Bottle Strikes

For weeks your baby has been taking bottles every few days with no problems, but now suddenly  your baby wants nothing to do with the bottle and screams when it comes close. What happened?!

The first thing to do when this happens is to take a deep breath and remind yourself “my baby took a bottle before, they will again”.

Bottle strikes, just like nursing strikes, happen. There are a variety of reasons they can occur.

-          Your baby is having a growth spurt. During a growth spurt your baby may suddenly decide “why should I take this bottle from someone else if mom is right there?” They also may prefer to nurse.

-          Teething. This is one of the prime culprits for a bottle strike. When your baby teethes it causes pain and pressure in their mouth. Sucking on a bottle can be painful! This may cause them to refuse bottles all together.

-          An off day.  Remember your baby may just be having an off day. They decided hey, today I don’t want that bottle. Today I’d rather just wait for mom.

SSo what should you do if your baby suddenly refuses a bottle?

-First off look for a reason. If teething seems to be the problem try offering something to help with teething pain. An amber necklace, a frozen washcloth, teething toys, or a homeopathic teething remedy are all great options.

-Don’t force things. Just like with a nursing strike they tell you not to force nursing, don’t force the bottle.  Be patient.  The more upset and frustrated you get the more upset and frustrated the baby will get. If you don’t need to offer bottles at this time, take a break. Put them away for a week and nurse and then try again. If you are working and are worried about your baby not drinking milk in the day, look into alternative feeding methods. 

-If your baby has always been a reluctant bottle taker look at the big picture. Is your baby nursing well when you are together? Is the weight gain going well? Some babies do not love bottles and will not drink tons of milk from them.  They will take what they need (sometimes as little as 2 or 4oz) and will make up for things when mom is around.

-If your baby is older, 5 or 6 months, try offering the milk in a sippy or straw cup instead of a bottle.

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