Help! My 16 week old is refusing the bottle! Post Reply

[Bee - first time mum]

Help! My 16 week old boy has had 1 bottle a day since he was 6 weeks old, he is otherwise breastfed. He feeds well and is a very content baby. In the bottle we alternate breastmilk and formular and have never had an issue with either. 1 week ago he started refusing the bottle. He throws a diva fit and simply refuse to swallow. He have tried all sorts... different bottle, different people feeding him, different places for the feed. Any advice or ideas?

[Abbmun]

I had this four weeks ago with my now 20 week old daughter. Perhaps it's just the age at which they become more aware than bottle is not breast. It took me a week to get her taking a bottle a day again. After a few days of her flat out rejecting it i switched to offering the bottle right after the replacement breast feed. Perhaps as she wasn't then starving hungry she was much happier to give it a go. Another few days of this and I then dropped the breast feed beforehand and went straight to bottle feed. I didn't bother trying different bottles etc. She now takes a bottle a day happily. Good luck!

[Bee - first time mum]

That's good advice - thank you.

[MrsMak]

Been there! All I can add is to check the teat - maybe you need to move to a faster flow?

[TheDanishPastry]

This is slightly odd advice, but i had the same issue with my baby and one day, knowing she wouldn't drink it anyway, I offered her the bottle whilst it was much warmer than the usual temperature. For some odd reason she drank the whole thing in one go and has been happily gobbling since... Good luck.

[Aprilmama]

I managed to get my baby to take a bottle again by distracting him whilst he fed. i stood right in front of the telly with him in my arms - it proved to be enough of a distraction for him to take it! i also think giving it really warm also helps. Good luck!