Thread: Help with bottle!

Hi ladies,

My problem is similar to Krista's except Luke is coming up on 4 months. He will not take a bottle and thinks its a joke. He doesn't latch on to the nipple, he just rolls it around and laughs. He's never taken a pacifier either. I've tried 3 different bottles and all the same reaction. He is starting daycare next week (only for 4 hours a week) and thy said I came come in to feed him then leave but that is a total PITA! DH gets frustrated cause he wants to feed him but he is just refusing to take it.

What can I do? I think he's a little young for sippy cups and straws.


Please help!

Yeah. So, some kids just won't ever take a bottle. He might just surprise you and decide he wants to at daycare or he might not. Either way, don't worry too much. At 4 months old, he'll be FINE to go 4 hours. Mine went 6 hours at 3 months because she completely refused bottles. She made up for it after school and continued to gain enormous amounts of weight. It was freaking stressful because I was so worried about her and I had no one to tell me it was fine. Trust me, he'll be completely fine. Continue trying and it'll work out how it works out.

I agree with the PP. My first two never took a bottle either. I worked from home but couldn't just nurse when they wanted me too. The did make up for it outside of work hours (like all night). It will be an adjustment, but you'll do fine.

Thanks ladies. Part of me thinks if he's really hungry he'll take it, if not he'll wait. I just don't want him screaming the place down cause he doesnt have a boob!

You might be really surprised. I was. Leading up to my going back to work, we did a few test runs in which DH would stay home with her and try to get her to take the bottle. She screamed bloody murder. I was terrified of leaving her at daycare. But she never even fussed. I was shocked. I didn't believe them. I thought she must be crying all day. But, no! I was friends with a few of her classmate's parents and they always said DD was happy as a clam when they dropped off/picked up their kids. Daycare does weird things to kids. At home, DD expected boobs but daycare was different.

If he's still not taking a bottle by next week, don't go crazy pumping while he's at school. Otherwise, you'll have less to give to him when he's ravenously pawing at you. Just pump enough to give to the DCP to *try* with. An ounce could be enough.r

Well he spent the afternoon with his grandparents and screamed for over an hour when they tried the bottle. Sigh...

If he doesn't take it, I'm not stressing about it. I don't go back to work until end of January and I'm sure by then he will either be on a sippy cup or we've worked out something else. The day care is only 5 minutes from the house so worst case scenerio I pick him up. I do think he will be different in daycare though, his sister was!

Thank you ladies for your wisdom, I really do appreciate it!

Not till January! You're good then! I had gone home for a couple of weeks around that age and had to leave my son with grandparents a few times. Even with people he didnt know (we live far from them) in a house he didn't know he did great! He took just enough milk for them to not panic out of a sippy (like an ounce lol) and I left foods that he liked in the forms he ate them in (we did BLWing and most people mean well but cut the food too small for my son's liking) and did just fine for up to 6-7 hours. He just nursed for like 45 minutes when I returned. lol My son didn't have a chance to warm up to the idea of mommy not being around (we didn't and still don't have babysitters). I'm sure Luke will be fine too. Always harder on us mamas!

My daughter was like this, wouldn't take a bottle at all. She was 12 weeks when I had to go back to work and she was at daycare for around 10 hours. It was really awful. She did learn to take 1-2 ounces from a bottle but didn't start taking more until we switched to a preemie nipple. She never liked bottles, but ate enough to get by and then nursed like crazy when we were home.

it will work out, babies are more resilient than we give them credit for!