Inside you’ll find tips on how to get your breastfed baby to take a bottle.Â
That job interview was the first time I’d left my baby. I put on real clothes, actually did my hair, and prayed I wouldn’t leak through my nursing pads and silk dress shirt as I went off to meet my future boss.
Before I left I fed baby girl then drove off to a nearby city. I had gotten her some formula and a proper bottle and wished my husband good luck.
“It’ll be fine, she’ll be hungry so she’ll take it.”
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Famous last words…
I felt my phone blowing up all during the interview, but I ignored it. The feeling of anxiety started building in my stomach and when I got to the car I saw it was, in fact, my husband.
“She won’t take the bottle!” he said. “She’s crying and fussing and won’t take it.”
I cannot lie…my first thought was what a loyal baby I had.Â
But then I could hear her cries through the phone and then I felt anxious.
Guilty.
Worried.
Helpless.
I told him I’d be home in an hour and to do his best. The whole drive home I berated myself for being a bad mom.
I thought about how she was starving and would probably be scarred in some because I left her. She’d hate me and we’d never be able to bond.
All of that simply because I’d taken 3 hours to go for a job interview and was not there for her.
Hormones were high, friend.
Read: Words Every Emotionally Exhausted Mom Needs To Hear
So, for those of you who are telling me…. “Baby won’t take the bottle, HELP!” I’m here to help.
How to Get a Breastfed Baby to Take a Bottle
Here are some ways you can try separately or together to try to get your breastfed baby to take a bottle.
Sometimes you need more than a 2 to 4-hour window of time away from the baby for various reasons, and just knowing your baby will take a bottle is comforting.
Plus, daddy or nana may love it too.
Start offering the bottle before you need baby to take it.
Introduce the bottle after a few weeks postpartum to get baby used to it. If you have 3 months maternity leave don’t wait until 2 months and 3 weeks to begin.
➡️ It’ll be a harder transition for baby and that’ll add mom guilt to your already overwhelmed plate.
With my third born I’d let my husband give him a bottle while I took a bath or a walk. I was nearby in case it didn’t “work” but it helped us introduce the bottle before it became necessary which was less stressful for everyone.
Read: The No Tears Approach to Running Errands and Doing Appointments With Baby
Start offering the bottle when baby isn’t starving.
If you wait until your baby is starving and ready to breastfeed, this is the worst possible time. They will begin to feel frustrated, impatient, and hungry.
A good time to introduce the bottle is when they are not hungry, but might be willing to try. This can happen after you give some solids (if they are that old) or even as long as 45 minutes to an hour after you’ve normally fed them.
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So… you might nurse a little and then offer the bottle.
I’d nurse form one side, offer a few mouthfuls of food, and then offer the bottle. If baby didn’t take it, no big deal, I’d try again later.
This was definitely less stressful than leaving hubby with a bottle and hoping for the best.
Related Reads:
- Want An Easy Baby? Use This Foolproof Baby Schedule
- How To Get Your Newborn To Sleep Well From Day One
Get someone else to do it… (magic bullet).
Let your husband, older child, or other family member be the person who introduces the bottle.
In fact, it’s even a good idea for you to be out of the house.
Babies are able to smell you from a lot further away than you’d think (not to mention hear your voice) so hovering nearby while the bottle is offered may result in the baby resisting the bottle and crying for you.
- Give dad (or the bottle holder) something that smells like you.
- He can hold the baby in a breastfeeding position while he offers the bottle then there’s a higher chance of success.
Psst… remember: your husband isn’t doing you a favor by watching the kids.
Get a breastfeeding friendly bottle.
I made the mistake with my firstborn of trying to get her to take a bottle with a nipple not designed for breastfeeding babies. I’m sure this would be fine for some, but she wouldn’t have it.
With my others, I found bottles that were good for breastfed babies. If you have one bottle and the baby refuses it, that’s not to say she won’t take the bottle with another nipple.
➡️ It’s often not the fact that it’s a bottle the baby doesn’t like so much as the fact that the nipple isn’t comfortable.
With my last baby we just used whatever inexpensive bottle we had on hand and, voila, he took it with no issue. I think some babies will easily drink from bottles and others are simply more challenging.
Put breast milk in the bottle and on their lips.
