“My baby won’t take a bottle,” are words that have come out of my own mouth, and boy was it stressful. Get 11 incredible tips to help your breastfed baby take a bottle. Plus, the best bottles for breastfed babies.
What to Do When Baby Won’t Take A Bottle!
I can still remember the stress, anxiety, and absolute overwhelm when I was a mother for the first time 7 years ago and I realized: my baby won’t take a bottle.
Before Sam’s arrival, I was both excited and nervous to breastfeed. I’m a pediatric occupational therapist and already knew a thing or two about feeding babies.
But, because I’m type A, I read everything I could from a mother’s perspective to make sure I did everything “right”. I felt like there were endless stories from everyone around me that breastfeeding just didn’t end up working out for them.
That was the last thing I wanted, so with my first child, I followed all the rules and was so relieved when it was obvious very early on that he was going to have no trouble nursing at all. What I didn’t expect was that my sweet little breastfeeding champ would refuse to take a bottle for 12 months, which was the entirety of our nursing relationship.
I’ll admit that, at some point, I stopped trying and lived with crazy work schedules and feeling completely helpless.
I’ve learned a lot since then, I had two more kids that DID take bottles and could switch between being bottle fed and nursing just fine, as long as I wasn’t around.
Combining all my mom experience between these three babies that nursed for a year, and all my pediatric occupational therapy tricks from helping other moms, I’ve got you covered with 11 tips that will serve as your guide for exactly how to get a breastfed baby to take a bottle.
Before we get to that though, you must understand why the heck your baby is refusing a bottle in the first place.
My Baby Won’t Take a Bottle… Why?
I’ll tell you first off that it’s probably not because they are having a hard time latching or because they can’t get the mechanics of the thing. Sucking from a bottle is actually easier than latching onto you. A breastfed baby that is refusing the bottle is doing so because they likely:
- Don’t like the feeling of the artificial nipple in their mouth, it’s just so foreign to them!
- Associate eating so strongly with you that they don’t understand or want the bottle substitute
- Have had a negative experience with taking the bottle (least likely)
And, of course, it could be a combination of all three. I’m big on getting to the “why” of the problem because it often gives you a lot of direction in the “how” to fix the problem, it’s the OT in me. So, let’s talk about a few warning signs for each of the reasons above, while you promise me that you won’t stress too much over figuring this out!
How to get to the bottom of the bottle refusal mystery:
Signs that your baby doesn’t like the feeling of the bottle are that they spit it out the second it touches their mouth or even gag, especially when they do this in the first few months. This can happen with older babies that have learned that you’re trying the bottle AGAIN. In this case, they will immediately communicate to you that they aren’t interested by spitting it out instantly. Babies that are bothered by the bottle texture usually refuse pacifiers too!
Signs that your baby has had a negative experience with taking a bottle are that they were taking the bottle well and then stopped suddenly. While a baby can refuse if a long period of time has lapsed since they were given a bottle, it’s unusual for it to happen overnight. I also want to make sure I clarify, what a negative experience is. Depending on the baby, it can be anything from the flow being too fast, gagging/throwing up while taking a bottle, or taking a bottle from someone that keeps taking it in and out of their mouth.
Signs that your baby just wants you, is basically when you’ve ruled out the other two reasons, and this is probably the MOST common culprit for bottle refusal. I’m quite sure it was with my first son. These babies will often seemingly accept the bottle for a little bit but just won’t latch, they only protest once it becomes obvious that you aren’t going to quit trying.
So, while you may not be able to be sure exactly why your baby won’t take a bottle, it is definitely worth putting some thought into because it will help you decide where to focus your efforts when you read the following list…
11 Tips for the Breastfed Baby Refusing a Bottle
1. Start early
I can bet that for most of you this ship has already sailed. Likely, if you’re here reading, it’s because you’re already in a pickle, but if you happen to be reading this article in advance, I must tell you that I personally think it’s tremendously helpful for parents to start offering a bottle within the second or even first week, if you want to be proactive.
