Baby Won't Take Bottle - Cincinnati,OH

The Avent bottles have a very wide nipple, like a breast. Those were the only bottles my kids would take when we transitioned completely to bottles.

The pacifier... I know most people use them but they're not essential. People didn't use to have them before and now you see all these kids older than 2 with them. So bad for their teeth! My 3 kids always pushed them out and couldn't keep them in so I just stopped trying and none of them ever seemed to need them. It was great never to have to break them out of that habit and they never used other objects or their thumbs to make it up. So if she doesn't need it then just let her be :)

Try the "MAM" brand bottles/nipples. It is great, and BPA free, and natural shaped. You can get it from www.amazon.com
This is what my Son used and loved and me too. I LOVE these bottles. And it does not accumulate air bubbles in the bottle as the baby drinks.

Next, how does your Hubby feed her? On his lap? With a Boppy pillow? How? Try to have him replicate how you hold her... and the same routine and even where you sit with her while doing it.

Also, babies are very sensitive to smells and texture. Does he have an odor? wear cologne? Smell sweaty? Or, maybe it is just because he has a "male" scent... and babies, by nature, go by survival instinct and instinctively she knows "milk" comes from a "mom" ie: woman.

Or, it is because she senses that your Hubby finds feeding her to be frustrating... because she does not latch on right away... and she senses that and so it compounds the problem. If your Hubby is not patient enough...and it gets him antsy feeding her, it will not be successful.

Then there are some babies that will simply not take a bottle. AND they will simply wait until Mommy is there. My Daughter was like that.
But yes, so you cannot plan on being away from home/her for very long... because they need to be fed on demand, for the 1st year of life. Even once they do take solids around 6 months or so, breastmilk/Formula is still their PRIMARY source of nutrition. Not solids, not other liquids. This is per our Pediatrician.

Just try other nipples/bottles. I really recommend the MAM brand.

Also, try and "coach" your Hubby on how to give the bottle. It is not always instinctual in a man. Baby probably sense his unease with it.
Some babies just will not feed if the person feeding is stressed.

Next, if her latch is not proper... if not then she will not be getting adequate intake. Does she latch onto You? When you nurse? Or is it just with the bottle that she does not latch? And many times, a baby can get nipple confusion... because a breast and a bottle-nipple requires TWO different "sucking" techniques. So, often times a baby will reject one or the other. AND if you then try to put a pacifier into the whole scenario... she may just be getting too many "nipple" like things that she has to adjust too. The pacifier is another issue.... not all babies will take it. AND, you don't want her to rely on the pacifier, if she has not learned to latch on properly for feedings...
try to see a Lactation Consultant... to make sure she is latching on properly... to you, and when needing to use a bottle.

All the best,
Susan

My nephew also never took a bottle and my SIL was home nursing him. They just went straight to sippy cups ... I think around 6 months though. He took those fine and never did use bottles!

Laura

Our firstborn never took a bottle. We had followed all the advice in breastfeeding books and waited a few weeks to give him one. Totally backfired! Anyways... around 3-4 months my hubby would put breastmilk in a sippy cup (without the plastic stopper at first until he learned that milk would come out if sucked on) and warm it up. It took a few tries but he was drinking out of it soon enough instead of a bottle. That kid also never drank more than a sip of formula.

We got it right with the other kids and ignored all the advice in breastfeeding books regarding bottle feeding. They had a bottle within a day or 2 of formula and never had any issues whatsoever about switching back and forth with breastfeeding.

As for the pacificer, you actually have to teach a child to use on. All babies are born with the thrusting instinct -- something goes into their mouth they don't recognize as a nipple and they thrust it out. (this is why it's pretty pointless to feed them food until it goes away between 4-6 months - until it does all the food just gets spit right back out, it's not because they don't like it!). For the 1st week or so, we'd just lightly hold it in place with a finger while they had it and got used to it.

Try lots of different bottles. My children liked the medella nipple you get in the bottles that come with pumping stuff the best, though with that said, they really wouldn't take a bottle either. There is also the Adiri natural nurser, which is 'boob shaped' and more like nursing. It really is shortlived, though, because soon she will be doing some solids and a sippy cup. If you can find a way to get you by a few months, you'll be fine soon :). You can also try cup, spoon, or siringe feeding, or using a medella SNS on the finger.

Try changing bottles and nipple shape, but don't fret too much if she doesn't like it. Momma is always best in a babies mind! lol
My son was the same way so we just sorta let him decide if he wanted a pacifier or take a bottle from my husband. He still prefers the boob- 14 months and counting...

Some babies never do, they can hold out hours, even all day to be nursed. Try every type of bottle, low-flow nipple, try sippies with no valves, a plain old little cup (Dixie Cups are great), she may take it, she may not. My sons never did take a bottle, so we bedtime at 7 and only went out after he was in bed knowing he'd sleep for 3 hours before needing to be nursed again.

I wouldn't push the pacifier. Take it from someone who had to take the pacifier away and ended up with a thumb sucker...DON'T try to get a baby to take a pacifier who doesn't want to take it.

Just keep in mind, it's really only a few more months, so if you can't go out without her, you'll live. Pretty soon she won't need you or even care if you are gone, it's nice to be needed right now, isn't it? I LOVED knowing I was the only person who could do my job for those first months :)

there is a bottle called breast flow, I believe, that we used at first, and this might seem weird, but my hubby would take his shirt off to feed her, and that seemed to help. (her, not him. She would pull out his chest hair, but she would eat, hee.)

My 7.5 month old son have not taken bottles well either. I work part time, so it was really tough when he was 3-4 months old. He finally accepted the Breastflow bottle which is like a boob too. Now that he is eating solid foods, he is back to refusing the bottle, but will take a sippy cup. I was so frustrated before, but now it is getting easier. We also used a small little cup from Medela and he would sip breastmilk out of it.

S.

one other thing you can try....

when a baby has a hard time latching on they may need a little extra support and the lip/cheeks. hold the bottle between your thumb and index finger - rest the tip of your thumb and index finger on her cheecks to support a "puckered" "closed" lip postion. then curl your middle finger and 'tuck' it under lower lip.

I have a handout if you would like - If you would like it please e-mail me.

Good luck!