAM bottles/nipples. The nipples are flat and also allow baby to feed with mouth open similar to feeding at the breast.

[Anonymous]

My younger sister would never take a bottle. My mom sent her to her daycare at 6 months with milk in a sippy-cup.

So, some kids just jump from breast to cup!