Seeking Any Help or Good Ideas on Bottle Feedinf

If you are using formula, try Similac. It is sweeter, more like breastmilk. Try different kins of nipples. My son refused to take any kind of silicone nipple for a long time. Ihad to get rubber nipples and they are not common any longer, not the easiest to find. Good Luck

Are you feeding her breast milk from a bottle or formula from a bottle? With my son (who is now 18 mos), I pumped for a while and put it in a bottle and then slowly transitioned to formula (she'll be less apt to get constipated if you go gradual as well).

I found Advent nipples and bottles worked the best.

Good luck and hang in there.

try putting a little sugar water on the nipple...either watered down caro syrup or even some soda pop - it's just to get them to take it into their mouth and get used to the idea. Also, try having someone else give your baby the bottle and keep yourself out of sniffing distance...they really do know whenyoua re nearby and will refuse the bottle if they know the original fount is around the corner. Good luck.

My daugter was the same way when I went back to work we tried almost every type of bottle there was. Finally she took the playtex nurser. The transition from breast milk to formula was a little rough to so what I did was I mixed half breastmilk and half formula and gradually weaned the breastmilk as she got older. But in the beginning I couldn't be the one to give her the bottle. I couldn't even be in the room with her when someone else was feeding her because she could sense that I was around and wouldn't take the bottle she only wanted me. It took a couple of weeks but she got used to it eventually. There was times when I would have to prop the bottle (even thought they tell you not to) but that was the only way she would take it for me.

Hi,
My name is A. and I have been a postpartum doula for 12 years and I read your email and thought I my send along some advice.
If you are the one trying to bottle feed and your daughter is not taking to the bottle it may be because she still smells your milk and remembers that she enjoys your breast better. Any chance someone else can take over the feedings for awhile?
Also, are you pumping and feeding her breast milk from the bottle or are you going over to formula?
And remember that your daughter reacts to your stress of switching her over to the bottle so it is really important to remain as calm as you can during this change. I am sure you are feeling many pangs of guilt on returning to work and you are probably also feeling guilty that you have to switch her because of the return to work. Let all of that go! You are not harming her by working, you are giving her better care when you are home because you will treasure those hours even more.
Lots of us were bottle fed and we all survived, she will too.
Just stay the course and when she is good and hungry she will get the hang of the bottle and realize it is easier than the breast. Hope that helps.
a

Make sure that you are not around when someone else is feeding her with the bottle

Also, try avent bottles and nipples. My son wouldn't take anything else.

All of my kids refused any type of bottle or pacifier. I began them all on a cup at 5 months. They liked that. I would often use the top of a bottle or a shot glass (because they are small) to start the teaching process. It only took a couple of times to get them to use the cup. And try having someone other then you start this process and you should be out of the house so she can not smell you.

Best of Mothering-
M. - Mother of 4

Have you tried different nipple types. Sometimes a certain bottle nipple will seem close to breastfeeding for a baby and they will transition easier Good luck

She knows it is you-- try having your husband give her the bottle. She may take it from the staff at the daycare and others, but not take a bottle from you.

If she doesn't like the formula try mixing it with breast milk and slowly decreasing the amount of break milk you add until it is all formula.

Here is a few tips...

DO NOT feed her a bottle yourself if at all possible. She doesn't want a bottle from you, she wants you sort-a-speak, so try to have someone else feed her a bottle. After she starts taking a bottle from others she will learn to take it from you. If you are raising your daughter on your own and won't have any help w/ this then don't worry it's not the end of the world but it does help!

Next, whoever is feeding her a bottle should really cuddle her a lot. I find that when I am feeding a child that is still breastfeeding or is slowly switching over it is best to cuddle them a lot. I also find that if I have them partially turned towards me (almost on their side but not quiet)and then stick the bottle in their mouth they tend to drink better.

Next, it could be the nipple on the bottle or the type of bottle that you are using. Some kids are very fussy with which bottle they will drink from.... so try different ones.

Finally, as a last resort you could try putting a small amount of sugar water on the nipple. Something about this trick really works. I know it sounds weird and unhealthy but just use a small amount of suger mixed w/ water. Simply dip the nipple into the mixture and then put it on the bottle and try it. I personally have never tried this because the first three seemed to work well for me but I know that this trick works for many others!

Hope that helps!

try to maintian skin to skin contact with the baby if you are the one giving her the bottle.

Its tough to get a breast fed baby to take a bottle. try a bunch of different nipples. We had to try three or four before my daughter would take one. Try to give it to her before shes too hungry and fill the nipple half way so its easier to suck. if she gets too upset, try again later. also, babies can drink from little dixie cups. put it just under her mouth and let her kind of use her tongue to get the milk. also, if your pumping its easier because she knows the smell and the taste, if you switched to formula it could take a little longer. good luck!

If you get the platex bottles, the ones with the bags to them....They are alot like your breast and they don't hold air because once you have the top on you squeeze all the air out before giving it to the baby. It may take a little time but if you keep working with it she may just be a champ. I had to do that with my third child. It was hard at first but then you can breast feed while your at home and pump the milk into those bottles so she still gets your milk but is feeding from the bottle too.

I still breast feed, but every now and than my husband bottle feeds her. She will not take a bottle, but he found a way to trick her. If something bright and ever changing is on the tv, she will watch it and take the bottle. It works for most of the bottle until she notices its not a breast and flips out again!

Have you tried different shapes of bottle nipples? I know that my son shunned all but the nuk ones. Also, do you have breast milk in the bottles? If you don't this would help, and finally, make sure that you are not the one offering her the bottle. She will not want to take a bottle when the real thing is right there. What worked for us, was I would have to actually leave the room and husband or sister would offer my son the bottle. After a while he realized that all they could offer him was the bottle. Good luck, just keep trying one or two feeding a day. I hope this helps.

When I went back to work I expressed breastmilk. It was worth the trouble, but I had a problem with bottle too. My daughter took to Avent nipples very easily. I just couldn't give her the bottle ever. Your daughter knows your smell and associates that with breastfeeding, someone else will have to help to get her to taking a bottle. HTH