If you are planning on pumping then put breast milk in the bottle and show them that’s what’s in it.
- Put some on their lips or squeeze some into their mouths so they know that, though the nipple is unfamiliar, the milk is not.
- If you are going to use formula in the bottle it’s still a good idea to put some on baby’s lips so they understand what’s happening.
- My midwives suggested doing this as a way to help improve latching on, but it works with bottle feeding as well.
- The first few times you introduce the bottle baby might become confused, particularly if they use pacifiers.
By putting some milk on their lips or in their mouth they’ll begin to understand.
Don’t breastfeed immediately if baby has refused the bottle.
If baby refuses an offered bottle and you immediately offer the breast this will send mixed signals to baby and prolong the process.
- Because you’re not trying this when baby is starving, you’ll feel better about waiting for 10 to 15 minutes before offering the breast.
- You don’t want baby to associate saying no to the bottle with nursing.
- Try a few times and then, if baby still refuses, do something completely different for a bit and then offer the breast.
- This will give it time to create a distance, and by not continuing to try to force the bottle you set yourself up for success later.
Change the position (or mimic it).
If your husband offers the bottle then perhaps he wants to keep the baby in a similar position to when you feed him. This will help keep some continuity with feeding associations.
My husband does this with great success.
That said, if baby is fighting that then try a completely different position.
This way instead of trying to perfectly mimic the breastfeeding experience – which you can’t – you are creating a new feeding experience.
Try a cup… then the bottle.
If your baby is fighting the bottle then try giving him liquid in a cup. He may try to lap it up or suck on the edge of the cup, and will likely find this different enough that it almost resets the moment.
Then afterward, since drinking from a cup does not satisfy the suckle reflex, they will often take the bottle when they wouldn’t before. Offering the cup will put them in a different frame of mind and may be just the thing.
So there we have it. You’ve got to be creative and perhaps even stubborn to make this happen, but it’ll be worth it.Â
Back to my story…
So what happened with my baby while I was driving?
She took a few sips of water and waited me out with my husband. She had not taken that bottle and she never did.
For nearly an entire year I could not be away from home for more than a few hours.Â
➡️ You better believe I did it differently with my next 4 kids.Â
Whether you need to work or simply have a few hours to yourself to do life, here’s hoping you can get your little breastfed baby to take a bottle.
It’s not easy, mama.Â
But you’ve got this.Â
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Oh my. I’ve have so much difficulty in this area. Of my 5 babies, only 1 was really decent at bottle-feeding. My current baby hates bottles so much and my husband and older children have never had much luck feeding her. It’s great for breastfeeding and bonding, but when I need to be gone occasionally it makes things hard.
I totally agree. I very rarely NEED to be away, but my husband actually likes to feed the babies if they’ll take it!
This post is so perfect for us right now! My son took a bottle of pumped milk around 6 weeks with absolutely zero trouble, so I figured it would be the same for my daughter (born at home 2 months ago)…not so much! Ha! There are definitely times when I will need to be away from her for more than 3-4 hours in the upcoming months. We’ve tried the mom out of the house scenario, but haven’t thought about doing it when she isn’t super hungry. Will definitely try that! I would absolutely love to win this and give a few a try before running out to buy a bunch of different bottles/nipples.
Andrea, yes I feel your pain. I am not often away from the baby but sometimes a 3 hour window won’t cut it. Or what if you get caught in traffic? Report back with progress :)
My husband and I are in the process of getting my three month old (2 nd child) to take a bottle as I’m going back to work and this article has some really good tips that we’re going to try this time around. My first born would never take a bottle from me personally so I completly agree with having someone else do it.
