Help! My baby won't take a bottle or sippy cup. Will i have to breastfeed forever?!

I also didn't introduce it in time, and it ended up being more convenient for me to just take baby with me everywhere anyway.

Six months is a bit young for a baby to be able drink much from a sippy cup, but it is a good time to introduce it. That's when I introduced it. All of my children were weaned or mostly weaned around one year of age right to the cup. My *Nursing Mother's Companion* book suggests using a cup without a valve. That makes sense: the baby can get at the liquid more easily and learns earlier to take in fluids without sucking.

Would you describe his lack of nursing during the day as a nursing strike? Did it happen suddenly? Or is he just distracted during feedings?

There are a few things you can try to get him back nursing again (if that's what you want)...try nursing in a darker place with fewer distractions; rule out the possilibity of ear infection, reflux, or other physical problems; try to determine if you've had a change in your diet lately that might have affected the taste of your milk; check for slow letdown (maybe he gets impatient waiting for the milk?); offer the breast when he seems sleepy. Sometimes a nursing strike is caused by something as simple as an unfamiliar fragrance. Switched deodorants lately?

On the days when Josie had me nailed to my chair for an 8 hour nursing marathon (every three months for two days at a go for nearly 18 months, oy) I though it would GO ON FOREVER. It doesn't. It's really such a short time! I know it's hard, I've been there, but can you hang on a little longer? Don't worry so much about pumping, and don't worry about him being dehydrated. You don't need to know how much he is getting; go by his cues. Enough wet diapers? Good. Active and happy? Good! Then don't worry!

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

My first would cry a lot and I remember when people would tell me it usually passes by 3 or 4 months I would think in horror: "I have to wait rhat LONG?" Now, 3 or 4 months passes by so fast that I can't stand it.

I second quitting the pumping. That's probably 3/4 of your stress. Personally, I HATE pumping. I pumped milk for my first baby when I couldn't figure out how to latch her on. I had to quit after 3 months; just couldn't keep up with it. It sounds like he's a healthy baby and if he's getting enough to wet 4 or 5 diapers a day, that must be all he needs right now.

My 7mo daughter is at a stage right now where she practically does jumping jacks while nursing! It drives me nuts because it stretches the nipple. I guess it's the age where they want to be moving around, but are still limited in mobility. They don't have much outlet for the energy and get restless. She's also waking more frequently at night. It could be the teething or the about-to-start-crawling syndrome.

My 8 month daughter is a having a similar problem. She does not want to nurse for more that 3 or 4 minutes. She is not gaining enough weight and has slipped down into the 5th percentile. I have tried every bottle known to man and she refuses. I am very worried about it. I can not wait until she is a year and I can give her cow's milk ( if she will take it). Hopefully then she will be able to gain some weight.

its been wonderful reading your experience in this forum. I hv to get back to work in a couple of days and I just successfully gave my son my EBM in the bottle. I tried a whole bunch of bottles and teats known to men. Alas I found my saviour in MAM Ultivent bottle from Mothercare. He refused it at first but sucked in 4oz of EBM less than 5 minutes later. What a relief it was to me because he nurses a lot at 2months and it scares the hell out of me with the thought that he wouldnt be feeding as much while I am at work. But, now since that is taken care of, I am more than happy. Keep breastfeeding people, its the most amazing feeling in the world, the closeness that it brings to you and your baby is priceless. and remember, its not something ALL woman can experience..

....somebody over there with a solution??

Well i just don't understand why, but my daughter cry and hates it drink a bottle or eat solids... she is 6 months and she can go on period of 24 hours with the total of 16 to 18 oz per day! which the minimum amount is 24 oz, i don't now what to do, i love her so much, but sometimes is so challenging and frustrating!! i take her to a quiet room, and try to make her feedings a special e relaxing moment and doesn't work! and when she wakes up on the morning after 10 hours of sleep she doesn't seems hungry, she cries like i'm doing something bad to her, seriously i'm so worried, because this is so weird and emotionally hard on me, i don't' know if it is the taste of the milk or the baby foods... i only nursed her on her first month and always thought this wold go away, tried every brand and kind bottle and nothing!!! if someone has this same problem and a got solved i will thank you dearly...

