5 Month Old Wont Take a bottle...only Breast

My son never took a pacifier of a bottle, even if it was filled with breast milk. He would, however, drink out of a "tippie" cup at six months.

I had the same problm with one og my day care kids...She would not take the formula and her mom my friend was drying up...SO we added a little sugar to the formula...Remeber you have sugar and salt taste in you and that is missing in firmulas...Try different amounts BUT not huge amounts until you find out how much you need to make the milk taste better.

Try Feeding her some rice ceral. This will help her get full and keep you sleeping at night. You can feed her with a spoon if she doesn't take a bottle.

Try Dr. Brown's bottles (they are GREAT) they have excellent flow and don't frustrate the baby. Make sure you get the correct nipple flow for her age. I wouldn't recommend poking holes in the nipples as this might cause too much flow and choking. But make if one seems too slow, go up to the next level.
Seriously, the people who say getting up 3-4 times at night is normal must be VERY TIRED! It doesn't have to bet that way! The best thing you can do is to start a serious schedule that you control. You want to do the best for your baby and remember that you are the guiding parent, so you can dictate the eating/sleeping schedule for your child. It is important for you to get sleep to be the best mom you can be. If breast feeding is very important to you, then stay with it; but if it's causing you to struggle with being zombies instead of humans, then by all means bottle/formula feed. MANY people have grown to be fine adults with this strategy :-) I know you feel like you don't have a free minute at all, but take the time to read a book (small book) called Babywise. It was a COMPLETE life-saver for me and worked great with both my children who are very different! They both were sleeping through the night by 2 months, and taking great naps still to this day! Please respond back if you need more help! Good luck, and don't worry, there can be some sleep soon in your future!!

Oh my gosh I know how you feel. At 3 months old, my daughter had to start taking the bottle because I had to go back to work, she had never seen a bottle while I was home. It was pure hell trying to get her to take the bottle, we were BOTH doing a lot of crying. And then someone once said "if she's truly hungry, she'll take the bottle". So everyday for a week I would give her the bottle, she would take forever to drink a small amount and then later I would give her the breast. By Thursday she finally took the bottle and has accepted both ever since. I also give her cereal only at night and she's 5 months now and ever since then she's been going to sleep at 8:30 (ish) and wakes-up at 6ish. Every child is different so keep trying other ideas that your baby will like. good luck, it'll work out!

Hi - I have a 2.5 year old daughter and was where you were 2 years ago! After much advice at the time and reflection now I wanted to send my thoughts. Like my daughter, your daughter should be able to sleep thru the night annd wants to nurse for comfort. She does not need it (food) now. Our daughter also did not want to take a bottle, but I would pump, put it in a bottle and (the key) I had my husband go in to give it to her. If she is really hungry she'll take it. Our daughter would drink a little but never a real meal. We also told her it was the middle of the night and time to sleep. At first, when we started doing this we would take her out of the crib, but soon, my husband held her back (so she would not chock), but would not take her out of the crib and offer her some milk. It takes time, but it will work if you stick to a plan - whatever plan you make. You can also decide to send your husband in to sooth her and do not offer her food. Good luck, I promise it gets better!!! BTW, I breastfed our daughter for 2 years!

At 5 months old, it's fantastic that your daughter is getting primarily breast milk - it's the best thing for her! I completely understand the "exhausted" part but you can get through it! Sometimes babies want nursing for food and sometimes for comfort. None of my kids slept without waking until they were close to a year old. I'm not a huge fan of the family bed (for me) but we put a mattress on the floor of our kids rooms while they were in cribs and then I could lay down, nurse and we would peacefully fall back asleep. It was the way we found to meet all our needs and it sure helps with the sleep part! It took until my son was 10 mon. old to figure this out. For our twins, we put a queen mattress on the floor and got bedding to match their crib. Now they still sleep on the queen bed on the floor.

A little about me: I'm 41, a SAHM with three kids (boy, age 9, and twin girls age 5).

