5 month old refusing bottles

amother

Thu, May 23 2013, 3:03 pm

Hi!
I basically exclusivly breastfeed, but occasionally ill pump and give my 5.5 month old a bottle. I'm going back 2 work in 2 weeks and I'm trying to get my baby into the routine of taking 1 bottle a day and she's refusing it. She screams until I start crying as well Sad

I'm ready to just give up and continue staying home!
My hours are part time, and she normally nurses every 4 hrs but there's an hour overlap where she would need a bottle! Funny thing is, she loves her paci, but is on a bottle strike!
What should I do?

groovy1224

Thu, May 23 2013, 3:54 pm

Try letting DH give her the bottle at first..she may not be interested taking it from you since when she sees you, she wants to nurse. But with DH feeding her, she may take it better.
If not, you can try what I had to do. I had a diff situation, but also had to get my son to take a bottle when he was used to breastfeeding and we were both in tears after a few minutes. Eventually I just put apple juice in the bottle, and like got a few drops in his mouth to get him to agree to suck on it. The the next time, he took the bottle, assuming it would be juice again. But this time I did formula with juice mixed in, which he took as well. And then phased out the juice.
Also, as hard as it is, try to relax when you offer the bottle. Trust me, she can sense how anxious you are, and she knows this is a battle, so to speak. I feel your pain..I really do. But hopefully she'll get it eventually.
Hope that helps!