My daughter is almost nine months and is borderline underweight now. She won't drink out of a bottle or a sippy cup-- only about 3 oz. all day while I'm at work. Then she nurses lots at night to make up for the day without me. The thing is, I'm pregnant again, and I'm very tired. I also have concerns about being able to produce enought milk for her and support my growing baby. My doctor recommended I take my daughter to an occupational therapist, but I have my doubts about this. She's been checked over and over again to be sure that there is nothing physical causing her to reject the bottle, and the doctors can't find anything. They've basically told me that the cause is my daughter's own stubborn ways (wonder where she got that from!). I would just tell you to hang in there... that's all we can do in this situation. Maybe try an open-faced cup more often. At least your son is at a healthy weight. Anyone have advice for me in my situation?

Just wanted to share with you. Having similar problems with my 10 month old. He just refuses anything but the breast (and solids). I desperately want to give up breastfeeding now, but it is just too hard at the moment. If I deny him breast milk during the day, then he wakes me up at night. I can't win.

Being a mother IS much harder than it looks. I got an awful shock when I had my first son. And I promised myself I wouldn't get trapped into breast feeding with my second, but here I am, with exactly the same problem. I don't know what I have done wrong, because I know people who have switched from breast to bottle with little or no problems. Their babies just apparently didn't mind. Unbelievable!

Good luck any way, and hang in there.

Blueberry

hi all

im a father of twins a boy and a girl.
ever since 3 months old they were bottle feed, cause of the toll it was taking on my wife ,shed feed one and when i could after work id help feed the other one ......now as soon as we introduced them to solids at 6 months that was it for the bottle ..it was only a toy that would wet there clothes, floor and the thing that kept the washing machine in its day job.... ok my problem is my kids are nine months old and dont have any teeth yet im worried i might have to buy them denches soon ...we try tricking them by blending there formila with the vegies and cerials but even after four feeds a day ,the doctor says they should have 3 full bottles a day . every one knows how hard it is with one child that dosn't take the bottle imagine two.. were stressed that there not getting enough nutriants ..please if any one knows how to get them to take the bottle again please post ....helppppp usssssssss !!!!!!!

I am also in the same boat. My baby now 3 month old. She used to have the bottle around 3 week old but then we stop giving her a bottle because it easier to just give her breast milk rather than pumping it every day. But now she absolutely refused it what so ever we tried. My in law took her home and gave her some formular (bottle), without me around and hungry. It hard and My in law tried it over an hour but finally she took it. Still she prefers breast feeding. She doesn't take it again today even though we tried to do it again. The problem with my case is I couldn't produce enough milk and her poo is watery because she hasn't get enough hind milk. So GP gave me Motilium to stimulate the mild supply. I just started it 2 days ago. Don't see much different yet. If she continue refusing the bottle and she hasn't got enough milk...I am very worry....But Good luck..to you to have a lot of mild supply...

Hi, I just wanted to let you know, you are not alone. My daughter is 10 months old and refuses the bottle. She will get her baby's bottle and suck on it, but I give her a real bottle and she just plays with it. If she does get some in her mouth she just spits it out. My heart goes out to you. I feel like I have tried everything. If there is anyone with any suggestions, I am open for them.

Yes this sucks. I'm not going to explain my story because it's identical to the original post. I get frustrated, angry, upset, aggravated, u name it! But my post is about love. My love for my son runs deeper than any other emotion that arises. I put myself last. I take deep breaths, cry, take my son for a drive, or let him cry til I get myself back together. Always remember ladies, he/she did not ask to be here and what you're wanting them to do is foreign. Your body is natural. And I know he'll be healthier, stronger, smarter, and more connected with me for my pain and suffering. These thoughts keep my son on the breast.

Since my Hubby went out of the country for two weeks. Since he left and came back, my 9 months old baby doesn't like to drink formula from the bottle nor sippy cup. She used to drink regualry 120 ml to 180 ml 4x a day.

I prepared her homemade foods good for three meals. Her Breakfast and snack has always puree of potato, pumpkin with pear or grapes or apple. Lunch/ Dinner puree with potato, pumpkin and beef. Then a water beside her plate. I gave the water by spoon. Because she doesn't want to drink in the cup. She is active, happy, smiles, laughs, babbling and eats. I gave her fruits but not too sugary. Coz i know babies should not eat sugary fruits, it is bad for their teeth. My baby had two teeth below and another two teeth is showing since last month.

But now I am so frustrated. Whenever i wake up to get something early in the morning, she cries a lot. She doesn't do that before. I searched the internet thru google to find answers to my questions.

It says when someone in the family, a mom or dad is far away, the baby gets a "separation anxiety" between 10 months to 18months old. It says its natural and it will pass.

I found this website here and it is good to know that I am not alone. Even though i got answers to my question, i am still sad and frustrated. Because my daughter lost some weight and might be under weight. I just want my baby go back to drinking her formula, so she can gain weight.

