How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

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• 17-Sep-2009 19:25

  How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  barongreenback Joined on 16-Nov-2003 United Kingdom Posts 28,945

  Contact Rather unwisely, having started S on a bottle at 5 weeks for the odd bit of expressed milk, life got in the way and we only reintroduced it last week.  We're using Nuk teats, which she took to well last time however for the last week she absolutely refuses to take the bottle - crying, batting the bottle away and generally getting very cross with the whole thing.  Do I continue with the existing set up, try something new or give up and accept that Mrs Greenback will have to have her hair cut very quickly in future?

• 17-Sep-2009 19:28

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  coops2007 Joined on 02-Dec-2005 United Kingdom Posts 373	Contact We had the same prob with our LO at the w/e = and found that getting a faster flowing teat worked a treat...

• 17-Sep-2009 19:30

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  conanetta Joined on 11-Apr-2006 Sheffield Posts 6,668	Contact When Charlotte got older she would only take one when I wasn't around as an option and even then she'd only take enough to keep her going until my return.

• 17-Sep-2009 19:35

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  looneytune Joined on 26-Jan-2007 United Kingdom Posts 5,155	Contact watching with interest, we cant even get Imogen to take it at all!

• 17-Sep-2009 19:39

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  HaloHoney Joined on 16-Nov-2005 The 'Ding Posts 19,672

  Contact Hmmm. Ikey is 11 months and still won't take one. He drinks water from a sippy beaker, but if you try replacing it with milk he seems to think you are a mentalist. I know Sofa Leopard persisted and Holly would take a bottle on a full moon if the wind was blowing in the right direction. I think it depends how important it is for her to take a bottle as to how long you persist.   Forte est vinum fortior est rex fortiores sunt mulieres super omnia vincit veritas

• 17-Sep-2009 19:43

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  Marie96 Joined on 07-Jul-2007 United Kingdom Posts 748

  Contact We had the same problem after missing a few days feeds. Alex refused to take a bottle for a few nights until he was distracted by a penalty shootout one night and just took the bottle without a murmur.  We then had to bounce him and sing to him everytime he fed from a bottle for a couple of weeks so it appeared he just used to get bored easily! We tried most types of bottles and the only one that worked was a pink MAM bottle.  For a couple of months he wouldn't take milk from anything else and then one day we left him at my mum's for a couple of hours and had included a Tommee Tippee bottle by mistake as well as the mam bottle.  He drank from the TT bottle without question. Not that he is awkward or anything!!

• 17-Sep-2009 19:45

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  Redbedhead Joined on 31-Oct-2004 the middle of nowhere Posts 27,772	Contact We tried different things each time - holding her one way then another, feeding her while in the bouncy chair. I also made sure I was completely out of sight / smelling range. Re the hair thing, I know there are beads you can get that you can use to distract baby and let her play with them instead of hanging on Mrs BGB's hair!

• 17-Sep-2009 19:46

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  Holly Bags Joined on 25-Jan-2009 Posts 4,592	Contact We swapped from the Nuk ones as they were very slow flowing and moved to the avent ones with three holes - they do loads of different ones. Also the Tommy Tippee CLoser to NAture range are meant to be good too. I'd say persevere as it's fab to be able to handover sometimes.

• 17-Sep-2009 19:46

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  lmsunshine99 Joined on 27-Oct-2002 United Kingdom Posts 32,244

  Contact I think there is a document on the wiki from Mrs B about taking the bottle. We had huge issues with Molly and vowed we would give Maisie regular bottles to ensure we didn't have the same problem but as you say life gets in the way and Maisie is very resistant to the bottle. I had to leave her for 4 hrs a couple of weeks back to go to hospital and she had about an ounce while I  was out. My mum is better at coaxing her and managed to get 6oz into her over about 4 1/2 hrs when we went to see Harry Potter. With Molly the only bottles that worked for us were Mam ones but honestly if you can avoid them do as they drive me mad trying to get the together!

• 17-Sep-2009 19:48

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  The White Rabbit Joined on 14-Apr-2003 United Kingdom Posts 22,760 read my blog

  Contact Keep at it - keep the Baroness away whilst you do it (B went through a phase of not taking a bottle if I was around) and try a whole range of bottles We found the NUK ones worked great initially and then shifted to others - I think we tried about 10 types before we found the Boots own ones were her favourite ... Also try not waiting until she's really hungry - for some reason B got cross if she was famished and no boob was forthcoming

• 17-Sep-2009 19:50

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  AllyDrew Joined on 07-Jan-2006 United Kingdom Posts 9,858	Contact We persevered with Milly. In the end we got her to take a bottle by using breastflow bottles with fast-flow teats. To begin with H had to give her the bottle when she was sitting in her bouncy chair, eventually he worked up to being able to hold her and give the bottle. Frankly it was such an enormous faff I probably won't bother next time.

• 17-Sep-2009 20:03

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  bingy Joined on 21-Dec-2004 Posts 2,243

  Contact Sorry similar tales of woe here re: bottles.  In the end it was faster flowing Avent teats that seemed to work best, but it was such an enormous PITA expressing and everything, especially after 2 bouts of thrush, that I didn't persevere too long with it to be honest.  When I went back to work at 8 months she was thankfully down to two daytime feeds which were gradually replaced with formula from a sippy cup and/or weetabix with formula. With number 2 I haven't got time to express, never mind fiddle about with bottles

• 17-Sep-2009 20:08

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  Jangson Joined on 10-Mar-2005 United Kingdom Posts 1,523

  Contact We introduced a bottle of expressed milk at 6 weeks and she took it every night easily, however, like you life got in the way and we stopped for a week.  Trying to introduce it again was awful but we kept trying and she eventually took the tommee tippee closer to nature bottles if my husband fed her and held her as if she was feeding from the breast.  He also fed her before she was really hungry. She now takes a bottle of expressed milk every night without arguments. Good luck with what you try.

• 17-Sep-2009 20:11

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  Hecate Joined on 17-Feb-2005 United Kingdom Posts 14,595	Contact We found the only bottle that would work were Breastflow - have a spare unused here if you want it to have a bash? Buying thousands of bottles to try gets pricey! Emily ~ September 2006

• 17-Sep-2009 20:13

  Re: How long to persevere with introducing bottle?

  Kefty Joined on 13-Nov-2003 United Kingdom Posts 2,973

  Contact How old is the baby? neither of my first 2 have ever had a bottle in their lives. No 1 refused solidly I tried everything had emough bottles and teat to open a shop I was under pressure as going back to work so gave up at 6 months and introduced a sippy cup which worked fine. The good side was I never had the getting rid of a bottle trauma. No 2 didn't take bottle either but this time I couldn't be bothered with the battle so gave sippy cup from 4 months. No 3 took a breastflow bottle first time and has since no problems so different! Might be worth a try though unfortunately the free bottle offer has expired. http://www.breastflow.co.uk/ good luck!