getting BF baby to take a bottle

[ktdid74]

I'm needing some advice on how to get my 4 week old to take the occassional bottle. I didn't have this problem with my first child since we had breastfeeding issues to start with and had several bottles from the get-go. My new baby has been so good at breastfeeding she never required a bottle and now won't even allow one in her mouth- same with a pacifier. Any ideas on how to get her to take one. Are any nipple brands easier- I always used Avent with my first and have tried it with DD, also bought a playtex bottle yesterday which she at least allowed in her mouth but wouldn't suck. I go back to work in 4 weeks and work nights so she'll need to take a bottle then. She gets VERY mad when we try the bottle or pacifier. Any ideas would be appreciated- Thanks!!

Katie
mom to Brendan 6/8/00
and Mackenzie 3/26/03

[cara1]

If you do a search on this, you'll find a lot of info on this. For me, I had to drop DS off at MIL every day for two hours for two weeks to get him to take a bottle. He would scream and cry, and it would take 45min-one hour to drink a single bottle. But he eventually got the hang of it. I thought folks were nuts when they said that someone other than Mom should give the bottle, and that Mom should leave the room/apt/house, but that's what we ended up doing. Eventually, the she should figure it out, when she realized that there just isn't a boob around for her... :) Regarding the pacifier, do you feel that she needs one? DS used one, but loved to suck. If she is rejecting the pacifier, perhaps she doesn't need it.

[josephsmom]

You might want to wait a little longer and try again. I remember my LC advising that 6 weeks was the best time for a variety of reasons. We made a big deal preparing for it--let DS get a little hungrier than usual, handed him over to Daddy, went to pump, gave it to him right away so it would be the usual temperature, then braced ourselves for a fight. Well, DS just drank it right down without a fuss. We used Johnson's Healthflow bottles. They worked fine. I've read in several places that silicone nipples are preferable to rubber for bf babies because they don't have a distinctive taste. Good luck!


Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[newbelly2002]

Certainly a search will bring up loads of information about tips on how to get a baby to take a bottle. In the end, I think it just takes time and patience.

As to a pacifier, DS never took one. He'll be 9 mths (goodness, really?Yikes) next week and still only uses them as toys. He likes to dump them out of a bucket, chew on the side, etc. It's a shame because he's in the midst of hard core teething right now and I'd LOVE for him to have some relief. Try buying a few different kinds and if it doens't work, I'd say don't push it. And if all else fails, you can always use them as Christmas tree decorations next year (she says after buying $30 worth of various sorts and shapes of pacifiers).

Good luck!
Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b33a3c3de467

[chrissyhowie]

Hang in there! She'll get it eventually. Allowing the Playtex nipple in her mouth is definitely at least a start. Think of it as the ultimate compliment to your boob -- nothing else compares in her opinion! ;)

As for the pacifiers, it took me a while to realize that sometimes DD would act as if she was hungry (chewing her fist, rooting) but that she really wasn't. I was quickly becoming the human pacifier! She really disliked them at first but we kept trying different brands. Don't give up completely on brands she might not like at first -- she ultimately ended up liking the first one we tried (and she rejected!) the best.

Try walking around with her with the pacifier in her mouth pressed up to your covered breast. That was how we eventually got her to take it when I knew she was only cranky and tired and not actually hungry. She loves to suck so now she likes it, but it took a while.

[bcblue]

My baby gets a bottle about once a month. (Yet, she is only 5mths) Try using the Nuk nipples/bottles, I think they are by Gerber. The way they are shaped is funky, and it makes it easier for her to suck. Good luck.