May 25th, 2004

bottle feeding solutions

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I combed the net and found various solutions offered by parents who have had babies that refused the bottle.

try different bottles and nipples.
get the older baby nipples
mixing a little formula with breast milk
try a sippy cup or even a medicine dropper to pour out some milk into her mouth
heat the milk warmer than luke warm
feed her in the bouncy seat or car seat
feed her in a place where you never nurse her, like the bathroom or the garage.
gave her the bottle at her hungriest time
check for a tiny “formula plug” blocking the nipple hole
turn your baby on her side so she is in the breastfeeding position
begin to try to get her to take watered-down rice cereal as early the baby would accept it, that even a tablespoon would make a difference.
offered it often throughout the day, even if she only drank an ounce at a time
“reverse nursing”, which worked really well, if you can stand the sleep deprivation.
be prepared for LONG nursing sessions when you nurse
be calm, centered and focused when feeding her.
buy a frontpack, stuck her in it, paced around the house while feeding her
continue to breast feed your baby
as long as she is healthy and gaining weight, have patience and try not to worry

I have changed the formula, bought new nipples, nurse her whenever she refused the bottle. waiting to see some results soon.

2 Responses to “bottle feeding solutions”

  1. dory Says:

    Hmmm, have you tried warming up the milk to near body temperature? Ryan drinks expressed breastmilk in a bottle during some weekend feeds (Friday evenings, Sunday mornings) and he likes his milk warm, just like out of mommy’s breast. He refuses to drink it when it’s cold or no where near body temperature. You might want to try that.

  2. huileng Says:

    Oh yes, i have tried various temperature. room temp, slightly warm, warmer then slightly warm, but don’t dare to try it “hot”! maybe i have to test out more temperature. she used to be ok with bottles a few weeks ago. maybe she just hates formula or the bottle now.

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