However, I do want to mention that the Le Leche League recommends waiting longer before introducing.
But here’s the thing, and I learned this lesson the hard way, for some babies, the bottle is often so foreign and confusing to a baby that they won’t take to it. I’m fairly certain that is the main reason my oldest never took a bottle. I would suggest that if you do offer the bottle very early on, that you don’t try again until the next day, you do want to keep breastfeeding as the primary means for feeding. Keep a close eye on how much you’re using the bottle in these early days to not jeopardize breastfeeding!
2. Have someone else give the bottle (not you!)
Sounds simple, but it can make a HUGE difference. I was only able to give my second child a bottle a few times and my third would only take it from others, which was fine. Your baby can smell you and even though they are so tiny, they know that with you around, they can have what they prefer: YOU. This is a great opportunity for your partner or family members to bond feeding the baby. (That’s my husband feeding James in the picture at the top!)
One caveat here though is that while you’re trying to establish your baby taking the bottle, you may want to have someone with a little experience do the job, at least at first. My third son needed the motherly intuition and experience from my own mom to get started, even though my husband had fed our second child, he didn’t know how to troubleshoot a bit to get his new son going. After my mom broke him in on a few bottles and gave him some tips for what was working, my husband and son did great.
3. Quiet please
Going to a quiet, non distracting, and relaxing location can make a huge difference. Before someone attempts to give your baby a bottle, have them go to this location for a few minutes and let them be rocked or swayed for a few minutes so they are nice and relaxed. In a calm and gentle approach, the bottle can be offered. This was a key trick that worked like a charm for my third baby. By the time he arrived, our house was pretty loud and chaotic with two older brothers, it was something I had taken for granted because this loud house was our normal and I thought a little baby wouldn’t be bothered by it.
4. Find the magic, “just hungry enough” window
It may make sense to try and give your baby a bottle when they are starving. Common sense would lead us to believe that they are so desperate to eat at this point that surely they’ll just give in and accept the bottle. This often does NOT work. Taking the bottle is a new experience for your baby, one they need to concentrate on and allow to happen. When they are starving, they just haven’t got the time. A better time to try is when you can see they are hungry, but not starving.
You won’t want to try too early though either, because if they aren’t hungry enough, they won’t be motivated to take it. It may take some experimenting, but finding the “just right” window of being hungry enough, but not too hungry could lead to bottle success.
5. Get them in position
While some babies do really well when they are held the exact same way to take a bottle as when you breastfeed them (and I’d definitely try that first), you will want to try different positions if that doesn’t work. Think outside the box here, you never know what is going to work. My second son would sometimes like to take a bottle while facing outwards away from the bottle giver.
6. Leave the house
Yup, you may need to actually leave the house or at least go to another level of your home or lock yourself in a room for some time – that doesn’t sound so bad, right? I wouldn’t do this until you have had some bottle success. I tried this with my first son and just figured he and dad will figure it out. I came back from shopping 2 hours later to find them both exhausted and defeated. My husband had never given a baby a bottle before and I just left! Keep in mind that your baby hearing, seeing, and smelling you can sabotage anyone’s attempts to give them a bottle.
7. Try different bottles
Notice this is tip number 7! I think this is usually the first thing most moms try, and for good reason, but I would try the other suggestions first, before you spend a small fortune. However, there is something to be said for a bottle that your baby prefers. I’d recommend trying 1-2 bottles at a feeding time, and only purchasing 3-4 different types to use. You can find my favorite bottles for breastfed babies in the next section.
8. Experiment with flow
Sometimes you just need to change the nipple flow. Some babies need a really slow flow to accept a bottle and others may like something faster if you have a strong let down, as a slow flow nipple will just aggravate them. Just be careful of your babies age with a fast flow nipple because while they may prefer it, they may not be able to handle it. It takes a lot of coordination to swallow milk coming in quickly, and if they don’t get it just right, they could aspirate, which is when liquid gets into their lungs – not a good thing.