I had the same problem with my first as I was trying to transition to go back to work. Wouldn't take bottle for anything. I finally had to wean her "cold turkey" and just give her pumped milk once weaned. I had to "trick" her one night...had the bottle warmed up and ready, bared the breast, snuggled her up close and when she opened her mouth--in went the bottle. She was one that wouldn't take both breast and bottle, like I said had to do it "cold turkey". It really worked out well and I don't think she suffered any trauma not litterally being breastfed anymore.

WOW! I can completely relate to this... my daughter did the same thing! She absolutely refused to take a bottle until she was 9 months old! We were given lots of advice and tried everthing... Please don't feel frustated because you are not doing anything wrong and it's normal for your baby to want to breastfeed. We tried a few things...first,(I assume you're pumping and trying to give her breastmilk in a botte), have someone else give your baby the a bottle. When she's with you, she relates you to breastfeeding. So if your husband or friend can try giving her a bottle...and not for a few minutes, but they need to try for a whole afternoon (preferably when you are not home). My friend, who is a nurse, and I did this. She was determined to get my daughter to take the bottle, as she had never seen a little baby refuse food for a whole afternoon. Unfortunately, this didn't work for us! Ha! Second, I invested in every bottle and nipple on the market. Some of the newborn nipples you have to suck really hard to get the milk and with me, she didn't have to suck that hard to breastfeed. So over the next few months, I purchased more advanced nipples for my bottles. I bought pink bottles, tall bottles, short bottles, gripper bottles, bottles with inserts, bottles designs...nothing worked! Finally at 9 months...I found a NUBY. It's kind of a cross between a bottle and a sippy cup. You can get them at any store like WalMart, Target even Walgreen for around $1. As soon as I gave her this "sippy" she loved it! I was so relieved. I called everyone I knew to spread this exciting wonderful news. Of course, everyone thought I was just an exhausted new mom getting excited over something so small, but I had finally figured out my little girl and we were both happy! So, stay calm...it may seem really overwhelming and frustrating now, but some day you'll look back like I do with a smile. My little girl is now 3 and she's nothing but a joy!

I believe that nutritionally she should be getting everything she needs from the breast milk at this point. I would definitely keep trying to give her the rice cereal. Also, just keep at the bottle. I didn't have this problem but a friend of mine did. It took quite a long time for her daughter to take the bottle but she eventually did & at least got what she needed from the bottle until Mom could breastfeed again. Another suggestion is for your husband to be the one trying to give her the bottle w/o you even being in the room. If she knows you are close she will want you.
Good luck!

A 5 month old should only be sleeping 5-6 hour stretches at night (that is what experts mean when they say 'sleeping through the night, not 10-12 hours like we would like it to be). I would try an Adiri natural nurser, which is shaped like a boob :). It is the only bottle my son likes, plus it is byslphenol-A free, which is huge! I would also read the book The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly for some awesome tips on getting baby to sleep better at night. Check out this link too: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp . Good luck!

Hi A.,

I feel like I could have written this!

We are in the same spot with the multiple night-wakings of our 5-mo-old girl, who will not take a bottle. My friend gave us this advice -- move right to a sippy cup and be sure it's offered by your husband. (Baby is too saavy now to take a fake nipple). We have also started reading Good Night, Sleep Tight and trying to get our little one to sleep more. It has some gentle suggestions on how to do that without letting her scream and cry until she's exhausted.

Good luck.

I breastfeed both of my girls. My older one breastfeed until she was a little over a year old. She never took a bottle, I tried everything. I asked her doctor and WIC and they said breast milk is sweater than formula, and her not taking a bottle is because the sucking is a different type of sucking. So I went straight to a sippy cup, this was nice because I never had to break her from a bottle.
For only eating less than an ounce when she gets up. Its a security blanker she wants to make sure its still there, Just like a child with a bottle that just choos on the nipple of a bottle and not drink it.

I have heard of a nipple called "breastflow" that is supposed to closely imitate the let down of breastmilk, so you might want to try that.