The problem I had with two of my kids is that no matter what they refused. Its funny that this blog is sponsored by playtex because the only thing that worked with both of them is using the playtex latex nipples (hard to find…all the bottles for every brand have gone silicon on us). I wrote a blog about my experience and why I think it works. :) Check it out at http://theentrepreneurialwife.com/2015/01/24/do-you-have-a-breastfed-baby-who-refuses-the-bottle-heres-a-strange-solution-that-makes-sense/
Found you on through LoggerMom blog. :) She links up with you I guess on Mondays at another site. :)
Theresa, how funny that she’d take a latex nipple but not a silicon one? Mine all took different types and it’s funny that some fight it and some don’t. With my daughter I had to just wait until I’d weaned her basically. I’ll go check your post out now :)
Totally strange! But then again, I’ve talked to a couple of moms whose kids refused the bottle and the latex nipple was the only thing that worked for them too. I’m telling you, its a texture thing for those kids. Silicone is too smooth and too hard. latex has texture and is softer–closer to the real deal. :)
We tried introducing a bottle at few days old too supplement do too supply issues. I stayed on other side of house in our room while my husband tried bottle. Our little guy would not take at all and just screamed. Luckily supply came in and haven’t had to try again. Now that he is 3 months old starting to want to try again so can be away longer than few hours if need be.
Yes, my daughter was similar. screamed to high heaven. It worked with my sons, though, so sometimes it’s try try again!
What a great article! We supplemented with pumped milk when my daughter was only a few days old since she lost too much weight after hospital discharge. She did fine at the time with Dr. Brown but we never kept up with giving her bottles. Even a month later, she was refusing the bottle. Now at 5 1/2 months we are still working on getting her to take a bottle. She seems to be more interested in tommy tipee bottles. And occasionally she is interested in Dr. Brown bottles. but typically she only takes 1-2 ounces and mostly chews on the nipple. I’m in a wedding in a couple months, so I need her to be able to take a bottle.
That’s the reason I needed mine to take it, a day away for work, etc. I actually found that when I was gone and it was just my husband and they “had” to eat, they did. Ha! Again, that isn’t always the case, but sometimes.
I actually used Playtex bottles for my preemie to do the reverse, and get him to nurse. He took bottles in the hospital nursery for the 2 weeks he was there and every time I’d try to get him to latch on, he would get comfortable and fall asleep instead of eat. The Playtex slow flow nipple was slow enough that it helped him work on his suck and not get ‘instant gratification’ like he’d been getting from the nipples that the hospital had used (even the preemie and slow ones there were too fast for him sometimes and he’d choke on milk after he got going). It took us 6 weeks, but he finally decided that breastfeeding was ok! He was a Playtex baby from the day I brought him home!
That’s great to know, Katina. And I’m so glad you mentioned that how fast the milk comes out makes a HUGE difference. Honestly some babies will get anti-nursing when they see how fast milk can come out of a bottle. Horror! Ha :)
I am fixing to have baby number two (June 6th says the doctor, but we will see what the baby says haha). I breastfed my son (first born) for 19 1/2 months and I could not get him to take a bottle for nothing. My mother in law was the only one who seemed to be successful at this and he was about 3 or 4 months old. This time around I’m planning on putting my husband to work and saving (what’s left haha) of my sanity! I think moms tend to forget how important just those few minutes (or more!) to yourself can be. We had the best luck with the playtex drop in bottles, and then as I (finally lol) weaned him off the breast, the first years gumdrop bottles did the trick to transition over to a sippy. I’d like to really try something that is more like the breast this time around. I am so glad you wrote this btw, lots of good ideas I never thought to try the first time.
I’ve had a few things tell me Playtex was the only one that worked for them. I always get my husband to do it too :)
my daughter is now 10 weeks. when i brought her home from the hospital i was supplmenting her until my milk came in since she wasn’t satisfied with just colostrum. initially we used the tommee tippie bottle. she took it only a few times. im a stay at home mom so i felt breastfeeding was the best choice to feed her and feed on demand. she doesnt take a pacifier. ive tried every tip and trick to get her to take a bottle without any luck. i want to be able to leave the house without feeling anxious, eventually go on a date with my spouse and i feel trapped in baby jail. it wouldn’t be fair to leave her with anyone especially knowing how frustrated she gets just seeing a bottle.we have collectively spent over $100 on various bottles and im extremely discouraged with the whole process. i feel like i have no choice but to never leave the house again. its frustrating for me and also for her father who would love to give me the break i deserve.
Oh Katie :( I bet you totally do feel tied down. I’m sure you’ve tried this, but has your husband tried to feed her while you’re out? How long will she fight the bottle? I will say my daughter did this until she started eating enough solids that she was okay without a little milk and then could drink some water.
