Hi all,

I have a problem!!

My baby boy Dylan (13 wks) won't take a bottle. From Birth I have Breastfed and for the first 9 weeks I also expressed a small bottle for him to have at 3am every night. I decided to stop doing that. About a week ago I decided to put him on one bottle a day of SMA to top him up because he is feeding alot. But he will not take the bottle!! Is it possible for babies to forget how to take one?? He just chews the teat when I put it in is mouth. I tried it with water & also expressed milk but none of them work!!!

Can anyone offer any advice on how to make them take the bottle. I am going back to work in a few weeks and need him to go on the bottle for then.

Thanks

Claire

Hi, I breast feed my daughter for quite a while and when i tried to get her on a bottle but should would not have it. I tried all different teats but a last i found one should would have. The teats where for wide neck bottles and they were flat at the end with little lumps on the teat. These teats are said to be most like the breast. I hope this helps jenny x

Jakob wouldn't take a bottle! I breastfed for 9 weeks, then expressed milk into a bottle like you. I liked breastfeeding but he was such a big baby and it hurt my back. Plus i wanted a well deserved drink and a cigrette!
Jakob was on my boob every half an hour because i wasn't eating much and he wasn't getting enough. Have you tried somebody else giving him the bottle? I found that Jakob accoisated me with the breast, so he wondered why he had a bottle. Or try a different milk, i tried SMA but Jakob hated it. So now it's Cow and Gate, it's creamer like breast milk, he might not accept SMA because it's not very nice taste. Farleys is good too, i've heard. He didn't like water either. Brown sugar works a treat with water! Try a different teat, Tommy Tippe is more like a breast. Let him take the bottle in slowly too, if you're not already. Hope i've helped. I know it's so many different things, but they could work.
Take care.
Kelsey 17 and Jakob Kyle 5months xxx

Im not really much help, but i breast fed for the first week with freddy then put him on the bottle. During this time he was also having a dummy. The midwife and HV both said it would be wise not to give him the dummy whilst breast feeding as it sometimes mucks up the sucking motion on the nipple (in other words they get use to the feel of a dummy which is like the bottle teet). So...maybe try giving him a dummy??? Or are u already??
Sorry im a bit useless but it may be worth a try.
G'luck

Becky and Freddy 1 month today! x x

Hi,

I gave him a dummy for the first couple of weeks and then stopped for a while. He wont take that either now.

Claire

I would say he associates you with the breast so to start with let someone else bottle feed him. Shop around for a teet that is suitable for going from breast to bottle. It is a completely different way to feed for them and it takes a while for them to get the hang of it. It could be that another formula would suit his taste, but again no formula is going to taste like the real thing, so it could take him a while.
Another thought, having had two boys myself, they are alot more clingy than girls, and feeding from the breast not only gives them all the food and drink they need, it gives them security, love, warmth and comfort, so be sure once he is astablished on the bottle that you feed him as if you were breast feeding him ie eye contact and holding him close to you. Some children, esp boys, need this more than others. My youngest boy used me as his dummy, a few mins on the breast fixed everything.