9. Use a pacifier
I know that pacifiers get a very bad rap, especially in the breastfeeding community, and there are some really valid points, but when your baby is 4 months and under, a pacifier may help them get used to having something different being in their mouth. I wouldn’t use it all the time, but if your baby seems bothered by the feeling of a bottle, a pacifier can help desensitize them when used a couple of times during the day.
10. Keep trying
Seems obvious, but it’s so easy to throw in the towel, like I did with Sam. Using the tips above consistently over time can make a HUGE difference in your baby eventually taking a bottle! If it’s important for your baby to take a bottle, then try once a day!
11. Worse case scenario – use a syringe, cup, or spoon
I will be totally honest and tell you that I have never used this technique, but I know, in some instances, it is necessary. I would only try this if all else fails and you are left with no other choice. Le Leche League has some great recommendations for alternative ways to get your baby fed here.
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Best Bottles for Breastfeeding
There are dozens of bottle options out there, which can get overwhelming fast. Any one of them *may* work, but some tend to get the job done a little better when your baby is refusing. The following list are bottles that have worked in my home and/or some of the families that I’ve worked with.
- Tommee Tipee (shown above) – These bottles designed for breastfeeding babies are my personal favorite and what I used with my second two sons, that actually took a bottle (I never tried this type with my oldest). They are affordable and have a stretchy nipple which replicates yours!
- Medela – I love these because you can go right from pumping to giving a bottle with little fuss if you have a Medela pump. We had some success with these in my home and I know many other families that have. These nipples have a much smaller base and some babies prefer that to the wider type bottles.
- Mimijumi – The Cadillac of breastfeeding bottles because they closely resemble the look and feel of a breast. I have personally never used these, but some of the families I’ve worked with have loved them.
- Dr. Brown’s Wide Neck – Dr. Brown’s bottles are popular, and for good reason. Their anti-gas system is built in and works great for a lot of colicky babies. I’ve known a lot of breastfeeding babies that accept these bottles and there’s a special line designed for breastfeeding babies.
- Comotomo Natural Feel – These weren’t even on my radar two years ago, but if they had been, I would have given them a try. This nipple and shape also mimics the breast, but they feature this really cool silicone bottom that’s incredibly functional. There’s a cool demo video on Amazon.
When the Time Comes to Stop Breastfeeding
I want to end this post with a resource for you about how to stop breastfeeding when you are ready. I’m not going to tell you when you should do that, but I will say I breastfed all my babies to 12-14 months old and it was a wonderful experience for me. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends 12 months of age, but for a variety of reasons, that isn’t always possible. When you and your baby are ready, you’ll want to head over to my Stopping Breastfeeding How-To post. If you’re nowhere ready for that, make sure you pin it for later!
Now that you have a few tricks up your sleeve to get your breastfed champ taking a bottle, too, make sure you stop back and let me know what worked. And if you have any other tips, PLEASE share them, so many people read the comments and you just never know who you will be helping!
Did you pin it?
This is the kind of post you’re probably going to want to reference again, pin it, so you know just where to find it!
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 14 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
My son is 4 months old and has never taken a bottle. He will have the teat in his mouth but just chews it. Does that sound more like he just wants to feed from me or he just doesn’t like the texture?
I don’t have anyone else who can try and give him a bottle on a regular basis so it’s got to be me. I absolutely love breastfeeding but I need some freedom every now and again.
X
I hear you, it’s probably more that the texture is confusing to him, he doesn’t know what to do with it! He also may prefer to snuggle with you.
hi! my baby is turning 4 months old and been refusing bottle too. may i know if your baby has taken a bottle now? if yes, how did you do it? thank you so much in advance!
Hi, I am having difficulties in feeding my baby through bottle, there’s nothing cmming out of my breast anymore. I have tried different kinds of bottles but it didn’t work, but if I let him drink water from the bottle he would take it. What should i do?
