5 Month Old Does Not Accept Bottle

Have someone else do bottles at first, and if you are introducing formula, try mixing it half and half with breast milk to introduce the taste more slowly. I also used both breast feeding and bottle feeding, and it worked great for us! You just have to get him used to the 2 different feels and tastes.

Hi S.,

My son refused a bottle around 5 months also. He took it a couple of times when he was 4 months but decided he didn't like it at all around 5 months. I tried many different bottles, although since I still nursed wasn't stressed about it. Around 6 months (when he was able to sit up) I decided to try a sippy cup with a silicon top, so its softer, like a bottle nipple, he loved it and after a month or so switched to a normal sippy cup. I got this at Target, I believe the brand is NUK. This was also what I used for my older son when I was trying to train him to use a sippy cup.

Just thought I would share my experience in case it might be helpful, good luck!

Oh this can be such a hard struggle - my main advice is just to stick with it - your baby will eat from the bottle if hungry enough - they won't let themselves starve. It is probably better to have someone other than you give the bottle and if possible leave the area or the house all together so your baby realizes that this is the only choice. Other people have had success with the feeder holding a shirt that smells like mom or holding the baby skin to skin. We finally had success with the Nuk bottle (available at Walmart) but I don't know if it was the bottle or our son finally just accepted the fact that he was hungry and needed to eat. Don't just nurse him if he won't take the bottle though all that teaches his is that if he cries long enough he will get what he wants. I know it is tough but Hang in there, your baby will get it.

Hi,
He's old enough to drink out of a cup (with help, of course) or a sippy cup. He might not feel like he's being "tricked" by the wrong nipple this way.

Are you trying expressed breastmilk, or formula? We found it was more the formula than the nipple. We went through half a dozen different formulas before we found one our oldest daughter liked the taste of.

It's hard, I know -- some people find babies will accept a cup better than a bottle--- worth a try --

Blessings,
J.

I'm not trying to be negative, but my daughter never took the bottle. She was breastfed exclusively and refused the bottle. She also never took a pacifier. I think she was trying to warm me that she will be a challenge from here on out! Anyway, she would drink from a regular cup and a sippy cup. You may try this if it is really important to get him off the breast. I also tried every bottle out there and just ended up with a collection of never used bottles. Good Luck!

Babies like what they like. I would try having someone else give him the bottle, like your husband or a babysitter. It natural for him to want to nurse. There's a whole mother and child connection going on. I would use expressed breast milk in the bottle. You're throwing too much change otherwise. If at all possible, I would continue breast feeding for as long as you can. It's good for him and for you. But if work schedules or other concerns come into play, having someone else who will be feeding him in your absence be the bottle giver will work out better. You could still nurse when you get home from work, it will help keep your supply ample enough for him.

From father of seven. . .

Simple. . . keep breast feeding! It's natural and the best source of food on planet earth for your baby is mom's milk!

The child will slowly develop a desire for mom's food naturally. Some sooner than others; and you can supplement as you go along without any pressure on you or the child.

If you're trying to ween off a three month old for other reasons like, going back to work or preservation of the breast cosmetics. . . this is not natural and anything goes. . .

Yes it's a pain for dad when mom's hooked up at the most inopportune times (mourning and night) and mom's busy; but baby is only baby for a short time. . . don't give up the magic. And through seven breast fed children, obviously, we still managed to spend "quality time" together.

We made the mistake of not trying till 3 months as well and it took forever to get our son to take a bottle. What finally worked was alot patience and trying over and over. I had to leave the premises and we bought faster flow nipples (try #2s or 3s). Having Dad walk around the room with our son facing away from him helped as well. We read it somewhere....
Best of luck! Remember that once he takes it you need to make sure to feed him from a bottle at least once a week so he remembers how. We made that mistake too! :)

Have someone else feed your son other than you. And use breastmilk in the bottle at first. If you are switching to formula, then do it gradually.
Good luck.

Our favorite bottle was the adiri. But our problem ended up being that she was refusing breastmilk from the bottle! She took formula but not breastmilk. We continued to mix the two and breastfeed whenever I was home. I didn't want to give her formula so soon, but I was working and she wouldn't take the bottle otherwise and she had to eat something!

Hi S.,

We have tried 2 different Nuby's and my daughter has been ok with both of them. We haven't tried the soft silicone flex nurser by Nuby. My daughter is almost 10 months old and we have struggled with bottles for awhile now. Must admit we haven't been very consistent. I also just figured out she likes the wide neck bottles better. She likes the bumps on the nipple for her gums. The bottles also come with a sippy cup transition spout that is used on the same bottle. Nuby's have been are most successful so far. Good Luck.

You may just want to try a sippy cup. My 6 month old never took the bottle well, so we just went strait to the sippy cup. She loves it. Best of luck!

I don't know Nuby but I have a question. How long did you try using one nipple? I wonder if you son isn't confused by all the different styles?

My granddaughter didn't much want to use a bottle after my daughter had nursed her. I found that we had to use the same nipple for over a couple of weeks so that she could get used to it. We ended up with the one that is shaped like it seems like it would fit the shape of her mouth. It's flattened. Wish I could draw a picture.

He won't starve if he doesn't drink as much for a few days. I'm guessing part of the reason she accepted it was that she was hungry.

Just a suggestion if you haven't tried this.

We had this problem with our first child and I am sorry to say we never did get her to take a bottle. We were able to get her to drink from a sippy cup though starting around 3 or 4 months old and that worked well enough to keep her drinking between nursings. The avent ones that are rated for 3 to 6 months worked for us.