baby rejecting a bottle - advice welcome please

[lucyA1308]

my 2 1/2 month old has just taken a very strong dislike to the bottle - both expressed breast milk and formula. I haven't tried very often to give her a bottle, maybe just once a week, for the last month, and each time she has been fine. I now have a days work coming up this week and next, and am going to leave her with my mum, and now all of a sudden, she won't take the bottle.

I posted last week about her dislike of car seats, and she must sound like the most un-cooperative baby, but actually she is the loveliest, smilingest little baby i have ever met, but a complete oposite in so many ways to my 2 yr old, so many of these things, I am having to figure out about all over again.

Any tricks, or advice would be welcome.

Thanks. Lucy

[Mathilda]

What I found worked was to feed the baby while she was lying down - in moses basket or buggy or on a blanket - rather than being held. Was a tip from someone else on the forum, can't remember who! Also making a loud shushing noise, no idea why. Good luck - bottle wars are no fun.

[kemurf]

Hi Lucy

My daughter wouldn't take to a bottle for ages - I think it took me about 2 or 3 months until she got it. I have no idea what did it, but certainly my husband giving her the bottle instead of me helped. (Although actually I wished I had breast fed longer now...)! There are lots of discussion threads on the forum about it if you do a search, with lots of ideas and tips.

Perseverance, a lot of patience, and being as calm as possible won in the end (not sure 'won' is the right word as it took so blinkin' long and I got so frustrated by it!). I think you have to keep at it if that's what you want unfortunately.

[Mens]

the NUK bottle worked for one of mine.

[hellosailor]

have sent pm - not cos I have anything private to say but because I have a long list of tips and tricks which is pretty lengthy to post on the thread..!

[etta166]

I wouldn't panic too much about the day away at work. She sounds very similar to my little girl, who as never really accepted a bottle from me (because there was something better on offer) but would be OK with it if I was out of the house. By OK, I mean that she would take enough not to be starving hungry, but she'd always be pretty ravenous when I got home.

I found that temperature was a major factor with her, and if the milk wasn't sopt on body temperature it was much harder to persuade her to drink it.

Good luck, and enjoy your day back at work :)

[lucyA1308]

Thank you Etta. my mother in law is also telling me not to panic, and she was a paediatric nurse. I am sure it is natural to worry, but there will be plenty of expressed milk available should she decide to take it, and I am getting a NUK bottle as that seems to be what most people recommend.