My 3 Month Baby Won't Take the Bottle

hi Y.... my daughter ( now 6 months) also refuses a bottle... we bought every single one on the market... i finally found a trainer cup with a flat silicone nipple which seems more like the breast... from THINK BABY.. you can find it online, just google it... hope this helps :)

Greetings,

Just in case he's having pain because he hasn't adjusted his sucking and is taking in too much at one time, or working too hard and is getting too much air, try massaging his belly. Go firmly (but not hard) with 2 fingers, if you're facing him, go clockwise aroung his belly button. Do a circular motion beginning at his belly button and work out making bigger circles for 3-4 times, then start over. It will calm his stomach if he's having those types of problems, you'll be going in the direction of digestion.

If nothing else, it should help calm both of you and you can begin feeding again. Hope this is helpful.

B. C., CR, CCI, BCRS, CNHC
Certified Newborn Massage Instructor

When my daughter was 2 months old she did the same and we just started using a sippy cup. I breast fed her when I was home and when I wasn't she drank out of the sippy cup. When others would feed her with the sippy cup they would hold her just like feeding her with a bottle, snuggling her close. It worked really well for us.

Some of the Parent Choice bottles will come with a nipple and a sippy cup insert. You can also buy a sippy cup insert for the Advent bottles.

The best part is we never had to wean her from a bottle.

Without going through your other responses, I will tell you what worked for me. My daughter also refused the bottle (and at 6.5 months, still doesn't really care for it and only eats enough from it to get by). I tried many bottles/nipples, Dr Browns with size 2 nipples are what finally worked for us. And the breastmilk has to be VERY warm or she will not take it. Warmer than I ever thought she would take it.
The fussing and crying could be because he is taking in extra air with the bottle, make sure whoever gives the bottle to him takes the extra time to burp him! Oh, also, my daughter takes the bottle better if she is laying down or sitting in her bouncy chair or something- doesn't want to be held unless she is getting the boob!! Good luck.

You may want to make a visit to the pedi to make sure you baby doesn't have acid reflux. The crying and arching his back seems almost like he is in pain. If he had never taken a bottle before and was doing this, I'd just think that he didn't want it...he'd rather have the real deal, but since he has taken the occassional bottle, maybe what's in the bottle is causing pain. I'm assuming you are using formula. So, if you are, then I'd check with the dr.

If you're not using formula and he really just seems to be rejecting the bottle, try having somebody else feed him while you are in a different room or even out of the house. You may also want to feed the bottle in a different position and place than you would if your were nursing...like sit on the floor with your back against a pillow and face him towards you on your lap with his head on your knees. If he doesn't want the bottle, then calmly keep trying. If he still doesn't want it, then maybe take a break and play or walk around for 15 minutes and then go back to it again. Don't let that go on for too long, because he does have to eat, but it's one way to give it a whirl without giving in too quickly.

Good luck!

Hi Y.,

It's so frustrating isn't it?! My son would regularly go through bottle strike and around 3 months they start to form serious preferences. Sounds like we know your little man's preference. :)

During our bottle strikes I would always try other bottles, different holds, different people feeding him etc. But in the end, it always just seems to be persistance that finally won over. Always a Born Free Bottle with expressed breast milk slightly warmer than I would expect (kind of makes sense because I run warm) and only from me when we were home. Yup, he'll take a bottle from me but not from dad or grandma. To this day, at his infant center, he takes in only enough to get by - and eagerly awaits then end of the day when he can get it straight from the tap.

Good luck, you'll get through this!

My best,
T.

p.s.
I think the back arching is just his way of throwing a mini temper tantrum - "I don't want that stupid bottle!!". My son does it whenever he's clearing not happy with a situation...good ole Mr. Archy. :)

Yes, have others give it to him, not you. I think since he got used to it back then, he won't have a problem if you don't give it to him regularly. I'm thinking you don't have to worry about keeping him on track. We did not give our son a bottle every day, except at first til he was used to it, and he was fine. He had a bottle with dad or whoever else, and breast with me. Easy!

Clearly he wants you to quit your job and stay home and breastfeed full time :) Stick to the bottle that worked before and consistently keep trying. YOU can't bottle feed him either, thats not what he wants from you. Grandparents and hubby until he gets used to it again. This worked with my 1st. My 2nd took 1 bottle his whole life, then absolutely refused. I work from home and stay with both kids so I was able to comply. He's 15 months now and went straight to a sippy cup from the breast.