I've experienced what you're describing with both of my children. I just wasn't consistent enough in giving them a bottle (it's just easier to give them the boob instead of pumping) so they eventually wouldn't take the bottle any longer. So to fix it I had to become consistent again. What we did with my daughter was my husband (if it's me she would just want to nurse) would try to feed her an ounce of pumped milk in the morning when she would be the hungriest. She refused it, but he kept trying and we were consistent, which is key. It took a little over a week of him trying to give her the bottle every morning, and she gradually would start sucking a little, and now she'll take the bottle. I sometimes put juice in a bottle too, to make it yummy and motivating. Now that she'll take a bottle I'll just continue to give her a bottle of water, juice, or milk a few times a week to keep her used to it. Try expressing a little milk from the bottle into her mouth so he realizes what's in it.

What worked for my son was we were on a road trip so he had to take the bottle. He refused it for several hours, but finally gave in and took the bottle after I first got him latched on to me, then slipped the bottle nipple in once he was already sucking. Everytime he realized and pulled away, I would repeat it until he just accepted the bottle. After that road trip I made sure to feed him a bottle a few times a week to keep him used to it. Consistency really pays off. It can be time consuming, but if you really want your baby to take a bottle, just keep trying on a regular basis. Only you can decide if it's worth the effort. I just got tired of feeling like I could never leave my children without completely coordinating around their feeding times and rushing back to nurse them.

I had the same problem with a couple of my children. With #4 I had to make an overnight trip and couldn't take her. She was 6 months old, so I had to do something. It was hard but I decided to have my husband help me. She took the bottle from him a little better. A couple ideas for you: 1)try pumping your breastmilk and put that in the bottle. Then the flavor will be what she is used to, she'll just have to adjust to the nipple. 2)Try a couple different kinds of bottles. My last kids really like the advent bottles. My older ones liked the Playtex Nurser. 3)We ended up just giving the baby the bottle for a whole day. I just kept pumping and my husband fed her and eventually it worked. It was a long gruelling day, and she cried and fussed, but eventually she took it and was fine with the bottle after that. 4)Once you get the baby to take the breastmilk from the bottle, make half the bottle formula and half breastmilk and continue to decrease the breastmilk until she will take just formula. 5)Try Nestle Good Start Formula--my pediatrician said it is easier for breastfed babies to digest--nicer on their little tummies. Good luck! I know you can do it!

Hi A. -

My own experience in raising 3 children - my oldest just turned 20 yesterday - is that mixing rice cereal with breast milk and then giving it to them in a bottle about 30 minutes before bed helped them to sleep all night. To get them off the breast completely, make a small bottle of breast milk and give her one breast and when you are ready to switch, place her near the other breast but give her the bottle with the breast milk instead. Next time, let her have the breast you bottle fed from and give her the bottle from the other breast. It only took a couple of days and mine were taking the bottle completely.

Good Luck.

M. M. Ernsberger

Waking three to four times at 5 mos isn't abnormal. It all depends on her. It isn't too late as I started my daughter and my son on the bottle around 4 mos of age, yes to get them to eat more and have it be a tad more convenient. Do not add rice cereal, there is not a proven fact on this it helps and she is still young. I would say formula stays on her stomach a lot longer however then breast milk. Start by finding nipples on bottles that simulate the breast as best as possible, then just using breast milk, then a bottle with a mix of formula and breast milk then just formula. I did this for both of my kids. I still got up two or three times a night until they were older just because they were hungry, however this will help you out some. Rest whenever you can that is the best new mommy advice I can give!!!

my sister has a 9 month old who still wont take a bottle! She has tried every kind they mae literaly. It doesnt hurt to try a bottle she might like it and you can still give her the breast milk. Also my sisters baby is still waking up many times thriugh the night and baby food or cereal isnt helping iether. Sometimes giving her milk in a soft tip sippy cup with handles works but only sometimes. Let me know if you get any good advive so I can pass it along
Robyn

I would not worry about your baby getting enough from the breast alone, I almost nursed exclusivly for a year and my boy weighed over 20lbs when he turned one.

