HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

Why Does A Baby Reject Bottle Feeding?

Hi, my 17.5 week old baby will not take a bottle. I exclusively breast feed. We have been trynig several times with the bottle and she refuses. She did take a couple ounces one time and since then will not. She may play with it in her mouth or else she just gets increasingly frustrated. We have tried myself giving it to her, my husband, we ve tried different bottles and nipples - nothing works. Do you have any suggestions? Also.... I have been told that some babies will go right from breast to sippy cup. Is there any harm in this and how old must she be before we try breast milk in a sippy cup? Is this harmful in any way? Someone told me ia baby doesn t ever use a bottle it can cause speech problems as the muscles of the mouth don t develop proply. Is this true? Thanks!
Wed, 20 Dec 2017
Report Abuse
Pathologist and Microbiologist 's  Response
Hello, thanks for asking on healthcaremagic. It is recommended to exclusively breastfeed a baby uptil 6 months of age and then start weaning foods while continuing to breastfeed. The longer you breastfeed the better it is for the overall child development. Since the technique of feeding from breast and from a bottle is different for a baby, it finds it difficult to easily switch from one to another. Some babies totally refuse bottle if they have been exclusively breastfed before and there s no harm in that. The only thing is that mother finds it difficult to leave the baby with someone else for going to work or elsewhere. What is suggested is to try different nipples and someone other than mother to give the bottle. Since you have already tried all this it seems it wont work. You can start the sippy cup after 6 months along with semisolid foods with a spoon. There is no disadvantage of not using a bottle at all. In fact bottle can cause health problems like diarrhoea since the nipples might harbour bacteria if not cleaned and sterilised properly
I find this answer helpful

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Recent questions on Breastfeeding


Loading Online Doctors....
Why Does A Baby Reject Bottle Feeding?

Hello, thanks for asking on healthcaremagic. It is recommended to exclusively breastfeed a baby uptil 6 months of age and then start weaning foods while continuing to breastfeed. The longer you breastfeed the better it is for the overall child development. Since the technique of feeding from breast and from a bottle is different for a baby, it finds it difficult to easily switch from one to another. Some babies totally refuse bottle if they have been exclusively breastfed before and there s no harm in that. The only thing is that mother finds it difficult to leave the baby with someone else for going to work or elsewhere. What is suggested is to try different nipples and someone other than mother to give the bottle. Since you have already tried all this it seems it wont work. You can start the sippy cup after 6 months along with semisolid foods with a spoon. There is no disadvantage of not using a bottle at all. In fact bottle can cause health problems like diarrhoea since the nipples might harbour bacteria if not cleaned and sterilised properly