Trying to Get My 8 Mo Old to Feed from a Bottle

Perhaps move directly to a sippy cup -- there are various types and see if he'll drinnk from one. That'll be one less tranisition to make later.

Try a sippy cup. My youngest boy was similar, he took bottles in the NICU and we tried to continue that once a week after he came home, but he would have nothing of it. We introduced the sippy cup at 6 mos and within a short time he was able to have his mommy milk or juice from a cup while I was gone. Dh still had to hold him and tip the cup for him but it worked!! Best of luck!

A.

Maybe since he is 8 months already rather than frustrate yourself and him with the bottle only you can see if maybe he would like his luch from a sippy cup? Good luck.

S.

This happened to me and the only bottle nipple both of my babies would take (we tried almost every kind on the market) was the latex nuk standard sized nipple. You can use it on any standard sized bottle. I think the latex made a difference because it's softer than the silicone and the shape of the nuk is supposed to be like the breast while the baby is latched on. After a while, we switched to the silicone nuk for our son because that's what we could find in the store and he never noticed. Once we got the nuk, they both took it with no problem, no fussing.... even if I fed them, like they had been taking a bottle forever. There was one good side to this. Because we introduced the bottle so late, they never really got dependent on it and we had no problem weaning them at 12m.
At 8m, I would certainly try to give a bottle, but if it goes on for too long and doesn't work, then I'd offer a sippy cup. Have you introduced one yet? He's old enought o drink from one, so I'd try that.
Good luck. I know how frustrating this is. I did it twice. I was so concerned about breastfeeding that I was afraid to introduce a bottle too early and then I waited to long and they wouldn't take it....until we tried nuk.

I had great success with the breastflow bottles. They are a pain, because of all the parts, but totally worth it! (They are the most similar to nursing, in my opinion.) I would wait until he's really hungry, then have daddy or grandma give him a bottle of breast milk in another room. And don't go in the room with them for any reason! He may fight it at first, but he'll work it out. The key is to stay consistent on this, and keep trying!

After he's taken it once, give him lots of praise. Then give him at least one bottle every day!

I know how you feel! I went through the same thing. I hardly ever gave my daughter a bottle and around 8 or 9 months when I tried she screamed, it was terrible. After trying a dozen different bottle/nipples I finally started giving her formula and she took that almost no problem. So when I went out or needed a break Enfamil it was. She had no trouble after that transitioning back & forth. She fussed when I gave her the bottle of formula but when my husband or someone else gave it to her it was no problem. I read somewhere that you should leave the room/house and let someone else do it so he doesn't smell you and so you dont have the urge to just take over. It will work out, just keep trying.
Good Luck
E.

Hi! I'm currently having the same issue with my 3 month old. We had to give him a bottle (expressed milk) when he was less than 2 weeks old and he was eager to accept it, but once he got the hang of breastfeeding I didn't want to continue with the bottle. I had planned on giving him one at least once a week after his 6 week point, but that didn't happen. Now he's refusing.
A friend of mine had trouble with her first daughter, and she ended up getting the Adiri natural nurser bottles. After a few good attempts by the baby's grandmothers, she started to take it. If my son continues this, I'm probably going to get those bottles. Worth a shot!

Hey M.,

I have had this problem happen many times at my daycare center. We have had babies come in who have never had bottles and refused to eat all day. I know how you feel it is so heartbreaking to see a hungry baby refuse to eat. What we suggest is to make the first feeding of the morning be given by dad by bottle when they are really hungry. Some of the mom's have had success with premie nipples as well. The biggest problem I see is the nipples are so big they gag. I think you just can't give up keep trying. Be consistend everyday and try when you know they are most hungry. Maybe if you can devote the weekend when your hubby is around or someone other then you. Eventually it will click it has with us after a few days. You can also skip the bottle and go straight to a sippy cup this way you never have to take the bottle away. Good luck!!!

First, I'd suggest that if you're offering the bottle, change that and have someone else - dad, grandparent, sitter - introduce the bottle. Leave the house - don't be where your baby can see, hear or smell you, or where you're tempted to peek into the room to see how it is going. Just leave. When dad or caregiver offers the bottle, have them make sure that not only is the milk inside warmed, but that the nipple is warmed too and that the nipple is smeared with a little of your milk so that your baby knows right away that what he's getting is what he usually eats.
Also keep in mind that if you're just looking to skip one feeding, he is getting to the stage where a meal of solids could hold him for a few hours - around 9 months, you may find that you can do this. Good luck.

