I had the hardest time getting my little girl to take the bottle. The thing that worked for me was: 1) Playtex Drop-in bottles. When she finally did take the bottle those were the only ones she'd take. Even when she got used to taking the bottle, she knew the difference! 2) Have someone else give her the bottle at least once a day around the same time. Make sure she does NOT see you, smell you, or hear you at all while thise is being done! Plus it might be easier on you not being able to hear it either, cause she may scream. It'll take a little bit; maybe even a few days, but it'll happen. Then you can go back to work with a little ease of mind. And as time goes on you'll feel better and more confident that she'll eat. You have to do it every day though. Try and do it around the time that she'll be doing it with the babysitter while you're working.
Another thing that helped was when she was being given the bottle the person that was giving it to her would make the t-t-t-t-t-t-t sound (not breathing out, but breathing in while making that sound) I don't know why but it helped.
Good luck.
You have to be consitent though.
love, Sadie
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ps. IMPORTANT!!! Make sure they hold her in an UPRIGHT, cradled position. (Like she's sitting up) If she/he is in a cradled, laying-down position, she'll think she should be getting the breast.
My baby went 14 hours without eating when trying to get her to take the bottle. I sat in my room away from her while my husband tried to get our baby to take the bottle. Her last feeding was 2am and finally took the bottle at 4pm. Of course there was a lot of crying. Just be patient, babies will not starve themselves. Since then she prefers the bottle - less effort!
Can you continue to try different nipples? What about a sippy cup?
Will he drink water or juice from a sippy cup? When my breastfed baby was 9 months she didn't like a bottle either. Also, I didn't want to give formula. She drank juice & water during the day & ate baby cereal. I have worked full-time since she was 5 months. She is 20 mts. now & still nursing. I pumped from 5 to 9 months (until she was old enough to be getting enough from solid foods to last until I got home. She still comes straight for me when I get home (often at 7 PM).
I too had that issue when my son was 5 months old and I was gearing up to go back to work. He would not take a bottle! With my mom's help, I would pump a bottle (instead of nurse him as I would usually do) and leave the house for 2-3 hours. During this time my mom would engage him in cuddle time and songs to encourage him to take the bottle. We did this 2-3 times a week until I went back to work. He finally took the botle (although my mom could tell he'd rather nurse). It may take some time, but try it. I use the Avent bottles stage 1.
Hope it helps!
Kimberley
Some babies just seem to know what is good for them! His refusal shows that he is attached to you and that is a good thing. No matter what they say, the commercial nipples can't duplicate the sucking of a human nipple. In a younger baby that often causes a lot of nipple confusion which sometimes leads to a rejection of breastfeeding because the rubber nipple is so easy to get milk from. This ease in a baby with strong sucking can actually make him feel like he's choking. Thus he is rejecting this. Many babies with nipple refusal have been successfully fed using other means. It needs to be something that will allow a slower flow. You can try a sippy cup, or even a teaspoon. With the cup, it isn't pretending to be a nipple, so he won't suck it, and you can control the flow to be very slow. With a teaspoon, he won't ever be getting too much to handle at once. Yes it is more work to feed this way, and you would need a cooperative caregiver, but if you want to continue nursing, it is worth a try! Good Luck!