Baby Wont Take Bottle - Wheaton,IL

Updated on November 05, 2010
K.J. asks from Wheaton, IL
5 answers

My daughter took a bottle a few times with no problems when she was 3 or 4 weeks old. She is now almost 3 months old. I was supposed to go back to work next week but now she is refusing the bottle. She wont suck on it at all. She just gags and sometimes cries. The best she's done is chewed on it and played with it a little without crying, but as soon as it goes in all the way she gags. I've tried a few different kinds of nipples but that doesn't seem to help. She seems to have a very small mouth. Does any one have any suggestions? Or do you have an experience where your baby refused but then learned to take it? How long did it take? Thanks!

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E.M.

answers from Bakersfield on

Hi Momma-
I am so sorry, that is incredibly frustrating! Usually it's the other way around- they go to the bottle and won't go back to the mother. Hmmm. I know you have tried different nipples, but you may need to try a few more. My sister found that the dark yellowy brown ones by platex were by far the softest, they had the best flow, and her baby didn't fight too much before he got used to it. The nipples, too, may have either too much or not enough flow and so she is frustrated. It's hard to gage which one is right, but when they start eating at a happy pace, then you know you have the right one....until they grow and then you need the next size up.... My other sisters have boys, and a couple of them were very small when they were born. They had to use the dr. Brown's bottles, which were super pricey, but for some reason it was the only one they would take. It is frustrating that each mother has to try, hit and miss, to find that one, perfect bottle that their baby will take, and no two kids are exactly the same. Sigh. I think, if you call the advice nurse or your pediatrician, they should be able to give you some pointers, like rubbing the milk in her mouth with your fingers to stimulate, etc.
I hope that helps some. Good luck!
-E. M

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C.A.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter has been breastfeeding exclusively. She takes the Born Free bottles from my husband wonderfully. At 4 months she went on a nursing strike but I didn't want to use bottles in case she began to prefer it. I ended up cup and spoon feeding her until she got over it. I know it's the opposite problem of what you're having but there is a solution even if the bottle doesn't work. Don't force it or she may get a negative association with the bottle. Also try different feeding positions, not cradle. You can just google for a few ideas. If all else fails try the Boon spoon from Babies R Us that holds 3 oz of liquid in it. It gets less messy with a little practice. Good Luck.

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C.H.

answers from Chicago on

have you tried Dr. Brown's wide mouth nippled bottles? It's supposed be the closest thing to the breast. Also, you shouldn't try to feed her, you need to lave the house and have someone else do it. she'll get used to in with time, but as long as she smells you, she really wont want it. I had to drop my baby off at my mom's over night and my son eventually took it at 2am.

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R.S.

answers from Mansfield on

Awe this must be so frustrating for you both!
I breastfed our son too and had to return to work for a few weeks before I quit. Because I had hope of continuing to breastfeed afterward I searched all over for a realistic nipple. I found and used the BornFree bottles. Matthew took them perfectly fine and was not nipple confused at all. I had tried a few popular brands also but with no luck. Here's a link for the BornFree's- although I bought ours at Babies-r-us. http://www.newbornfree.com/
Maybe these will work for your little one too!
Good luck!

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J.M.

answers from Chicago on

This happened to me with my first born. It was very stressful. We tried every bottle on the market and she wouldn't take any of them and just cried and cried, or played with the nipple a little bit and then cried. I thought maybe if someone else gave her the bottle, that might help, but no luck. Then my sister encouraged me to come out to her house and leave the baby with her, while I went out. Sure enough, she took the bottle from my sister, in her house. She fussed at first, but when she realized mom wasn't around, she took it no problem. Not sure if you have a friend/family that can try this for you... but I believe my daughter was just very stubborn and if she knew I was around, or could smell my scent, she just held out to be nursed. Once she took the bottle from my sister at her house, she started taking them at home, but never from me and mostly when I was out of the house. Ultimately, she was able to take them from someone else while I was at home and then finally, from me... I was down to the wire in terms of going back to work and her taking bottles. It all worked out for me, but was certainly very stressful. At that time, everyone assured me that if she wasn't taking bottles and I had to start work, she might have a couple of hungry days, but she wouldn't starve herself and would learn quickly. I really took no comfort in that. But, I'm sure they were right. Although she is stubborn, she is smart, and I'm sure she would have figured it out very quickly if need be. Good luck to you!

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