Breast Vs. Bottle

For my son, who is now 2 year old, the only way he would take a bottle was if it was from someone other than me. Dad, grandparents, sitters. . . You may need to leave the house for a day, but when he gets hungry, he'll eat. Good luck!

I think the nipple of the bottle was always key. Over time, with patience, and the right nipple, your baby WILL take a bottle, if hungry enough. You'll have to work up to it. YOU canot be the one offering the bottle, it has to be someone else, because your baby can smell you (I know, sounds strange, but true.) Work with LeLeche, your doctor, or friends to help find the nipple that is best. Pump, and immediately have someone else offer him the nipple. Then, over time, you can begin freezing and storing your breast-milk, and the baby will be fine with it. My boys transitioned from bottles to breast and back, from 4 weeks on, in preparation for my return to work. They got to the point where they preferred the bottle, around 4-6 months, but as long as they were still getting my breast milk, I didn't care. Once they accepted the bottle, I was able to give it to them, so the physical bond was still there.

Be patient. Your baby will get it. Just keep with it.

I am not an expert, but after three kids and returning back to work with all three I pumped at work and breastfed them until they were one and trust me when your son has no choice he will take the bottle. Do not worry and enjoy the experience.

Some tips that's helped me with my little girl: Practice every day, with someone other then you (especially with your new caregiver a few times). If you have to try different nipples, do so. My daughter likes the regular Medela and Breastflow bottles (Breastflow from The First Years). Get the book Nursing Mother, Working Mother from LLL and contact them for any other advice. If nothing else, you can try to use a small cup (like a pill cup) or an eyedropper/medicine dropper. It's not ideal but it can work in a pinch (Medela also makes some awesome products for this sort of situation). Get the best pump you can afford, since that's part of the key to having a great supply, pump arond 3x daily at work, (I'm down to just twice being enough for 10 oz daily total), and drink TONS and TONS of water, and eat frequently, small high-protein meals. I know this isn't all geared towards your little one taking a bottle but it does help for successful pumping.

Don't give up, but adjust to your little one's needs too...such as with the eye dropper or cup for a while while still practicing with a bottle. With my son, I went back to work at 15 months, but still pumped for him, until I could go all day and he'd wait for me instead of taking milk at the sitters. He nursed until I got pregnant with my little girl...and she's still going strong even though I had to go back to work at 6 weeks. So it can be done, don't give up!

I used to have a home daycare and three of my families breastfed and pumped. It will be hard for the baby in the beginning, but they will eventually take the bottle. I had one baby that didn't take the bottle for the first three days-at all! After tons of love and bonding with the baby myself, she came to accept that she would have to take the bottle from me. She still rooted with me for the first month, but then that too wore off. Just make sure that your caregiver is willing to be patient with your son and that they are willing to exhaust all feeding tactics before giving up. Best wishes and congrats on breastfeeding!

I am breastfeeding, too, and have been for 6 months now. Went back to work when my daughter was 9 weeks and she also did not take the bottle at first. So here's what I learned for next time. You have to try different bottles, BUT the one that she LOVES which seems more like the breast is the Playtex LATEX nipples (now she will use the playtex silicone ones, but that took a few months of practice). Second, you CANNOT give her a bottle nor be around for it as baby knows when you are around and of course would much prefer mommy than a bottle, so no worries. I was totally freaked out b/c she would not take a bottle for me nor for my hubby for that matter when I was there, BUT she had NO trouble taking it at daycare. It took her some practice, but believe me she did it b/c she was hungry. So, all I would say is make sure you have the bottle closest to breast and stay far away, and it will all work out. Mine is doing great and we are still nursing/pumping (6 more months to go) with no problems whatsoever. Good luck and hope this helps...
J.

When my 7 and 4 year olds were babies, I us the the Avent bottles. They went back between nursing and the bottle with no problems. Maybe you should try that. The type of bottle used, I'm sure makes a difference.

Good Luck,
JY.

I was so worried about the same thing. My son wouldn't take a bottle before I went back to work. Then, when I got home from my first day back (terrified that he was starving in my absence) his babysitter said he was fine. He drank from the bottle without much trouble.

Hi C.,

Just keep working at it and make sure SOMEONE ELSE is giving him the bottle and not you. If he's hungry, he will eventually take the bottle. It just takes a little time and patience.

Good luck! :)

Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven, H.C.
Healthy Habits Wellness Center, LLC
www.HealthyHabitsWellnessCenter.com
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When I tried to introduce the bottle while breastfeeding, a couple of times I had to start on the breast, have the bottle ready and then switch the breast for the bottle. I left him in the same position and just made a quick switch-a-roo. They say for the mom not to be in the room while dad is trying the bottle because your baby can smell/sense you around but that little trick worked. I had to do that twice and he was fine. We started around seven or eight weeks with the bottle so my husband could feed him as well.