Also think about the fact that rice cereal has no nutritional value and all you are giving your baby is empty calories when you put it in her bottle. She is only 5 months old and needs all of the nutrients you give her through your breast. It may seem that the night wakenings will never end but the reality is that they will.

Try a pacifier, when she starts nibbling at the breast during the night.
By six months you can introduce a sippy cup anyway. She might take that better than a bottle. No sense on wasting your money to buy both. Put expressed breastmilk in the sippy, and see how she does. I know some days and nights are frusrating, but this time passes so quickly. Soon you'll be on to potty trainning, and listening to her say "no, I do it!" Enjoy your nursing relationship and know that you are giving her the best.
T.

Hey A.-

You've probably gotten more advice than you need but here's what I found: I was in the same boat as you except my daughter was SO colicky! She refused the bottle until she was almost 6 months old... I would breastfeed her when I could during the day and (like you) 3-4 times at night. I was SO tired and cranky! Until she could HOLD the bottle, she really didn't care for it. She is almost 9 months old now and I just stopped breastfeeding her at night about a week ago. I was still getting up once or twice when she'd wake up screaming just to comfort her but from what everyone said and what I was reading, I was doing more bad than good. Keep trying the rice cereal- maybe mix something yummy into it like banana pudding or applesauce that will entice her to eat more? My daughter still cried once or twice in the night but she's not hungry- just wants to be comforted and that's where we are now.

best of luck to you- hang in there!

I think you should keep nursing... a bottle will only make it harder on yourself. At least with a breast you can just have her latch on and then lay her back down.... with a bottle, you have to get up, heat the water, make the formula. And what if you run out of clean ones at 5am?? I say stick with it. He schedule will change before you know it. You're doing great!

how can you tell how much she's drinking from the breast?
if she's not losing weight i wouldn't worry about milk production, if you start skipping feedings then of course your body will adjust. however, she should not be getting up so many times a night...perhaps she's used to time with you/bonding more than anything, and it could be she's not even hungry at that time and just wants to see you after work, does that make sense? does she sleep for long stretches during the day? if so, she may just need to have her sleeping re-adjusted.
as far as introducing the bottle, i doubt she will take a bottle from you at this point. hubby should be the one to feed it to her until she gets used to it, because as you know, the sucking motion is different to drink from the bottle than from the breast, and she is going to have to learn the difference, so give her time.
good luck! you need to get some sleep!!!

Hi A.,
I am sorry you are exhausted and I certainly undersand and have experienced these issues myself while nursing both my children.

First of all, know that it is completely normal for a 5 mo old to wake up at night, especially if she is nursing and spending periods of time away from you. You say that you are worried that she is not getting enough from nursing...but what is beautiful about the nursing relationship is that the baby knows when to "get" more../by nursing more frequently and that can include waking up. Remember too, it is not just nutrition nourishment, but emotional too. She is making the connections necessary to keep the two of you close. Aren't they smart? That is what can be easy about working and breastfeeding; it is so very easy to get reconnected.

Do you sleep with her when it is time for both of you to sleep? This is an excellent way to reconnect, and babies can nurse while you are laying on your side feeling ALOT more rested. I co-slept with both of my children and for ME it was a life saver, especially with my first as she was a very high need child. If this does not work for you (and no you won't spoil them, and YES they do move to their own bed...mine are 8 and 11 and perfectly well adjusted and VERY independent kids!)you could at least have a bassinet type thing along side you so you don't have to go so far to nurse her.

As for the bottle, I would suggest pumping your own milk (if you are not already doing so). In another month or so, you could really try a sippy cup with a low flow valve, instead of the bottle! And potentially watch for signs of interest in food. You can start with mashed bananas and avocad0. No food can guarantee a sleep through the night, that is a bit of a mama myth.

