Help! My Baby Won’t Take a Bottle

It can be super stressful to plan returning to work or have a situation such as a medical condition where you need to be routinely separated from your baby and your infant will not take a bottle. Some babies will refuse the bottle the harder you try, and it becomes a power struggle between you and your baby. What can you do as a parent to make the transition to bottle feeding go better.

First, try to start bottles before you infant becomes too old or set in their favorite feeding pattern. Feeding pattern challenges can work both ways with baby's refusing the breast or bottle. Why? Because infants are creatures of habit and most of not flexible naturally with different feeding styles. Even if your baby had bottles in the first week or weeks, they will not necessarily remember them weeks or months later. A happy breastfed baby is looking for more than a quick feed, they want mom and me-time. The softness of the breast and a lot of times the fast flow of the breast especially if the mother has an oversupply.

What can parents do to fix strong bottle aversion, especially when they need to go back to work within weeks?

• Have someone other than the breastfeeding parent offers the bottle.

  Infants often associate feeding with the breast and some babies may only accept a bottle from another caregiver or baby's father if the mother is out of the house.

• Try giving the bottle when the baby isn't too hungry or tired.

  To help babies take a bottle, offer it between feedings or when they are not overly hungry or tired. Practice when the baby is well-rested and calm, as learning a new skill requires patience and effort.

• Attempt to give the bottle to the baby while they are in various positions.

  Infant are just like adults, they have preferred feeding positions. Try offering the bottle in different positions compared to breastfeeding. You can hold the baby facing outward or have them sitting propped on your legs.

• Try using motion or walking.

  Using walking, gentle swaying or a birth ball to bounce will often convince some babies to try to bottle. It's a totally fun new experience.

• Offer the bottle, don't force the bottle.

  You often see bottles popped or pushed into the mouths of bottle-fed babies, for the breastfed infant, this may be too evasive. They are used to initiating the feeding. Allow baby to try latching onto bottle or slowing glide it over the lips and tongue to entice baby to open and suck. on the artificial nipple.

• Consider wrapping the bottle in a shirt or cloth that the mother has worn to provide a familiar scent.

  The caregiver can also wear the shirt or cloth or wrap it around the baby or bottle while feeding baby.

  You can even scent the clothes or blankets by sleeping with them.

• Try offering the milk at different temperatures.

  Babies have different preferences when it comes to milk temperature; some may prefer it warm, at room temperature, or even cold. Try experimenting to discover if your baby has a specific preference.

• Experiment with various shapes and firmness levels of bottle nipples.

The most expensive bottle and nipple combinations aren't always better than cheaper alternatives.

Try a long, straight nipple instead of a short, flat one, allowing the baby to latch deeply onto the bottle as they would at the breast. Consider using a "newborn" or "slow flow" nipple so the milk flows more slowly and doesn't overwhelm the baby. However, some babies might favor a faster flow nipple, particularly if you have strong letdown. or oversupply. Nipple flow preference can also depend on age. Younger babies can overfeed and stop breastfeeding if the flow is too fast and older babies will not waste time with a slow flow nipple if their mother is faster.

• Try feeding the baby with something other than a bottle.

  Older babies may do better using a sippy cup or cup feeding. All babies even really young infants can do cup feeding. You might consider feeding the baby using a spoon, sippy cup, or a regular open cup, such as a small medicine cup or shot glass. Hold the baby upright in your lap—swaddling can be beneficial! Gently bring the spoon or cup to the baby's mouth and let them take the milk independently by touching the milk in the spoon or cup to their upper lip. Let the baby set the pace. Be careful not to pour the milk directly into the baby's mouth to prevent choking.

• Try “introducing the mouth to the bottle” rather than trying to get the baby to drink.

  Step 1: Bring the nipple only (no bottle attached) to the baby's mouth and rub it along the baby’s gums and inner cheeks, allowing the baby to get used to the feeling and texture of the nipple. If the baby protests or starts to cry, stop and try again later.

  Step 2: Once the baby accepts the nipple in their mouth, encourage them to suck on nipple with your finger inside the nipple hole and rub the nipple gently against the baby’s tongue. Try not to gag the baby.

  Step 3: When the baby is comfortable with the first two steps, try pouring a few drops of milk into the nipple tip without attaching the nipple to the bottle. Start by offering small sips of milk, making sure to stop when the baby shows that she has had enough. Make this a game and praise your baby.

Go slowly every day and try to make each session positive. If you only have one weekend to work on this, consider alternative feeding methods like cup feeding until you have more time. Patience is definitely the key; no baby will starve themselves, but some will wait for you to come home, moving into what is called a reverse cycle. If this happens to you, try keeping the baby close to you for night feedings and prioritize housework until your little one is using the bottle or a more manageable feeding style.