I had the same thing with my son. I tried Every nipple out there and he would not take it. He went right to a sippy cup and had no issues. I hope that helps. :)

My daughter is 7mos old and absolutely refuses both the bottle and sippy cup. We tried everything--all types of nipples and sippy cups. I think that she is going to go straight to drinking out of a cup once she can hold it on her own.

It has been very hard on me since I am the director of a non-profit and can't ever be away from my baby for more than 6-7 hours. She goes to daycare 2x/week (I take her to work or work from home on other days--NOT easy but it works). When she is at daycare I pump. The sitter gives my daughter baby oatmeal with breast milk (instead of water) for lunch in addition to a veggie. That seems to be enough for her. She is hungry by the time I get home but she does not get overly upset. I can't tell you how stressed out I was during the first couple weeks of daycare. Once I realized that 1) my daughter was not screaming and upset all day and 2) she seems to be healthy and happy-- I finally was able to relax a little. I still give my daughter a sippy cup at lunch and dinner hoping that she might go for it but I'm not stressing out over it.

This is far from the ideal situation but every baby is different so don't worry about conforming to what a book says about the amount of breast milk to feed, amount of solids, etc. Your son will let you know what he is ready for. As long as he is healthy and gaining weight he will be ok. You might want to try leaving him with a trusted sitter for half a day and see how he does just eating solids for lunch. Take it slow depending on how you and your little one respond to increasing amounts of time spent apart. That's how I did it and it did reduce the stress level a little bit. Good luck!

HTH

S.

My daughter NEVER would take a bottle and I am a working mom with a full time job. My husband, who stayed home with her when she was an infant, had to use a flexible cup and pour the milk into her mouth little by little. That was the only thing that would work. Otherwise, it was only straight from the breast or nothing.

try playtex nurser bottles the tan nipples are almost like your breast it might help.

I had this problem at 4 months with my daughter, but when I finally did just take her to the sitter's because I was going back to work, she took a bottle fine from her. Since your little boy is 8 months, I might try going straight to a sippy cup, and like other posts have said, have someone else give it to him and you should probably completely leave the house. (or even better, have someone feed him at a different house) Definitely wait until he's hungry, but not so hungry he's ready to have a melt down, and have them give it a shot.

Good luck!

We used a regular cup with my daughter. It's a little messier than a bottle until the baby gets the hang of drinking from the cup, but they catch on pretty quickly.

My son was the same way. It seems like lots of babies really just prefer the breast and nothing else will do. I tried all kinds of bottles too to no avail. I started the sippy cup at about 8 months but since he doesn't like to drink a lot in one sitting, just a few sips, he ended up playing with the cup. Nuby makes a good one though. Now, he drinks from a cup that I help him hold. He watchs us and wants to drink like we do. Try both of these things and see how it works out. Don't regret your decision, you did the right thing. :)

What worked for me, finally, was not being anywhere near the baby at feeding time. Sometimes just your scent, voice or that unspoken connectioncan interfere. There will be some tears ( yours and his) but it seemed to work well for my neighbor as well, he just needs to be hungry enough in the right circumstances.

Good Luck!
Gerianne

My son got his first bottle at 1 month. I'm a SAHM, so he gets a total of about five bottles throughout the week. He's not crazy about it, but he eats when he's hungry. Today, he suddenly refused the bottle completely. He'll be 4 months this week so he's trying to assert his personality more and more! He just kept pushing the bottle away. My sister in law was going nuts, so she finally tried using one of her daughter's sippy cups with a soft spout. He inspected it, held on, and then drank a little. He didn't eat as much as he should, but at least he got something into his system. You can also try spoon feeding or using a dropper. I would also suggest trying these other ideas when you are available to come and feed him if needed. Basically, make sure something works before the day that you really need to get away. That way, you aren't out and worrying the whole time about whether or not he's eating.
Good luck!

Try using a sippy cup instead. I have a friend who struggled to get her daughter to take a bottle. She was so stressed and finally tried the born free sippy cup. It has a soft top so your son can chew on it and get milk until he figures out how to suck on it. Good luck!

M.,
My little guy wouldn't take it until he was over a year. Now I give him a bottle for convenience, but it is water only. I don't give cow's milk (may not for a while yet either).

Try different nipples too...

If it doesn't work: enjoy the next 4 months (or however long you plan to exclusively breastfeed). It won't come again.

Good luck,
M.