In this case, I’d definitely check with your dr, and I’d also keep offering water all the time! I’d focus on formula, depending on his age as well. Having somebody else give it to him may be helpful.
Hi! My 5 week old is constipated and gaining weight very slowly. Our GP prescribed Movicol to be given but my daughter is refusing the bottle. I have tried all of your tips and am not having much luck (I think part of the issue is the Movicol alters the taste of my milk because she has taken an occasional bottle before but now suddenly won’t).
I’m worried about her getting ill and we’re not seeing her Paediatrician for 3 more days.
Do you please have anything you could suggest for getting powdered medicine into a breastfed baby?
Thanks in advance x
Hey Jo,
So sorry you are going through this. If she is refusing the bottle and is not drinking any fluids, I’d reach out to your pediatrician sooner. You may need to work up to adding the medicine slowly (increasing amounts up to what she needs) if it is altering the taste to much, but this would need to be discussed with your pediatrician and follow their advice.
Best,
Desiree
hi my baby is been on NG feeds since he was 4 month old and got breathing problem now he well and healthy 10 month old.he is not taking any bottle because before tube he is always been breastfed.transition is very hard i obviosly dont want him to lose any weight i have tried almost everything ,he’s still not taking it.he’s weaning very well and gaining weight[ thanks to ur higt calories plan]but still they have to have lots of milk plzzzz help
Hi Sarah, I replied to Jessie but it may help you too. Try a bottle called Minbie, it worked for us. My daughter was also breastfed exclusively. She was 4months when we finally heard about it and she’s now 5months we’re still using it and have bought other nipples for future as well. Look into it, hope it helps! Worked for us on first try, very happy.
Please HELP! I am a mother of 2 boy and one girl. My daughter just truned 1 years old this month. She has never took to the bottle. It was very stressful for this whole year. She always had to have me around her. I have tried everything and i have done everything. She just never accepted it. Well now that she is 1 years old i am slowly trying to wean her. Yet again i am in the same situation! She will not take my brestmilk in a sippy cup or whole milk. Here is the crazy part! She will drink water only from her cup. Help! I feel like i am going to be breastfeeding forever!!!
Oh, it’s so hard! Are you wanting to avoid cow’s milk (I totally get it if you are), but if not, you may want to offer that since it’s a totally different taste!
She will not drink whole milk she gags every time. The only thing she will drink out of her cup is water. She won’t even drink my breastmilk. Of course I want her to get her milk though so I’m continuing to breastfeed at night and early mornings.
That’s okay, I’d check with your dr for nutritional concerns and if she needs to fill in any gaps with other forms of dairy as you wean. You could try mixing it with almond or cashew milk if those nuts have already been introduced to her diet.
Hi, I started googling how to get infant to drink from bottle since a co-worker mom confided to me today. I read your comment and this is not only for you but for others. When my daughter was born, she had a very hard time drinking any milk, formulas, etc. I put her on goat’s milk. We went to a farm who had goats. I sterilized bottles, nipples, etc., I strained the goats milk just in case of any goat hairs(the farm did this prior) but I wanted to make sure. I also let the doctor know so he could prescribe certain vitamins to add to the goats milk. Goat’s milk is the second best thing to breast milk. Hope this helps! When my daughter was over a year, I did put her on carnation formula. Hope this helps and good luck! Also, you can buy goat’s milk powder in a health food store (Meyers) you add baby water and pour into ice cube trays to freeze. While your at work, defrost a few cubes to add up to the ounces your baby needs. Make sure you add vitamins and blend before freezing. My daughter is now in her twenties and has a degree in biology..just saying. 🙂 Plus buy the nipples recommended from others.
Hi Jessie, I am a mom myself with a 10yesr old a new 5month. I had same issue. I had given my daughter a bottle when she was born when I went out but then stayed at home a while without going out and about a month went by. Long story short she didn’t want to take the bottle any more. I tried many things, nipples, other bottles. My cousins mon gave me a tip to get a bottle called “Minbie” … I purchased it and my daughter took it on first try (she was 4months) I was saved and so happy. Try it, hopefully it helps! I didn’t find any referrals to it online in my searches so now I make sure if u see people struggling that I mention.