Hope this helps...Jaimie in tucson

My daugter was a veracious eater when she was a baby. I, too, was concerned she wasn't getting enough. However, she was gaining weight; so I knew everything was fine.

Instead of trying to switch her to the bottle (becuase brest is best), try letting her cry. I know this is VERY difficult to do; but she needs to learn to sleep and the only person to teach her is you! There is no reason at 5 mos for her to be waking up that frequently. Believe me, she won't starve if she misses a feeding or two in the night.

Good luck! :)

Hi!
I've raised 4 babies on the principles in the book "Babywise". It's just about how you schedule feedings, but you'll be amazed at how well it works. Suddenly they sleep through the night. My last three, who I used the technique right from birth with, all started sleeping through the night at about 5 weeks. My first one I didn't start using it until he was 3 or 4 months old, when he would sleep all day, and play all night. Within a week, he started sleeping at night--saving me from insanity. Try it! Oh--almost forgot. Part of the book talks about how the schedule encourages them to eat more at a sitting, because the first milk that lets down is not as rich. They need to nurse longer to get the richer milk--it's true, I used to milk a dairy cow, and the richest cream comes at the end!

Try a sippy cup. Neither of my kids took bottles ever but they loved their sippy cups. They make cups with built in straws that don't and the cups don't leak. She may prefer that instead of a bottle. Put some of your milk in it or some plain or vanilla soy milk.

If she's not getting enough food during the day she could be needing food at night. Chances are, the not sleeping through the night has more to do with her relying on you to help her fall back asleep. I don't have much advise about the no bottle. My daughter only took it out of starvation and my son never did. You could try different nipples or even a sippy cup. My duaghter had to have it at 98.6 degrees and make sure it's fresh. For the sleeping issue you can try to gradually take away the crutches she uses to help her go back to sleep. Falling asleep while nursing, rocking to sleep, pacifier, etc. Try a little tough love during her naps. Over exhausting her during the day won't help too much with sleeping through the night. You could try looking at a book called the "No Cry Sleep Method".

Why put her on a bottle? Try a sippy. As a speech therapist, the earlier off the bottle the better!! My daughter was biting the nipple and playing with it at 6 months so we switched to a sippy cup and that's what she drank her breast milk out of when not nursing.

good luck
K.

No, it's not too late for the bottle. My daughter wouldn't take a bottle when I went back to work. She was very stubborn. We kept trying different nipples until she found one she liked. After a couple weeks, she was taking the bottle at least when I wasn't home. If she's hungry enough, she'll take it. You might also try starting her on the cup during the day to get in a little extra milk or even water. They make some cups with rubber lids that are a good transition. If your baby is growing, then she is getting enough milk. If you're worried about that, ask your doctor if you can come in for a weight check in between visits. Good luck.

The bottle can be tough. Try poking additional holes in the nipple or going up in size. It took about 10 trials to get my first to find a nipple he liked AND we had to poke additional holes in it. Also make sure temp is as close to breast as possible.
As for the sleeping through the night...have you got her on a regular schedule? At four months, my oldest was up every 2 hours. We finally did some tough love - he got fed every 3 hours during the day and only at 3 hour intervals -for the first two weeks we were RIGID - w/in 1-2 minutes of it being exactly on the "threes" (i.e., 6 a.m., 9 am, etc). And whadda y'know, he started sleeping 5 hours at a shot w/in a week. Not to discourage you but some kids just don't sleep through the night 'til their older - that same child didn't sleep more than 5 hours at a shot until he was 14 months old and refused a nap schedule until he was 16 months old (despite both our and our nanny's best efforts).

I had one that would only drink formula from a bottle and another who would not take anything but the breast until 11 1/2 months. If you're worried about whether she's getting enought to eat, you cna take her to the doctor and weigh her, then feed her, then weigh her again. Don't change her diaper or anything between weighing her. The amount she gains is the # ounces she is drinking. Your doctor can tell you if it's the right amount for her age and size. You do want to do that at a time when she's normally hungry.

