baby refusing bottle!?

Question

she took it fine between 3 and 6 weeks, now at almost 3 mo. i need to get back to college next week and we've tried everything. anyone had this issue, and if so, how did you handle it?

Answer 1

It sounds cruel, but even my pedia said it was ok to let the baby go hungry for a few hours to get her to accept the bottle.

Try warming up the milk a little.

Answer 2

My oldest did that. She didn't take a bottle for two months after I went back to work. She slept all day and nursed all night. We cosleep so it wasn't a big deal. She finally started taking a gerber plain nipple after 2 months, and then it took me a loooong time to get rid of the stupid thing!

Buy several different types of bottles to try out and have someone else give your baby a bottle while you're gone (even just outside will be okay). You can also try a sippy cup at this age (avent makes a soft spout sippy that you could use) or possibly a straw cup, though she may be too young for that still. My babysitter spoon fed her milk and I gave her solids to eat while at daycare, even though she didn't care for them too much. She would just as soon wait for me and be hungry for some reason.

Answer 3

Have you tried a soft spout sippy?

Have you tried someone else offering the bottle when you are not in the room?

Expressed breastmilk in the bottle? Different temperatures?

Have the caregiver try different positions - holding her like she's nursing, holding her facing the caregiver, holding her facing out, walking around to start the bottle, etc.

BTW.....
She is NOT old enough for cereal and cereal should NEVER go in a bottle unless under a doc's orders for a child with reflux.

Answer 4

I agree with mom2mingbu. I went back to work when my baby was 8 wks old and I never dealt with bottles. I gave him the soft spout sippy cup from Avent and he took his breastmilk just fine in there in daycare. They have to learn to drink from cups anyway right? There is no law that says a baby has to take a bottle. It's hard to wean them off that junk anyway so go straight to a cup. With patience and perseverence you guys should be just fine

Answer 5

I had the same problem and tried every bottle on the market. What ended up working was heating the nipple and she seemed to take it. Also the bottle that ended up working was a cheap 99 cent bottle. Just keep working with it, sooner or later your baby will get hungry enough and eat.

Answer 6

My baby did that and I tried everything under the sun. Nothing worked. I know this sounds mean but she will get hungry sometime. I just did not give him anything else and it took him 1 whole day without anything and he gobbled a bottle down like you would not believe. I felt so bad but he was just being stubborn.That is what it took for him to take it. Good luck!

Answer 7

Try diffent types of bottles that have different nipples on them. Peole may think that what I am going to say next is creul but it worked for me. If you stop breast feeding all together and only offer a bottle our child will eventually take the bottle out of despriation for food. I had the same problem with my little girl.

Answer 8

Try the Vent aire bottles. They worked for my daughter after I could no longer breastfeed (not by choice). Also, you may want to try to put a little cereal in her bottle, or start her on a cereal bottle. She is old enough for it, of course. If she still won't eat, you may have to take her to the pediatrition to make sure her throat isn't sore. A whole lot of children go through this, but you have to be careful, you don't want your child to become dehydrated.

Answer 9

Your child may have acid reflux- speak with the pediatrician about this issue. Also, trying new bottles/ nipples may help the issue. If breastfeeding, use Nook nipples. They're more like the breast.

Answer 10

Well I breast feed my child but I have pumped milk and he wouldn't take a bottle too. So I just bought every kind of nipple I could finally I just went to Wal-Mart and bought a cheap one and it works great.