This is a very good article. I just wish I could pay someone to come make my baby take the bottle!!🤦🏻♀️ We are at 3 1/2 months old and have taken then bottle around 1 month old and then I stopped offering it just because nursing is much simpler. I could kick myself for doing this because now she will NOT take it. And we have tried everything! Multiple bottles, my mom trying for a few days, I have left the house several times, we even let her go for awhile without me nursing her to see if she would get hungry enough to take it. I start back to work in 2 weeks and am so scared she’s not going to get it! What do I do? Do you offer the bottle all day or just once? ANY suggestions would be appreciated!! At my wits end here….
Exactly in the same situation! 2.5 months old, used to take bottle before and i just forgot the bottle for a couple of weeks and now she WONT take it :(. I have to go back to work in 2 weeks too. Good luck!
Oh I’ve been there Anna! I know it’s so hard. I’d offer the bottle at regular intervals, every 2 hours or so. I’d also experiment with different bottles, especially the ones that are designed for breastfeeding babies.
Anna, I had the same issue. Try a bottle called Minbie, worked like a charm for us. Look I to it!
Hi Nadia,
Do they ship yo the US? it doesnt seem like it 🙁 and im desperate. My 4 month old will not take a bottle, ive spent so much money and she just wont take any that ive bought.
Hi I am a mom of five beautiful kids breastfed all and my youngest is now 4 1/2 months older and I have returned to work. He took the bottle before now screams all day till I get there after 4 in the afternoon too nurse. I feel like such a failure as a mom. He is white as a sheet when I get there. Nose and eyes bloodshot from crying😓
Oh no, I’m so sorry! First of all you’re not a failure!!! Don’t tell yourself that story because it is not true. He needs some help! Have the daycare workers tried feeding him from a sippy cup or even a spoon? I’d definitely consult your doctor and see if they have lactation consultants to help you troubleshoot!
My daughter has just turnt 4 months. I breast feed all of my 3 children, up until I dried out around 6months. My 3rd is point blank refusing to take to the bottle at all. I’ve tried everything! I can’t get her to take to a dummy but that’s fine by me, my 1st born never had a dummy. I’ve spent a small fortune on bottles, she doesn’t like the texture or the teats. I’ve tried formula milk and breast milk and she just spits it out.
Exclusively breastfed until 2 months old (I started work again) then my husband fed her pumped milk bottles on my work days. Now she drinks both breastfed & bottle no problem. I feel like my saving grace was giving her a pacifier when she was about 5 days old. I didn’t want to because of recommendations, but she latched on very well breastfeeding I felt comfortable she figured it out. During the first week meltdown I think the pacifier was the only thing that stopped the insane amount of crying as a newborn just out of the hospital. I used MAM pacifiers & bottle/nipples. Now I will supplement a bottle of formula every so often if he runs out of my milk (Gerber Good Start Gentle Step 1). No issues so far. I read everything but at the end of the day i relied on my instincts on what my baby could or couldn’t do.
Hi! This was a very great article. My baby is 4 months old and took almost a month to get to take the bottle at daycare. Wish I’d read this sooner. Any tips on daycare vs home bottle feeding? My baby is now taking the bottle from the daycare provider, but refuses it still at home? Why would she do this?
So frustrating, but she probably prefers to nurse and when you’re around it may be her way of demanding it!
This is really helpful article specially the new mom. I am waiting for my first one. When i will face this kind of problem i will must follow your tips. Thanks for the sharing and keep posting like this helpful article.
This website was helpful for me as I tried to get my 3 month old to re-learn how to drink from the bottle. Using the distraction method of going outside, having him look at he fan or tv, bouncing him as we walked around the house, etc worked to get him comfortable with the bottle in his mouth. He wasn’t figuring out how to suck correctly until we tried the Gerber Latex faster flow nipples. The latex was softer than other silicone nipples were and the faster flow better mimicked my letdown that he’s used to while breastfeeding. I think the slow flow wasn’t enough for him to know that he needed to suck to get the milk out. These nipples were the best option and would be worth a try! We tried a lot of different bottles and these were the ones that finally worked!!
Hi Alisha,
I first gave my baby a bottle at 4 weeks with breast milk to practice for a road trip we were about to go on in a week. Like your baby she took really well to breastfeeding early on. She took the bottle when she was hungry. Everything was fine. Once in a while she would have pumped milk. But my mother in law kept encouraging me to give her formula once she turned 3 months. And since she is the one that watches her when I have to go out for quick errands I gave in. She hated formula from the first time she tried it and never drank more than an ounce of it out of desperation. So this happened occasionally for about two months. I finally decided to start pumping and leaving some milk for her when I am out. My baby is 5 1/2 months now and she won’t take that either! My mother in law tried giving it to her when she was watching her and she fell asleep without drinking anything. I feel so defeated. Especially because I have an operation coming up and I won’t be able to nurse her for 6 hours.
I feel like this is the negative association you were talking about and I’m upset at myself for going with the formula when I know she doesn’t like it.
Do not beat yourself up, this is such a learning experience and every baby is unique. You are doing such a great job! Is she starting to eat baby foods soon? It might work to just feed her cereal with your breast milk when you are gone for short errands. As for your operation, I’d definitely have milk pumped and I would keep trying beforehand and after the surgery. She also may be able to take it from a spoon while she’s sitting in her height chair. Wishing you the best!
1st time dad and my wife just went back to work as a nurse. so she works fri-sun all 12 hour days leaving me to care of our girl for the weekends. my first day on was last sunday and in the nicest way possible. it did not go well. the entire morning was her crying and screaming but she just would not take the bottle. i did eventually find some success when we walked around outside (very nice day out). but as its going to be cold here this weekend, i cant exactly try the same strategy . i felt very discouraged by the end of the day and am worried about 2 days in a row of not being able to get her to eat.
Sorry I am just getting to this now, I hope everything went well over the weekend. Sometimes you have to just keep trying different things and using the strategies in the article.
Hello Jackie,
Sorry to hear you’re going through it too. It’s really rough. We tried everything possible and the only bottle our daughter would occasionally tolerate there was the comotomo, (it was actually sort of soft, unlike all the rest we tried) and only if she was not hungry already.
best approach i found was 1) to not trick her, but rather to let her play with it. touch the outside, feel how it’s different than mom. she wants to put everything in her mouth anyway. one of the points in the article was to put her in another position and mom not be in the house. that helped. 2) since she wouldn’t always suck on it, i ended squirting it in her mouth until she sucked on it and she actually drank more that way! probably not a mom-approved method but sometimes she’d drink 3oz or so
she adapted to the spoon quickly, but only got an ounce and took forever
it was enough to get her by until mom would get home. it just forced us to move onto solid foods sooner. Lesson learned next kid..
My son is 5 weeks old and I have started giving him bottle since yesterday, he took it instantly the first time, finished 1 oz in 1 min! but he is playing with the milk or spitting part of it out while sucking (am giving the newborn flow Philips Avent 1 hole teat still I feel the flow is fast for him and that maybe the reason he is spitting milk out). But 4 out of 5 times, he takes the bottle only for 30 seconds and the starts crying and turns his head to look for my nipple, or else he just clamps his mouth shut, and if I still make him feed, he vomits the milk out. Please help. I dont want to stop breastfeeding but I do want an option to bottle feed when I am tired or busy or when I need to feed him the expressed milk
Oh I know this is so hard! I wouldn’t force it, and would check with your doctor about the flow they recommend. But, I’d try to have someone else give it to him. It will take time, but consistency is key.