Hi A.~

I went through the same thing with my daughter. I spoke to her Pediatrician who said to go ahead and (try) give her a bottle once a day. Her Pedi also said that sometimes babies become "breast only or bottle only babies". I ended up pumping my breast milk and freezing it, bought some Dr. Brown's bottles and poked a couple of small holes in the nipples. She got the hang of it and ended up sleeping a bit longer during the night. I was still able to breastfeed and give her a bottle.

Good luck!

I would like to start by saying that if you start her on the bottle now you don't actually have to start her on a sippy cup by 6 months. Mine WOULD NOT take a sippy cup at all. He went straight to those straw cups at 12 months. I would also like to add that my pediatrician said that adding rice cereal to the bottle is not good for babies. He said that it will cause them to be lazy and not take rice cereal from a bowl to eat it how they are supposed to.

Definitely try a pacifier. I spoke with my pediatrician and he said that having the baby pacify on the breast is bad for both baby and mom. A pacifier will satisfy the same need and won't hurt mom. They have all sorts of pacifiers. We used ones with the wider mouth pieces to imitate the nipple as much as possible and the anount he would have had in his mouth if he were pacifying on me.

I also spoke with my pediatrician about night feedings. You can ease your baby into skipping feedings. It really only takes a night or two. When she wakes up for the first feeding just let her fuss until she falls back asleep. This might sound mean and it is hard for a parent to do, but it is not bad for the child to do this. She is just waking up out of habit, not because she is actually hungry. She will cry if you skip tha time but she will eventually fall back to sleep. When the second night approaches she might wake up and if she fusses it shouldn't be anything like the previous night. Then she should start sleeping more. Don't be afraid to give her a pacifier, she is in her oral fixation stage and that would be good and comforting to her. Just be sure to take it away between 9-12 months.

Thanks

I think you may be offering her the breast too often. If she's not eating, she's not hungry. A baby 5 months old should be sleeping through the night and only eating 5 or 6 times a day-3 to 4 hours apart. If you're interested I could map out a whole plan for you, how we've done it with our kids and it works great. I have a 6 month old who takes 3 naps a day and sleeps 10 hours at night and a 2 year old who takes a 3 hour nap during the day and sleeps 11 hours at night. I don't think it's ever too late to get a baby to take a bottle, but I would work on getting her regulated first.

I have four children, and been there! Milk is digested quicker than formula and she could be needing the extra for a developmental/ growth spurt. Only with my daughter was I taking "new" birth control that hampered my milk production. Once I went off, I was fine. Other factors that have come into play is my activity level (needed to lower which is hard for me), and STRESS. My #3 son (now 4) would NOT take a bottle for anything and rather starve himself. We eventually found that a small cup did the trick. If you're wanting to try food, I suggest mashing banana and avocado. Sounds gross, but they love it and it's easy to digest with great nutrition. RELAX, and good luck!

Are you putting breast milk or formula in a bottle? I know breast is best, but if you are putting it in a bottle, try formula to see if she'll take it. Because of the different taste, she may not associate the formula with the breast, thus take the bottle.

How many different types of bottles have you tried? Some babies will only take certain types of nipples and it's a trial and error pattern until you find the right one.

Who gives her the bottle? You, Dad, or someone else? Some babies do best if the bottle comes from someone other than mom.

And finally, try a sippy cup. That might work :)

As far as getting enough milk, I know it's hard but trust your body. If she's having wet diapers, and gaining wieght, then she is getting enough!

Good luck!

I had the same issue with my girl right before I was getting ready to go back to work. I bought all kinds of bottles etc and nothing worked. From what I have read, if you are not around in the room and your husband feeds her the bottle she should take it. I did not have that luck because when my husband got home I was home, and I guess she could sense it. Bottom line for me, when we took her to daycare and she was away from us and the home environment, she took it. She did have a couple of tough days with it, but no problem after that. Also, if you are going to give her formula, try mixing it little by little with your pumped milk, so she can transition the change in taste. Hope it works out for you.