Baby Parenting Guide

How do I get my baby to suck froma bottle rather than breast feeding?

My Wife breast fed our baby girl, up until 3 months old she would take a bottle whenever we needed to, infrequently, after 3 months she absolutely refuses, she just toys with it , chews the teat etc then gets frustrated and cries. She has never had a problem breast feeding. She is almost 8 months old now and eats baby food, but we want her to get more liquids in and want to stop breastfeeding, how to we get her to drink from a bottle or even tommy tippee mug etc Thanks

Public Response to How do I get my baby to suck froma bottle rather than breast feeding?

1. Try different bottles until you find one she will drink from.
2. try putting jam on the rubber bit that works something sweet
3. Perseverance is the key. I know it may seem like a no win situation right now but as long as you persevere she will eventually take the cup. At 8 months you can even try pouring juice into a plastic cup and try her with a straw. I found the secret to getting juice (or any fluids other than milk) down my daughter, was to keep the bottle for milk and the trainer cup for juice etc... this way she was able to identify what was in her cup. I have always used Avent and the "Healthy Eating Moo cup" for her juice, tea etc and found these most useful. I bought her a Tommy Tippee trainer cup and found she didn't know how to suck on it as she had to sort of bite on the plastic for the juice to come out.. maybe try changing the cup - this might help. Good luck
4. My little'un doesn't like 'standard' bottles - but she goes well on the "Closer to Nature" ones; I think they're softer, and possibly a different shape. Not sure who makes them - might be Tommee Tippee. Good luck with the weening!
5. Just keep trying. I used watered down apple juice, and slowly kept on watering it down until i was just giving water. good luck
6. You can buy different sized teats with different sized holes. It may be that she gets frustrated because it's too much like hard work? Have a look in Boots or I suppose any chemist would do them also. She could also try holding the bottle real close to her breasts which might coax her a little. Failing this, try cereal with milk to get more liquids inside her such as weetabix or readybrek. Actually, you can put milk on rusks aswell, probably better if warmed a little. Hope this helps a little. Good luck. X
7. Try using a large spout teat rather than a small 'dummy' type teat. It is closer in shape to the breast, which is a real mouthful. That's what my kids had when they were being swapped from breast to bottle. Boots did a fanstastic wide spout which fiiled their mouths like the breast. Good Luck
8. if she is breastfeeding fine then why the pressure to stop???? support your wife and child.....you guys are doing the best thing for your baby by continuing to breastfeed
9. ive never breast fed so i cant say ive had to do it but i know there is teats on the market now that are virtually the same shape as a nipple by avent if all else fails try one of those good luck
10. Shes old enough for a cup now so try that, my son was the same, never had a bottle or dummy. Try different cups until you find one she likes, show her in the shop, they understand more than you think, applaud her even for the tiniest sip and tell her how clever she is, make a huge fuss of her, she will be so happy to please you that she will try it again. please don't put anything on a bottle teat to encourage her, it will do far more harm than good. good luck x
11. My son was the same he would not take a bottle. I breastfeed, but I started a part time job when my son was 2 months old and it was a nightmare as he would not take expressed milk from a bottle at all whilst I was out at work! We tried every make of bottle under the sun, including the "Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature" ones which are supposed to mimic the feel of a breast and he still would have nothing to do with them. The only thing we could eventually get him to drink from was a "soft spout" which clips into the ring of an Avent bottle: http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruOrFindUsing/BruAZOfBrands/BruFeedingAvent/423289 You can use it with or without a little plastic valve, without the valve the milk flows freely and we used to have to "pour" little sips into his mouth as he wouldn't suck from it, lol! Tesco also do a "Bottle to Cup Trainer" which he used to like when he was about 8 months old. He's now nearly 14 months and will drink from a Tommee Tippee cup at last! But still won't touch a bottle, lol!