Posted by
Z
17 yrs ago
Age of the baby is an important factor -- we didn't even try to introduce a bottle to our eldest until she was about 4mo, and she never ever took to one. We just moved on to a cup with a straw when she was about 6mo...
Please support our advertisers:
Rubber is the texture that is closer to skin, so a baby who doesnt want to go off the breast will find that easier. Avent doesn't do rubber, so try something else.
Try feeding expressed milk heated at body temperature so the flavour and temperature is what she is used to.
Get somebody else to feed her. If you're in the room, even hiding out of her sight, she can SMELL you. And if she's old enough to know you're in the next room, she'll know your boobs are at hand, so why have this horrible plastic thing instead of warm cosy mummy?
I had the same problem with my second child, never introduced the bottle so was tough, so I introduced a formula bottle-a-day to my third from the first week of his life so I wouldn't have this problem.
Eventually, I left my second a whole morning with the nanny she knew and had been caring for her from birth.
The nanny explained baby had cried and fussed for a while, but eventually gave in to hunger, she found that she was happier if not held by nanny (again a matter of scent here, I think - my clothes smelt of me and my milk). She put her in her rocker and fed her while talking to her and smiling and singing lullabies. She finally drank my milk in a bottle, then gradually I "moved" back into the house at those feeding times and managed to feed her myself (epxressed milk, then formula). She was weaned within a month.
Hope this helps!
Please support our advertisers:
wow, this is exactly the problem i have right now with my 5 month old. so glad i came to the advice forum.
he used to take an occasional bottle with expressed milk, but now, he doesn't want want to take it at all. i guess perhaps we didn't give him the bottle frequently enough.
what does it mean when a baby used to take the bottle, but now refuses it? i want to switch him to formula when he starts solids at 6 months, and i am worried that i wont' be able to wean him...
oh, i have a question for Z (hope u're coming back to read this thread)
when u moved ur 6 month old to the cup, did u get him/her to take all the milk from the cup, or did you also give him the breast at the same time? is it possible to get the baby to move to the cup completely?
Please support our advertisers:
lmcf
17 yrs ago
Besides all the good advise above, you may want to try the BreastFlow nipples. I think they may work with the Avent bottles, but if not, you can just buy one bottle for trial. The BreastFlow nipple is a unique design, that is supposed to be closest to the actual breast. I think the system is newer to HK, but has been sold for years in Europe/ USA.
Please support our advertisers:
lmcf,
interesting u mention BreastFlow. i happened to come across the product a few weeks ago, and seduced by what it said on the packaging, i bought one. but my baby must be a persistent baby.. he doesn't take this one either... :(
Please support our advertisers:
smsm
17 yrs ago
Hi...i started with avent at 4 weeks which bubs took happily and then stopped at 8 weeks...then switched to pigeon which was def softer nipples...bubs started again...again some trouble at 3 weeks....but went back to the bottle....and after I was confident that its for real switched back to avent nipple and bfree bottles...
u have to keep trying....thats the only way....diff times....real hungry times...middle of night...outside while travelling...u never know what clicks..
Please support our advertisers:
Z
17 yrs ago
Hi frenchfries -- we only gave water to our daughter at 6mo from a straw cup. She did not care for formula and I never had any luck expressing breastmilk. [She also didn't care for plain milk either, so breastfed until ~14-15 mo]. That being said, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be possible to make the switch completely. She had no problem with a straw cup -- I just stuck the end of the straw in her mouth and she started drinking right away, but my father's advice was to start with something especially tasty and thick and put a finger on one end of the straw while the baby is sucking from the other end. He said that they started me at about 6mo from a McDonald's milkshake...
Please support our advertisers:
Baby is very sensitive with what they put into their mouth. If you are breastfeeding your baby, they get used to the feeling and the softness of your breast, that is why some babies cannot take bottle. I had this problem before.
Try a bottle called Adiri, it imitates the shape and softness of human breast. That stops the baby's nipple confusion, so it helps those who do both breast feed and bottle. It is award winning bottle in US. I used this and my baby loves it and solved the problem.
Please support our advertisers:
I got this bottle in US, but I know that the shop - Mother Organic in Central is selling these bottles. You can try and have a look (www.mother-organic.com)
Hope this can help you.
Please support our advertisers:
Hi, I use Sassy Mam nipples with Born Free bottles. I too had difficulty introducing the bottle but then noticed that my baby loves his Sassy Mam pacifier. So I wondered if Sassy also made nipples. Sure enough, they made nipples that are similar to the pacifier nipple. So I tried the Sassy Mam nipple and my baby loves it. You can find it at Bumps to Babes.
Please support our advertisers:
Hi, Z
Thanks for your reply. Always good to know about first hand experiences.
I am trying a spill-proof sippy cup by Playtex, which my baby just rolls around in his mouth. He tried sucking a couple of times, but I think the the content is just too hard to get at. I am also trying a covered cup with a spout with 3 holes in it, which I tilt the liquid into his mouth. He swallows most of what goes in his mouth, but I can't imagine giving him a whole 5-6 oz as it feels like it might take hours! Today, I also bought an Avent sippy cup with a softer spout. I will give it a go tomorrow.
I guess with these things, it takes time. But the good news for me tonight is that my baby didn't have to be rocked to sleep! This is because thankfully, he took the pacifier tonight! He never used to take the pacifier, but for some strange reason, he started sucking until he fell asleep. I know this method is not ideal, but it is definately a big break for us.. Our arms were getting tired!
The pacifier he took is Nuk. Perhaps he will take Nuk bottle? I shall give it a try as well.
Please support our advertisers:
Z
17 yrs ago
Anytime, ff. And btw, it is time to act fast to get your kid to learn to fall asleep on his own -- most kids have a window that closes at about 6 months old [from about 3-6 months] where it is relatively easy to teach them to fall asleep on their own without having to resort to either cry it out or long rocking periods.
Please support our advertisers:
I am glad that I started trying to let our 5 month old fall asleep without rocking. During this transitional time, I have to be right next to him for him to fall asleep, with some patting and some singing, but at least it is a big improvement from rocking/holding!
After that one night when he sucked on the pacifier to sleep, I tried to give it to him whenever I could during the day and night, but he still doesn't take it happily. If he is already fussing, pushing a pacifier in his mouth upsets him even more! But when he is nice and relaxed and ready to sleep, he might roll it around in his mouth or give it a few sucks and fall asleep.
Also, he would wake twice a night to feed and/or to be held, but last night, he slept through from 9pm to 6am (his last feed at 7:30pm)! I know that it would be unreasonable to expect him to do this every night, but I am hoping there will be more of these nights!
Now that we have the sleeping thing almost figured out, we really need to work on him taking the bottle/cup with formula. As much as we try, we don't seem to get anywhere. I tried leaving him with my husband for a few hours around a feeding time, but he would cry and fuss the whole time. He even prefers to nap than to take the bottle. I don't really understand how he can nap hungry. And when he woke, I would give in and come home to feed him.
Perhaps, I need to resort to what I heard some mothers do at the time of weaning; leave the baby for 3 days with the husband or grandma. It sounds like something a very desperate mother would do, and in a few months, I might get there...
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail