Anyone's kids refuse a bottle?

[SlednecksMomma]

Mine refused bottles for the first month of daycare (which did not do good things for my stress levels.) I tried a handful of different bottles, for some reason the Tommee Tippee bottles were the ones he decided were good enough.

[sleepymonkey]

Have you tried a straw cup? I have never had a problem with LO taking a bottle (she was FF) but she will not use a sippy. However, I have found that she will use a straw cup. The first time I gave one to her and she sucked on it, her eyes just lit up like it was the greatest thing ever.

[allthedrinks]

I'd focus on cups rather than bottles since most pediatricians want them weaned from bottles by 15 months. Seems like a whole lot of work to wean to bottle and then turn around and wean off the bottle a few months later. Not sure your little one's exact age but if close to the one year mark that would be my advice. Also, this is kinda off the wall but if sippy cups, straw cups and bottles are all rejected you could try an open cup. I read a lot about the Montessori method and this is what they recommend. Might be worth a try or a quick google to get the general idea?
You have all my sorries because DD hated her bottle and went to DC too young to go right to a cup. Awful times...

[minervamae]

I'm new to this board. I've had two that never used a bottle. The first one took a long time to figure out sippy cups and even longer for straw cups. Just keep offering and cycle back through them after a while...sometimes a second look made it better. The second glommed onto a straw cup immediately at 6 months and never had an issue with any other cup. She was drinking out of an open cup before a year.

With this third one I haven't even bothered offering a bottle. When we introduce solids we'll offer a cup of water.

BTW, neither of my first two ever drank BM out of any container. They'd drink water or an alternative milk. It was a good thing my stash was tiny.

[bobcat]

My little one refused her bottle for the first time this past week. She's about 4.5 months and I stay home with her, but she's taken bottles from Dad/baby sitter just fine up until now. I'm trying to determine if it's the bottle or the formula. She legit gagged and whimpered when hubby tried to give it to her. (I don't pump as regularly as I should, so I have back up formula on stand by.) Was yours a breast milk bottle? If so, is it possible the milk was bad? I've found I have excess lipase in my milk which means the taste changed the longer it is in the fridge/freezer.

On a related note, does anyone know if formula "goes bad" if not used within the suggested month? It's not expired, but we've had it for about 2 months. I need to determine what exactly baby girl is protesting. Hope you are able to find a solution, too! Mamas need a break every now and then!

[harvestmoon]

Jan 20, 2015 12:48:14 GMT -5 pistolpackinmomma said:

We don't do DC but my mom babysits from time to time. Over the weekend he went 10 hours on 1.5 purées. The kid is stubborn!

My nephew did this when my sister went back to work. They gave him water from a cup, as several people here have mentioned, and gave him the solids, and he did eventually come around to the bottles too. I think it was the idea of bottles in general that he didn't like and not the specific brand... I also think she started giving him a bottle consistently at certain times of day whether she was around or not. I know not all BFing moms would like this idea but it worked for them.

If you are willing to nurse until age 1, just try to get him started with water in cups now and I bet by then he'll be fine with WCM during the day. So much can still change between 8m and 1yr as I'm sure you know! 

[squirrelgirl]

Jan 20, 2015 13:25:27 GMT -5 allthedrinks said:

I'd focus on cups rather than bottles since most pediatricians want them weaned from bottles by 15 months. Seems like a whole lot of work to wean to bottle and then turn around and wean off the bottle a few months later. Not sure your little one's exact age but if close to the one year mark that would be my advice. Also, this is kinda off the wall but if sippy cups, straw cups and bottles are all rejected you could try an open cup. I read a lot about the Montessori method and this is what they recommend. Might be worth a try or a quick google to get the general idea?
You have all my sorries because DD hated her bottle and went to DC too young to go right to a cup. Awful times...

My daughter hated bottles. She now does straw and soppy cups too, but we started with a shot glass actually...?. Perfect size for little hands and minimal clean up if she spills. Her daycare uses yogurt making jars, they look like 2oz shot glasses.

[mishkaroni]

My kid took bottles within her first four months of life while I struggled with my supply. At month 4 on the dot, I went hard on the boob...she refused bottles and sippys after that. She was very own to what I was drinking, so we have it to her by straw from my cup or just let her drink from my cup. Now at 14.5 months she'll tolerate her straw sippy cup.

Some kids just go straight from boob to cup. Sucks for our nips, but it is what it is.

[allthedrinks]

Jan 20, 2015 13:27:43 GMT -5 pistolpackinmomma said:

allthedrinks, he just turned 8 months. At this point I agree that a sippy cup/straw cup would be best but he just wants boob. I might try an open cup. He likes playing with our empty cups so maybe that will work better?

Hey it's worth a try! As squirrelgirl said, a shot glass is the perfect size if you happen to have one, sounds odd but my DD loves her little cup. Who cares if it has a picture of a drunk mouse wearing a sombrero on it???

[empire]

DD never took bottles. It took her a while to figure out cups reliably but we just kept offering different ones. The miracle worker for us was a camelbak waterbottle. Once she was used to that we were able to get her to branch out.

[5ftsmall]

The only bottle that DS2 has ever taken is MAM. That bottle has been a lifesaver. They also make a cup that we are currently working on transitioning to.