6 Month Old Won't Take the Bottle...

We tried at 6 months using a little bit of diluted apple juice (about an ounce) then switched to milk once my daughter was used to the motions if the bottle. Took a couple days but it worked! Offer the diluted juice when she's not hungry so she doesn't immediately associate it with breast milk to begin with.

My daughter wouldn't take the bottle either. She would cry for the entire time we tried giving it to her. However, when we switched to latex nipples she didn't mind as much, and now she takes the bottle with no problem at all.
I also realized that I could try to give her the bottle, and I didn't need to be out of the room when her father tried to feed her (she had the same reaction whether I was there or not). If your husband is too tired/stressed to give her the bottle then you should go ahead and try.
I also noticed that she took the bottle with less resistance in the morning than in the afternoon, so you can try different times of the day.
When she finally went to day care she had a couple days where she went on a hunger strike (she eventually ate, but gave them a very hard time), but the day care providers were very patient and they had their own tricks to help her accept the bottle. She's been in day care for 1.5 months and there have been no more problems.
Make sure you talk to her day care provider before you go back to work so they know what to expect. They may also have some tips for you.
But definitely try the latex nipples (they are softer and feel more like a real nipple I think)!
good luck!

Both my daughters had this same issue. Both were breastfed exclusively for the first 3 months. I've tried giving the bottle before I had to go back to work but ended up giving up most of the time. I had a eureka moment when one day before giving my daughter the bottle, I started to sing to her, as she was focused on my voice and watching my lips, I slowly slipped the bottle in and she was actually sucking away. She probably didnt know it herself, she was so distracted and focused on my singing softly to her. That worked like a miracle for about 2-3 feedings.

I really dont think the babies will starve themselves. They will eat no matter what if they are hungry enough. They both eventually went to daycare and was hooked on the bottle because that was all they were getting from 8-5. They both turned out to be very chubby infants too. It will work out one way or another for you I'm sure.

funny how each kid is completely different, eh?

can you find a neighbor or friend who can do the bottle during the day if your husband cannot do it? i think upping the consistency will help. also, you should be out of the house.

my brother essentially didn't eat at all when he went to the sitter's and my mother was at work. she said he'd do a total of a few ounces and just wait and wait and wait until my mother came and then he'd chow down. i dunno, some kids must be like that.

if she were a little older, i'd suggest skipping the bottle and trying to see if she'd take a sippy cup like a born free or nuby.

are you warming it up enough? my daughter refuses a bottle unless it's warmed *just so*. she doesn't even like thawed milk, so i have hundreds of ounces to try to donate.

try turning the vacuum on to bottle feed her. She might be a bit old for that but that's the only way that we managed to get my daughter (then 2 mos) to take the bottle before I went back to work. She eventually took the bottle without fuss after a week or so but the instant that she heard the vacuum, she would stop crying and take the bottle.

save yourself a lot of stress and move her straight to a straw if possible (depends on how advanced she is). . i assume you will continue to pump during day and nurse at night? so she can get her sucking then. The time goes by so fast. I wish I hadn't of spent so much time trying to figure out how to force the bottle on my daughter (similar situation to yours), once we sent her to daycare with a straw for her bottles, both she and the daycare ladies did much better. She actually drank quite a bit versus when they would try to give her the bottles. . .. good luck. I know how frustrating it is. There are tons of other tricks that you can try, i think I posted them awhile back, but honestly, the best thing for me was to give up and realize she needed nutrition from them and nursing/comfort from me. She is still awful young, and remember the daycare usually has tricks that work especially if you aren't there, so give it some time, but don't stress too much if you have to go to a straw. :) Some other ideas from my old post. . .

"I feel for you. I went through the same thing , 2 weeks before day care. Ugh. Make sure there is no smell on the nipples. Seriously, I couldn't figure out why my baby was all of a sudden rejecting bottles that she used to take no problem. I was trying to figure out "What changed?!?". Then I realized I switched dishwashing detergent. I went to smell the nipples and yep, totally lemony fresh due to Cascade gel packs. The cascade detergent had leached into the silicone nipples! I was using Electrosol before. I tried to handwash them, boil them- nothing got the smell out. So I threw them away, bought new nipples, and then she started taking them again. Now I ONLY handwash all supplies. This might not be your problem, but just a reminder to definitely look at anything that might have changed. I was practically forcing her to take the bottle and thinking if she got hungry enough she would eventually eat. Now I feel awful because she was refusing because of the nipple. . . glad I figured it out though.
Other things that kind of helped us while we were figuring it out
-set baby in boppy pillow or bouncer
- sit behind baby and only put arm in front of baby with bottle so he can't see you
- distract baby with tv (i know. . .but it did work sometimes)
-put bottle nipple next to baby's cheek while breastfeeding, when they take a small break or when you can quickly delatch them, do the switcheroo and stick the bottle nipple in fast. Sometimes they will be so in to eating they won't notice the swap until they are already sucking on the bottle- this helps them get used to the feel and understand that milk also comes out of this weird contraption.
-warm the nipple of the bottle by putting finger over bottle and holding upside down in the warm water for a few seconds
-put the nipples in your bra for a few minutes (before attaching to bottle) to make them smell like you
-check to make sure your milk tastes ok, perhaps you have higher levels of lipase and its effecting some batches of milk (soapy or metallic taste)- my milk only tastes good for the first 2 days. My baby was much more likely to drink if the milk was fresh. Once they get used to the bottle then you can try older milk (my daughter now doesn't care if it is a few days old).
-take baby outside to eat
-let baby play with bottle by himself, they are starting to use their hands at this point and sometimes just want to play with it before helping to put it in their mouth

If she wont take the bottle why not try a sippy cup. My son was about 7 months old when he refused to take the bottle. He was starting to lose weight from not getting nutrition. The pediatrician told us just to give him his formula in a cup. He took to that so much better. Plus I have heard horror stories of moms who cant get the bottle away from their kids so this was really a blessing.

hi A.,
I had the same situation with my son, only he was around 4 months...but we used the Breastflow bottle by First Years and it was the only kind he would take from my husband. I think it's suppose to be most like a natural breast for the baby. I know it's frustrating...but hopefully this will help!