I am having a lot of trouble transitioning. My baby is 7mo old and took a bottle in the beginning months but now refuses. I am going to try these tips! We are trying the nipple shield now, tonight was the first time, to help the transition.
Best of luck, Ashley!! Let me know how it goes.
Finally won the battle today!
I swear I tried everything and didn’t have ANY success. Spent many nights in tears over fear that my child would starve when I have to drop her off at daycare in 1 week, but today was a new day.
Here’s what worked for me:
1) per her in her carrier and wear her until she falls deep asleep. she loves that thing and feel asleep HARD as per usual as this was her AM nap time.
2) when she starts waking up, start her off with her pacifier (which she NEVER took for more than 1 min and would spit out) keep that thing in there!
3) once she starts to suck it hard, swap with the bottle lid. Same brand “soothie” as her pacifier so the nipple is close to the same thing
4) when she sucks on the lid use a medicine dropper and squeezed a few drops milk in the nipple (which she kind of drank…)
5) let her fall asleep sucking and warm a bottle. wake her up with her pacifier again and as soon as she starts sucking hard again slip the bottle in while she’s still semi out of it .
BAM 2 oz GONE my friends…cue HALLELUJAH CHORUS!
try it and see how it goes. I swear you have you try absolutely EVERYTHING because you never know what will work.
I really hope this helps!!!!
Alicia, HAHAHA. You are a rockstar. Are you a clinical research scientist or something? Oh the ingenuity! So glad you posted this here, by the way, to help others.
Oh my goodness.. Thank you SO MUCH for this. This is exactly what I’ve been struggling with with my 4 1/2 month old. The original goal was 12 months, but now I am fighting to get to 6. It’s 4am as I type and considering if I should pump right now for another measly couple of ounces while my little one sleeps. It has been a constant battle in my mind for the last month at least and I have tried EVERYTHING I can get my hands on to pump up my supply, but it’s time I accept that I won’t be having the breastfeeding relationship I wanted. I’ve searched for articles everywhere on this issue but haven’t found any hope in anything until I read this post. So thank you. Thank you for the support and the raw emotions that make me and other moms like us feel like we aren’t alone. Thank you.
Yolanda, girl you ARE NOT ALONE!
Thank you for this post , I felt somehow that it was something I had done wrong or that my baby was doing something wrong. It is comforting to see it is a common thing that could happen to any baby and not a ” problem” per say… well maybe it is a problem of the modern world that we live in.
Oh no, girl common to all of us :)
I am 4 weeks postpartum and although I think its a little early to introduce the bottle, I am the type of person who needs to go to the gym 4-5 times per week to feel sane. My husband and I used to work out together, but when I return to the gym we will alternate times so one of us can be with the baby. What age would you introduce a bottle? And once it’s introduced do you suggest having one consistent time that they get a bottle per day and the rest of the time on the breast? When should I pump to start to get a supply?
I’d say start as soon as you can because the longer you wait the harder it is to do if you have a fesity baby!
Great post. So glad I stumbled on this post. I’m kinda getting frustrated right now. Thank you so much for this.
It’s such a frustrating thing when baby won’t take the bottle!
How to get my 11 month old off nursing
She hates formula. Somewhat like regular milk.
This is so tricky, especially when baby doesn’t love milk or its alternatives. Hope it’s resolved!
Hi! First off, I really appreciate this and your other articles – my second son is 3.5 weeks old, and your tips are helping me maintain some semblance of my sanity.
I’ll be going back to work when my son is about 4 months old, so we’ve been trying to use the bottle for one feed every day or every other day. My husband thinks we should make a routine of him giving the bottle once every night so I can get one longer stretch of sleep. While I really appreciate this, I’m worried about supply – what do you think of the idea? I’ve also noticed that my son is fussier for the feed after the bottle feed – it’s like the bottle was too easy, and now that he’s back at the breast, he has to work too hard. I’m worried he’ll start resisting breast feeding if we offer the bottle too often early on. What do you think?
Stephanie, not sure when you left this comment so it may be resolved, but in case this helps someone else, I think that one feed per day with the bottle won’t lessen your supply necessarily if you pump in its place and keep nursing full feeds the rest of the time!
It took our daughter a lot of time to get drinking from a bottle, she was breastfed for quite a long time. We just persisted and at some point she accepted and is now almost a happy teenager!