First of all, your son will learn what you teach him. Don't forget, you are the Momma. So here goes. Express your breast milk and put in in a bottle and that will make the transition much easier. Trust me.

Also, if he gets hungry enough, he will take formula or breast milk in a bottle. He will not starve but remember - you have to be consistent. It doesn't mean to stop nursing unless you are going back to work but even then, you can still pump and give him breast milk in a bottle. Maybe that is your best bet now so you get a break and know he is being fed well.

Good Luck and Blessings,
+B+

Check the nipple size. A lot of times when babies do that it is time to go to the next size nipple. That is what happened to my son and now my daughter. They are not getting the food fast enough and have to work too hard to get it causing frustration and gas. good luck

I think you just need to keep going, with the help of others when it gets to frustrating...it's probably because he knows you are the one with the boobs...take a big breath and remember that you may be "transferring" your apprehension to him as you begin to try again each time to give him the bottle. It's not easy but motherhood SURE is worth it, isn't it? :) J.

Well I don't know if you are familiar with the baby bottle by NUK?? They sell them at Target and at Babies R Us. It worked really well with my daughter. Hope it works well with yours!! Good Luck!!

A pediatric nurse I know recommended this approach: place your sweet boy in a carseat or bouncy chair when he's really hungry, sit behind him, and reach around to give him the bottle. He won't see or smell you so he should take it that way. It sounds a little "sterile", but I've heard it works every time!!! Good luck!
K. in EC

I know this sounds lame, but ask your pediatrician or lactation consultant. That's what they are there for. If your insurance happens to be Kaiser, they have excellent lactation consultants (Teri and Julian at the Terra Linda facility) that you can go see in person or speak with on the phone (they call back quickly)- in person appointments and the telephone are free with them. San Francisco Kaiser also has a hotline you can call. If Kaiser is not your insurance, I'd call your child's doctor as they know the child. I agree with the persistence thing and having someone else besides you feed the baby - even get out of the room. Best of luck and keep with it!!

I found that with my son - he would take a bottle as long as it wasn't from me - and I wasn't hanging out right there. I think that when you are there, they want to breast feed. It is a bonding thing. I would only give him bottles if someone else is feeding him. My son would only take the playtex bottles. Hope that helps!

I know of a few babies who have done this in the past, and my sons both did it for a short while, too. I have 2 suggestions:

The first is to try the bottle that is close to a breast (shape) - the Adiri. Although I never used it, I have heard that it works for some.

What worked for me was to be out of the room (or even the house) when the babies were given their bottles. I made sure that they got them before they were actually hungry, so they were less fussy.

Good luck!

Hi,
My first baby did the same thing. It was so hard. My husband had to give her the bottle because it was never going to work with me. Someone had a great idea for us that worked. They used to sell nipples or bottles that had bigger holes, they were called toddler nipples. I don't know if they sell them anymore but you can make your own. We did because they were hard to find. The hole in the nipple is a small cross so the the milk come out easier. We started by dripping the milk into her mouth. She would do a bit of that as long as the nipple did not touch her mouth and for there she would take the bottle with the + hole.

Good luck!!!

Try different nipples on the bottles, many babies have a preference. Also, have someone else give him the bottle when you are not around might make it easier.

M.

I had a similar problem with my daughter. One thing that helped is to make sure the milk is warm because that's how he's used to taking it. You might also want to try giving him fresher milk - so what you pumped the previous day and stored in the refrigerator.

Then the other thing that helped a lot is to make the bottle a friend. I would come up with the silliest songs about the bottle, the milk that's in the bottle, etc.

You might be thinking that your son is going hungry, but he's old enough that he can probably go stretches without eating (he'll compensate for it when you feed him). My niece used to go the entire day without drinking milk while her mom was at work.

Good luck and keep trying

Good advice from all. Here's one more thing to try. My friend found out her breastmilk contains an enzyme, Lipase, that makes expressed breast milk taste bad. That's why her little one was refusing it. All she had to do was start scalding the milk and it kills it. She said you could tell it was the problem because the milk would smell and taste unpleasant shortly after pumping. You might want to give yours a sniff ;) Our childbirth educator and doula is the one who told her what was going wrong. Good luck. Google "breastmilk bad taste" for more info.

