I’m sure you know where I’m about to go with this post. Our sweet little sis, Ms. Lily, is officially two months old. Well technically two months and two days by the time you are reading this, but who’s counting. And guess what else I have to announce with Lily’s two month post?! She’s officially refusing bottles. Yep, I definitely didn’t see that one coming either. Her brothers took bottles better than the breast, but sis has decided otherwise. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad this is our biggest hiccup right now. Lily has a mild temperament [unless in her car seat or presented with a bottle], she smiles and coos when she’s awake, and gives me a decent 5-6 hour stretch most nights. But the bottle…. THE BOTTLE. What baby doesn’t like a bottle?!
Because I feel like I’ve tried everything, I’m going share what I’ve done so far to get Lily to try the bottle, and then it’s your turn to share other ideas— if you have any I’ve missed! Ready for it?! Operation get Lily to take a bottle has begun!
What we’ve tried:
- We’ve purchased a variety of different bottles, nipples and nipple flows. Ted’s thinks I should start an online boutique of baby bottles with the collection I’ve started.
- VERY warm breastmilk— warmer than what comes out of Mom!
- Having different people feed her. That means everyone that’s walked through my front door has tried giving Lily a bottle- no luck!
- Different positions? You betcha! Sister knows it’s still a bottle…
What we haven’t tried:
- Putting a shirt between Lily and the person feeding her a bottle- a friend JUST suggested that!
- Formula- maybe she would take a bottle if it tasted different than my breastmilk?!
- [some white space, because I’ve got nothing else left!]
In the grand scheme of things having a baby who doesn’t take a bottle is NOT a big deal. I just told Ted I feel like I can’t escape our kids even if I tried. And you know as a parent of small children you NEED to escape every now and then. I’ve talked with friends who have had babies that refused bottles as well and you know what? They survived. And at 6 months of age their babies took breastmilk from sippy cups. That gives me hope that I’ll be able to get outta dodge fairly soon… but then again, I don’t want my baby growing up too fast. SEE HOW MOTHERHOOD MESSES WITH YOUR MIND??!
So tell me: Is there something else I can do to encourage Lily to take a bottle? If your baby wouldn’t take a bottle, did they end up taking a sippy cup with breastmilk?
Sorry Lil, I’m not giving up just yet!
Hi Katie! I am by NO MEANS an expert, but I’ve heard that trying the bottle when they’re not super hungry can help, because they are less likely to get frustrated since they’re not starving. But I’m sure you’ve probably already tried that! Luckily my son took the bottle pretty well, we used Dr. Browns, but I think I was just lucky and it didn’t necessarily matter which bottle we used. I have friends whose babies wouldn’t take a bottle either. I remember them wanting to pull their hair out– they just needed a break! Hang in there!!
Thanks Kacie!!! She did take an ounce when we dreamed fed her a bottle. Just hard to determine when that will be when Mom is not home lol!
Ps. Glad to hear I’m not alone lol!
I think part of the key is just to keep trying everyday. And it helped with my daughter to bounce (on an exercise ball or just bounce up and down while holding her) when giving her the bottle.
Yes!!! We need to be more diligent about that. I’ve heard walking and bouncing might help!!
So she was taking it for a few weeks and now she’s not? Our baby – who is only one day older than Lily – had several hard days in row so did what was suggested above and offered the bottle a little ahead of schedule so he wasn’t starving. I also changed his diaper right before to try to eliminate any and all other distractions. Does she take a pacifier?
She would never take one. I wish I would’ve tried earlier!!! No to paci 🙁
Ugh! Been there with 2 out of my 3 kids! It’s so frustrating but will be over before you know it. Mine learned how to use a sippy cup with a straw around 5 months old filled with breast milk which saved my sanity! Good luck and hang in there 🙂
That’s what I’m hoping for GF!
Nope. My son never took a bottle. I had a hard time expressing anyway. He’s still breastfeeding at 17 months!! I’m ready to stop but he’s not!! Help!!
Does he take a sippy cup?
Just an idea. Have you ever heard of excess lipase in breastmilk? It’s actually high lipase activity that breaks down the fats too rapidly making the brestmilk have a soapy taste. You can scald the milk right after pumping to deactivate the lipase. I finally realized with my third son that I had this issue and he finally (reluctantly) started taking bottles. Worth a shot! It’s so stressful.
I’ve never heard of that!!! I’ll definitely give that a shot. Thank you for letting me know!
Hi there!
I am a mom of a seventh month baby and also never made my baby accept thd bottle oh my God, I feel like I tried everything. Different bottles, nipples and nothing worked. I guess this is not a big deal if you are a stay home mom but if you work outside the home this is a huge problem i had to resign my job in order to stay home and nurse my baby. My baby was having weight issues because he wouldn’t eat for eight hours everyday. I would feed him when got home but it was not enough, pediatrician said he was below the required weight. Well, the lesson I’ve learned is that if I have a anotger baby I will feed both ways, nursing and bottle. Not only breast milk but also formula, this is important because there might be an energency ir wgat about If i get suck and unable ti feed baby, this would cause a lot if suffering to baby thus I will do both but primarily breastfeeding if course.