Have you tried the "Tilty" sippy cup? It's for babies 9 months and up...it's the first one my baby has really taken because

1. she doesn't have to tilt it up very far (because I want her to learn to do it herself)

2. she doesn't have to suck to get anything out.

The Tilty cup doesn't have a no-leak valve, but I'd rather have her get some liquid down and end up with a wet shirt than not drinking at all! Simply change the shirt. Some of those sucking cups are really difficult to get anything out of...have you tried it yourself? Try the Tilty cup.

I think that weaning the baby from breast to a sippy cup. I was advised by my pediatrician then to breastfeed my baby several times a day and let him bottle feed just even twice a day. When my baby was 6 months, I would let him drink from a bottle and he learned it. There are training cups that you can buy that recommends what to use I think every 3 months. Now at 1 year old, he knows how to sip from a straw.

So our almost 9 month old refuses to take a bottle or a sippy cup. She wakes multiple times a night to nurse since she's often too distracted during the day to nurse well. I'm exhausted, and worried that she will suffer when I go back to work. We've even tried using a syringe to feed her-that's how desperate we are. She definitely is not getting the nutrients she needs from baby food, since that's often a struggle too. She's a happy baby in most regards but the feeding issues are making me crazy. The only thing she ever wants to eat is "boob juice" as my older daughter calls it. I never had this problem with my first. Any suggestions?

I remember breast-feeding my own two children and not having many problems. My daughter has four children and had a lot of trouble with her first child. I think some of the difference is that I was 20 years old, few women were breast-feeding at that time, not much was written about it, so I did what seemed to work. My daughter was easy to breast-feed and weaned herself to a cup easily. My daughter was in her 30's and well-read in baby literature knew what to expect, and how she would handle things when the baby was born.

My family had a lot of friends with babies and I had a lot of babysitting experience and that was very helpful in keeping my perspective with my own baby. I knew that babies were different from each other and that sometimes there was nothing I--or anyone else--could do to get them to eat what or when or how much I thought they should. Most important, I knew that it would not hurt them over the long term as long as they were gaining weight, had enough wet and dirty diapers, and the doctor was happy with them at their regular check-ups.

Perhaps my daughter's experience may encourage some of you. I will tell her story briefly, then tell you what I think about it.

My daughter had little experience babysitting and knew few famiilies with babies. When her daughter was born, she had a hard time with many of the same things that have been described, including her baby not eating enough, and eventually being underweight. She had good doctors, though, who said to let her eat anything she would eat, including sweets, fats, ice cream, etc., and she gained weight to an appropriate level. Then she went back to her normal diet.

The one thing my daughter did not have to worry about was going back to work. That would have been difficult in every way and would have caused a lot of stress for her and for her baby. I can imagine the problems, and probably panic, a mother faces when she is due to go back to work and the baby is not settled with eating. That would be very hard.

My daughter had three more children. The difficulties she had with her first child had disappeared: There were no major feeding difficulties with any of the others.

So what was the difference? In her case, I think she had much higher expectations of herself and her first child than I did because of all the reading she had done with little actual experience. Let me say, first, that I think the information available now is important and helpful to read. However, it rarely will fit your situation exactly. By the time my daughter had her second child, she was much more experienced with her baby and had known many other babies and mothers.

For those who are having difficulties now, I agree with those who have said that time passes (slowly at the time, quickly in retrospect). Usually, additional children are easier than the first child, but they are always different and sometimes more difficult.

You will survive and your baby will, too. Better times are ahead--and probably sooner than you think is possible right now!

I hope this will encourage you. Raising a child is hard and it is worth it.

