I need any advice on how I can get my 2 month old to take the bottle. I am exclusively breastfeeding and pumping and storing milk. I plan to return to work part-time soon. My husband and I have tried to get our baby to take the bottle for about 3 weeks now. I am transferring fresh breastmilk into his bottle and have tried 3 different bottles and have not been successful. Please help me.
Thank you for your advice. Well so far so good, my 2 month old has taken the born free bottle twice from my mother-in-law. The way she did it was to get him under the right conditions, hungry but not too hungry. The bottle was warmed just right with a bottle warmer. And she fed him in a dark room where he was calm. What I think helped the most was that she introduced him to a pacifier--he is using the NUK pacifier and it really soothes him when he is not hungry and perhaps trains him to suck on an artificial nipple. I am so happy. He will only bottlefeed 2 days out of the week perhaps 3 times only. I plan to breastfeed the rest.
I would run the nipple under hot water from the sink to warm it up before someone besides you tries to give it to him you probably should not even be in the house if he gets hungry enough he will take it
good luck
J.
What I've read, except it says to start at 3 weeks so they accept the bottle easier, is to start at night pumping (or formula) and feed them with a bottle. Its better if someone besides mom does the feeding. The suggestion is to start by subsituting one breast feeding with a bottle feeding each day and then move up. This gets the baby used to being fed not only with the bottle, but by someone besides you.
Hope this helps, and works!! its the method I'm planning to use so my son will take bottles from other people and I can leave him with my husband and family when we want to do things.
Have you tried the Playtex Nurser. My little man stopped eating when I went back to work and wouldn't take a bottle from anyone so I tried the Playtex bottles and he came around to taking them. They are supposedly more like the breast.
Also, you might try holding the bottle under your arm and hold him like you are nursing him. That may help.
Just keep trying though. He will get there. Good luck to you!
Since you are working part-time, consider continuing to breastfeed at nights and weekends. It is a lovely opportunity to have a special bonding time with your baby. I pumped and used Avent. My first daughter wouldn't take a bottle. I talked to La Leche League and to the pediatrician and she had "nipple preference". She went straight from breast to cup. I tried everything as well, and she always waited for mommy. Don't let him CIO--it is unnecessary and just against our natural mommy instinct. Have you tried any nipples from One Step Ahead? Good Luck!
Hi L.! I just transitioned my 3 1/2 month old daughter from the breast to bottle due to lactose intolerance. I ordered the the Mam bottles by Sassy from Amazon.com and my daughter had no problem taking them. I also agree with the other person that mentioned the Adiri bottles. You could try either of those if you haven't already. Make sure your husband is the one feeding him since he relates you with breastfeeding. Hope that helps some.
A.
I had the same trouble. I went back to work part time after just a month after having my son, and back to work full time after the second month. I tried several types of bottles, and the one that turned out the best for us was the Soothie brand.
I am transfering my daughter to bottle also luckly she seems to be taking it, but i did alot of research before hand. Im using an avent btl that seems to be close to a breast that Ive seen in the stores like Target. There is a nipple that is soft like a breast that ive seen online in breastfeeding (dot com) that looked like it would work you may need to research it and see. Good Luck.
1) Have someone else feed baby by bottle. You will be the exclusive breast feeder but someone else needs to bottle feed.
2) When breast feeding, use a blanket on you and baby...the smell of you and breastmilk will transfer to blanket. When designated bottle feeder is going to feed baby, have the same blanket on them. Plan a couple of blankets for this purpose! It will "trick" baby somewhat. The only downfall (depends on how you look at it) is they will be very attached to it growing up (my daughter is very attached to her blankie still, and she's 9! LOL! But my younger sons are fine.).
3) Don't be in same room when designated bottle feeder is in room.
4) Stay consistent. If you have to, set a number of hours that baby will be bottle fed and plan to be scarce. It will help. Also, plan to pump during these hours so you won't be in pain! LOL.