Andrea has good advice. i completely agree with her. It probably the formula or the bottle. I know it sucks but keep trying different bottles. James would not take a bottle at all until he was 6 months old. Which sucked for me becuase i always had to feed him. but eventually after trial and error he took Dr browns bottles. Know he won't nurse at all and well only take bottles. LOL

The different postion is how we finally got him to take the bottle. Sitting on floor with him wachting tv. ( i know no tv befor they are 3 or something but it worked) Something about the tv relaxed him and he would just start to suck. Well he take a pacifer? If he well have him sit with you on the floor give him the pacifier and when he is good and sucking swicht them out as fast as you can. He might just start to suck out of habit.

Good Luck
A.

It sounds like he may be teething? My daughter would have a bottle strike when teething, just be persistent and eventually he'll eat. Like others mentioned, he won't starve himself. Your breast is softer on his gums, so that is why he will still breastfeed.
Like the other suggestions in previous posts, make sure someone else is giving him the bottle, and that he doesn't have acid reflux. Other than that, just keep up the good work!!
A.

I would try and offer it maybe 20-30 before his regular feeding this way he won't be so hungry that you are having to fight with him. Having someone other than yourself feed him the bottle is a good suggestion because he can smell your milk. If your home you might as well nurse him. You have to sit and feed might as well be easier. This way your milk won't slow down and it will coming from experience. I nursed all 4 babies until 1 year exclusive unless I was at work which was every other weekend. I think you should keep trying to get him used to one, but don't stop during the day.

good luck trish

I've brought the Breastflow bottle at Babies are us. It designed more like the breast with a inner part for let down. My baby gaged on bottles and this one has a smaller nipple. Hope this helps.

Try a nipple that is almost the same as the breast, I used to use the nuk nipple for my kids they loved it..best of luck...

Hi,
My baby also started refusing the bottle after she had taken it so well before. I was going nuts just trying to figure out what to do. Here are some suggestions that I read in a book:
1) Make sure someone other than mommy offers the bottle (mommy should be far away)
2) The person should try offering the bottle while walking with your baby as the baby is held facing foward. (I think this offers some distraction)

Something else I did is to start offering fresh breastmilk (not previously frozen) so that the baby would be more likely to start taking it (better tasting). Try not to wait until your baby is starving and crying. Try to do it while he might be a bit hungry but still in a good mood. After your baby has accepted fresh breastmilk in a bottle, go back to offering frozen breastmilk or formula. Once your baby is closer to 6 months you MIGHT be able to offer a sippy cup (my girl likes the sippy much better than the bottle and she started using the sippy cup at 5 months).

Best of luck to you!

have someone else give him the bottle. he won't take it from you cause he is smarter than that and knows he can get the breast from you.

I also have a 3 month old that is trying to boycott the bottle and a 2 year old that did the same thing; 2 things I had to remember:
1: They will not starve themselves
2: Eventually the test of wills will end and they will take the bottle because they are so hungry!
Just keep trying and it will happen. But when you give in and nurse, they know all they have to do is keep fussing. I'm guilty of it still.
What works with my 3 month old is what I call "sleep feeding". I swaddle him tight and he drifts off to sleep; after about 30 minutes, I'll touch the bottle to his lips and tap, and he'll open his mouth; I'll put the bottle in, and his natural instict is to suck; and he'll take the entire bottle. Works every time! We use Avent and Playtex drop ins.
Also, you may want to make sure the nipple you are using isn't too slow or too fast. My 3 month old uses a #2 Avent nipple...
I hope this helps! Good luck!

Make sure that the milk in the bottle is about body temp and not too hot and not too cold. Also, make sure the hole is comfortable for the baby - not too small and not too large - and keep trying. The same thing happened to me for a while after I went back to work. Eventually it worked and I continued to breastfeed for nine months, while working 8 hours a day. half of the day my son would get a bottle with formula, and the other half I would nurse. Don't give up:)

My youngest didn't take the bottle until we gave him nutrugina(spelling wrong) but it is the real expensive formula for $22 a can instead of $7. Before this we tried everything from different brands to soy ect.