Getting baby to take a bottle

Ashley is 6.5 months old and breastfed. We haven't had any success in getting her to take a bottle with either EBM or formula in it. This hasn't really been an issue. However, for reasons I'd prefer not to discuss, I really need to her take a bottle.

Does anyone have any tips on how we can help her to accept it?

She takes a sippy cup but will only drink water from it...ironic!

I dont really know Fiona, as my kids took to the bottle right away, and bella goes breast to bottle no issues.
Have you tried a few different bottles??

If I were you I would just keep trying, keep on and on at it, she *should* eventually take a bottle.

What does she do? Cry and push it out, or not suck? etc

Edited by MamaS

We also tried a few different bottles till we has success with the Tommee Tippee closer to nature ones. Even then he took a few tries to get it exactly right.

My DD would just play with the bottle to and push the teat out with her tongue. What worked for us was offering the bottle in the morning after 10 - 11 hours sleep, so she was hungry, plus DH gave it to her while I took the dog for a walk. I would have got up 30 mins before her and expressed the milk, we just kept doing this every morning for awhile and she was soon drinking the whole bottle with no protest. I think the combination of her being hungry, me being out of the house and the milk being as close to fresh out of the boob as possible all played a part. Sometimes having the TV on or other distraction helped her to take the bottle as well. Before long she would take the bottle whenever, wherever from myself, DH or my Mum and would also take formula after awhile.

In regards to the bottles/teats we ended up using the Avent after trying the TT closer to nature and Nuk, the Nuk was successful once and then never again??? Sometimes they say if your baby takes a dummy try and go with   a teat that is similar to that.

Oh and DD will still not drink milk from a sippy cup as far as she is concerned only water goes in the cup!

Our longest stretch at night is now 5 hours max so she is never really hungry now. She often won't take a feed until 10am as she has fed all night.

However, thanks ladies...some good ideas so I'll give them all a go.

Thank you :)

I never managed to get James to take a bottle. Like you, he would drink water out of a sippy cup but not milk (we are only JUST getting him to drink milk from a sippy cup now...if its flavoured ) He wouldnt take EBM or formula from a bottle....but would take a small amount of water.

I didnt persevere but I did start giving him a bottle with water in it to play with so he got used to it. I was also told to try a dream sleep with the bottle...but I have never liked dream sleeps (too scared I'd wake them).

In the end, James only needed it for one day a week and I decided he could like it or lump it....he lumped it and drank water then sucked me dry that night.

I'll keep trying from time to time but have renewed faith in my ability to exclusively breastfed (well, she has solids but YGWIM). Thanks Bizzy and Emma. You rock.

Good thread. Jackson is exactly the same. He out right refused to take anything from a bottle (EBM included). I do offer him water in his bottle now which he does drink but goes between playing with the teat to doing little sucks etc.
Even if Dh feeds him he does the same thing.

We are using Avent bottles, but I havent tired other teats. Perhaps I will give that a go (thanks for the suggestion).