GOOD LUCK!! :)
Hello L., I am glad you found something that would work for you I have a little boy who just turned 1 year old last week. I have breastfeed him but when I went back to work he was almost 4 months. I didn't introduce him to a bottle but I gave him a sippy cup instead. I don't remember the brand but it has a soft spout and is leak proof the only way anything comes out is if the baby sucks on it and it doesn't have a cap underneath it like other sippy cups - where you have to worry about taking it apart to clean. It was great, he tranitioned into it very well - he never took a bottle or a pacifier. I still breastfeed once in awhile but other then that he has been on the sippy or straw cup now since he was 4 months
Hey L., 2 bits of advice... 1.) Go out and buy 5-8 different nipple brands. It could be that he simply doesn't like the nipple brnad that you've been using. I know it will require spending money on some products that oyu might not use, but you've got to get back to work right?! Its worth it... 2.) You shouldn't try to introduce the bottle yourself. He can smell the breast milk from you and he knows you have "something better". You need your husband to be the one to introduce the bottle/nipple.
I breastfed three children. It is natural for a baby to suck. When you run the nipple across the cheek toward the baby's mouth the natural tendency, for the baby is to move toward the object. The baby then will take the nipple and begin to suck. If the baby is hungry sucking is no problem. Be sure you hold the baby in the same way you did when you were breastfeeding. I pray you don't have to go back to work your baby needs you. No one will love your baby like you do.
L. ......I had the same predictament as you!!!! I tried every bottle out on the market literally and nothing worked. Luckily I didn't have to return to work so I wasn't in a time crunch, but I really wasn't planning on breastfeeding my daughter as long as I did (13 months). We finally gave up and I just kept breastfeeding. However, I did seek advice on this and this is waht I was told by some doulas. You have to give her the bottle and not give in to the breast no matter how hungry she gets. She is going to cry A LOT. It may be best for your husband to do it and you leave the house for 1/2 a day. I couldn't ever bring myself to do this, but this is what the experts say. When she gets hungry enough, she'll eventually take the bottle. There is one new kind of bottle out on the market that is shaped like a woman's boob. It's called Adiri (orsoemthing like that) and you can find it at Babies R US. Next baby we have, we're doing BOTH breast and bottle from the very beginning so we don't get stuck in the same predictament. Good luck! A.
I had the samr problem with my kids they wanted the breast and not the bottle. Try using one of the playtex bottles with the very soft nipples the ones with the drop in liners they seem to feel more like the breast and help reduce the chance of the baby getting colic. Just start with one bottle a day and just keep working at it. It worked for my babies hopefully it will work for you. Good luck!
I had the same problem just a few weeks ago. I received lots of advice, but what finally worked for me was getting the temperature just right. My daughter is very picky about the temp. of the nipple and of the milk. I found that if I heat it to where it matches my body temp (can't feel it when I put a few drops on my wrist) she will take it willingly. A few other tips I received aside from different bottles/nipples were:
1. make sure someone other than you are trying to give your son the bottle, he's used to getting fed one way from you.
2. try putting a little apple juice or something sweet on the nipple to get him to take it.
3. try feeding him in a different position than you do when you breastfeed. Put him in a bouncy seat or lay him on the ground. Certain positions may remind him of breastfeeding a cause him to refuse the bottle.
4. stay calm and relaxed, the baby will get tense if he feels tension.
Good luck! Don't worry, he will get there. I know the stress and worry your are feeling, but it is very liberating once they take a bottle.
I always found that if I was trying to feed my children a bottle they would refuse because they prefered breast over bottle, maybe have your husband try feeding with a bottle instead of you.
use the First Years Soothie Bottles. That is what we use on our son and he was breast feed at first. he adjusted well and instantly
One thing that some of my friends learned about the back to work transition is, Dad has to be the one feeding, it is to confusing for your baby to smell mom and not get the breast. One of my friends spent about 100 dollars on different nipples and found that her son didn't like any of them. If he got hungry enough he would drink out of a bottle. But he wouldn't eat that much. Then when mom would pick him up he would eat like he had never eaten before. This is something that you should also consult your pediatrician about.
Good luck!I hope this helps.
Hi L.,
I used the NUK Bottle. I got them at Walmart. It was the one and only bottle I had to try. Thank goodness.. We started by letting my husband give the bottle first thing in the morning and breastfeed during the day and at night for a week. I would add one more bottle everyweek. I did keep the bedtime feeding for as long as I could. That was our time just MOmma & baby time. Now Emma is 8 1/2m very healthy and very happy also 100% on the bottle.
Good Luck,
K.