Hi, i have read your delema. I think you where more like me when i had my first baby. With my second pregency i breastfeed both my twins at the same time. Now they are five and i miss every minute of the time i breasfed my babys! enjoy the time and sit back and take long deep breathS before you breastfeed. Find a quite room with your baby with no destractions or little light. If you have to turn on some quite soothing music,for you and our baby.Do so if this does not bother your baby from eating. This will make you and baby relaxed. If there is less desraction in the room baby will focus on breastfeeding. This my take a week or two for baby to get use to. Soon he will start focusing on eating and not other noises like the dog, cat, or noises from people that are talking in the room. At that age they are more intrested in thier surrounding then thier dinner. The reason why baby eats more at night is he is growing more at night. Also he should only be eating once or twice at night and sleep more. so the more he eats in the day time hour. then he will decrease eating at night.
Now you said your concerned that you baby is not getting enough breast milk when he feeds. let me tell you that when baby is less then 4 months it takes longer to feed your baby. If you think back when your son was smaller. He may have took some time breastfeed. about 20 to 25 mins. Thats because your baby is still learnig how to master the breast more effiently. Now that your baby is bigger and that he has mastered the breast. Then baby can get more milk out much more effiently then when he was younger! See you can look at it like this.... when your baby was 4 months old your baby trys again agian to learn to grab a toy, right?! well, he keeps trying over and over agian untill he get it. its just a learning prosses that has to run its course before its done. Also the sippy cup thing.... i would sit him in a chair before your going to breastfeed him. like 15 minute before feeding him the breast. that way he can play with the sippy cup or bottle before baby eats of mama! That gives you 15 minutes to prepare a confortable quite room for the both of you.[with low light} sippy cups are realy tented for babys ages 8 months and up to 4yrs old. to exspect him to take it right away is exspecting to much for a 6 month old. This a learning prosses that has to run its course also. Try this trick to get him to take sip. Take the cup while he is sitting in the high chair. Just for a few minutes play the game its mama's sippy cup!!!!! Baby may look surprised at first. Take the sippy and say its mama's sippy. pertend to sip it! Use happy exspetions when you take the cup away from baby. Then give it back and say dont drink mama's cup. pretend to walk to the sink in kitchen or whereever. make it look like your going to leave the cup unsupervised on the babys chair. when the baby go's to grab it! say hey! give....me...back...my...sippy!!! dont you drink sippy! Then laugh about it! Give him kisses, love and lots of attention. If baby thinks he cant drink it and it your cup. baby will take a sip. Every kid wants what mama eating. Even if it is the same thing on thier plate!!! mama's food tastes better then thiers.
Things to remember:
1: baby is six months and will only need to breastfeed for lees the 10mins to get what he needs. if baby is getting two to three wet diapers a day he is fine. just make sure is stool[poop] is soft and baby is not having a hard time going. If baby is having trouble talk to your babys doctor.
2: Dont stress out to much this will decrease your milk supply. If your stressing just take time to take a walk or go take 20 mins in a quite room. If you have a friend or family that can come over to help for 30 mins. while you take a hot bubbles bath. This also helps let down your milk. If YOUR relaxed THEN baby is relaxed and you will enjoy breastfeeding more and more. also just pump twice a day morning and night. put the extra in the freezer to keep for your baby's sitter or times that your buzy. For when he has mastered the bottle or sippy cup. this way you can plain ahead of time and you can go back to work or just be able to go somewhere without baby.
3. this is the hard month because baby starting to understand what going on around him. so dont get fustrated. dont take it to hard baby wants less time breastfeeding. baby is just getting bigger and more efficent getting the milk out of you. then when he was a newborn to 5 months. baby is smarter and has mastered the breasting. THIS MEANS MORE TIME FOR MOMMMY!
4. Last but not least! just enjoy your baby!! The ten or less minutes he is breastfeeding. This is going to be gone in a flash and you will wish to have that time back with your baby.

I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU! I HAVE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES WITH ALL MY BABYS. I ALSO HAVE WORK WITH BABYS FOR 10 YEARS IN DAYCARE CENTERS. BEFORE I HAD CHILDREN I READ EVERY BOOK I COULD GET AND TOOK CARE OF MANY DIFFENENT AGES. I ALSO WAS HEAD TEACHER IN A CENTER BASED INFINT ROOM. I HAVE TAKEN A BRAKE FROM CHILDCARE. TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR CHILD DEVELOPING. THE BIGGEST THING TO REMEMBER THIS IS THE BEST FOR YOUR BABY. BREASTFEEDING HAS PROVEN TO GIVE YOUR BABY A BETTER EMUNNE SYSTEM. LESS SICKNESS FOR BABY AND LESS EAR INFECTIONS. So heathier baby, less time at the doc's, less missed days at work equales a happyier boss! Less dishes, no bottles, more money in your piggy bank because your not spending money on formula!
BABYS FED BY BOTTLES TEND TO A LOT MORE EAR INFECTIONS THEN WHEN BREASTFEED. KEEP THIS UP DONT STOP COMPLEATLY. KEEP IT UP. ALSO TALK TO YOU BABYS DOCTOR AND ASK FOR A LACTION NURSE TO COME OVER TO YOUR HOME OR HER OFFICE. TO HELP YOU DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM. SHE WILL BE A GREAT PERSON TO TALK TO TOO!

SINCERLY,
A MOTHER OF THREE