2 Month Old Won't Take a Bottle

I had this problem with my son as well-- I tried, literally, every different bottle on the market, and he finally settled on Medelas- bottles and nipples- which are sort of hard to find, but he did take those. I think I tried at least 10, but he did take them, finally-- never ever from me but after about three fitful days in day care, he realized that was the only way food was coming so he settled into it okay.

Good Luck-

-SG

I've been there - my now 9 month old refused a bottle until she went back to daycare. The bottle she eventually ended up taking is the MAM bottle that one other poster mentioned. It's not at every Target - I've found it at SuperTargets and some of the new regular Targets with bigger baby sections. The nipple is super soft and flexible - my pediatrician said that if a baby is not taking the bottle the Avent bottle is the worst one to keep trying with because the nipple is so long and the not very flexible. Talk about the issue with your daycare provider and ask them what strategies they have used in the past (I'm sure you won't be the first one they've seen with this issue!). The woman who takes care of the small babies at our daycare got our daughter on the bottle within the first two days. In addition, our daugther was easily distracted with the bottle; I found that it helped to feed her in a quiet, dim room away from any action so she could get into a groove. I also found that it helped to warm the nipple by running it under hot water and then drying it off. Good luck and try not to worry . . .she WILL take the bottle eventually.

Sassy-Mam bottle worked well with my daughter & now she takes both breast & bottle. I picked it up at Target. The bottle looks funny but it worked.

You may just need to try a variety of different bottles and nipples until you find one your son will take. My daughter had the same problem and she finally took Playtex Drop Ins. It can be frustrating but remember that eventually he will catch on and take the bottle! Good Luck!

Get in touch with LLL. check out their website.

I go to a mom's support group and I've heard that a lot of mom's had this problem. The advice that they got was to try different bottles because they all have different nipples and feel different. I have heard the best bottles are Dr. Browns or Playtex VentAir

You will get lots of advice, but the best is to just relax. If you are even in the room, or even home, your son will refuse a bottle because he knows he can get it straight from the tap.

Playtex nursers with the latex naturlatch nipples worked the best with my boys. Make sure you do stick with a slow-flow nipple though, nipple confusion is common and usually means the end of nursing if you go with too fast of a nipple flow.

I just went through this, here's my suggestion...
My peditrition told me to do this - I left my baby at my moms until she took the bottle. it was really hard but it is so much better leaving her with her grandma instead of the daycare person when you know she is going to make a big fuss about the bottle. I knew my mom would have A LOT of patience and love and would keep trying and not get frusterated. It took about 6 hours. she would try for about 10 mins and then stop trying and comfort her and then she'd sleep (from crying so hard) and then they would try again and again. eventually my baby got so hungry she had to eat. After they take the bottle once, make sure they get the bottle EVERY DAY for at least one meal so when they start daycare they won't have to relearn. even now (2 weeks into daycare), after one day of not taking a bottle she will throw a little fit when she has to take it the first time of the day. the only bottle she would take (and we tried EVERY KIND) was Playtex Drop-ins Original with the slow flow latex nipple. good luck!

I lovingly called my son a "boob-aholic". He loved to breastfeed and refused the bottle at daycare. I returned to work when he was 16 weeks old, and we tried every bottle out there. This refusal charade went on for 10 L O N G months. He would only eat when he really wanted to, and then wait for me. I was always petrified that he was going to get dehydrated, malnourished or just fussy for daycare. Bottom line is that he was fine then and is 2 years old now. He is healthy as a horse. :)

Don't stress out too much over this. If he doesn't take the bottle at daycare, he will get what he needs from you at home. Babies are too smart to let themselves starve, or not eat. If he is hungry, he will eat. Try a few different bottles/nipples to see which one work best. Get your husband or provider to experiment for you (you need to be in a different room or out of the house altogether so he does not sense your presence).

Good Luck and remember it will work out!! This baby stage passes so quickly and you will miss it. Hang in there and keep us posted.

You could try a Breastbottle Nurser. It's expensive but if it keeps your baby happy during the day it might be worth it. They sell them at One Step Ahead online: http://www.onestepahead.com/product/117/686/117.html

I had the same issue with my 4 month old daughter. After 6 weeks of screaming at daycare every time a bottle was offered, we found a solution. She had to be facing out and not able to see who was giving her the bottle. If she turned around and saw the person, it was all over. The daycare providers couldn't even talk or she would figure out who was feeding her.

The upside is that she will now take any kind of bottle. (We amassed quite a collection trying to find one that would work.)

Good luck!

Hi D.! Congratulations on a healthy little boy! I also nursed my son so I understand the difficulties in switching from breast to bottle. What worked for us was changing the nipple flow. Your son might be a bit too young for this but ask your pediatrician or see what they have out there in regards to stages of nipples. When I switched the nipple to a number "2" flow, my son was happy with less work and more milk! He then did not want to nurse as much because it was more work. Good Luck!

I had the same kind of issue at first when my son was that age. What finally worked was having other people feed him when I was not around. Make sure he knows you are not near and he may take it because he is hungry. When you try to feed him a bottle he is not expecting a bottle and will not take it. But if someone else does he may. He recognized your smell and expects things to be the same. On someone else he will not smell you. See what happens. After a while you should be able to feed him with the bottle as well.

You could try things other than bottles. A small flexible cup (like a medicine cup) could work - baby will lap at it with his tongue, rather than having it poured into his mouth. I would also second the previous suggestion that you get in touch with LLL for more suggestions and support. Good luck!!

J.