Why is my Baby Refusing to Drink in the Milk Bottle?

Breastfeeding or feeding your baby with milk can sometimes be a difficult responsibility to a parent; there can be certain times wherein your baby might deliberately refuse to drink in his or her bottle; although it is certainly normal and nothing to worry about; it can be a troubling situation for a parent.

However, babies are not as fickle as you think they may seem; a baby suddenly refusing to drink from his or her bottle might indicate something is wrong with your feeding skills.

There are many ways to change this but the most important part of parenting is correcting your parenting skills; it is important to take note that the baby refuses to drink on a bottle because there might be something that makes them uncomfortable; if you have detected and worked out what reason it is; then you can help your baby in making them more comfortable in drinking in bottles.

Should I be worried about my baby’s refusal to drink in a bottle?

This should not be a general concern and problem to the parent; however, if you think the baby is losing weight due to refusal of drinking the milk you may consult the doctor for more options; however; in a general sense it is a normal phase for the baby to stop using a bottle; it is not a problem and does no risk to the baby; the only parents who see this as a problem is if the parent is making this a control issue between her and the baby.

Many breastfed babies can be used to sucking on their mother’s nipple that it becomes very hard for them to take the bottle when the time comes; some babies also want to grow early as they want to eat more solid foods than breast milk and it is totally fine.

Why is my baby not drinking in the bottle?

There can be a number of reasons why this happens; most importantly always remember that it happens and it is normal; babies are not able to communicate properly with their parents so their only signal for help is cry or refusal.

Some of the things you should check to determine the baby’s problem are:

• Always check if the temperature of the formula milk you have given is in right temperature; preferably below luke-warm temperature; some babies also like to drink their milk in bottle warm and some babies like it in a room temperature; but always keep in mind that a too-hot milk will certainly make them uncomfortable and cold one would generate unpleasant shivers.
• Also make sure that the teat of the bottle is working properly; you can test this by turning upside down the bottle; by doing that you should be able to see a drop quickly, you can also take note of the baby’s age; if your baby is growing bigger, he or she might need to replace the old bottles with a new one with better and bigger teat; sometimes small teat could actually frustrate your baby.

Read also:  Why Babies Are Making Noises While Breastfeeding?

• Makes sure to check the milk formula’s expiration date; make sure that the formula milk is up to date, fresh and always sealed to prevent any kind of leakage that could result in bad tasting formula milk. Milk can absorb any kind of smell and toxins from inside the house, such as from aerosols, strong perfumes, and spices.
• Check if your baby is feeling well or not, babies who do not want to drink from the bottle may simply don’t want to drink because they are feeling feverish or uncomfortable, check for any symptoms whether it is fever, rash, bruises, viral infections of throat problems, call your doctor immediately if you notice something is not right with your baby, after all, it is difficult to put the safety of your baby into your own hands instead of lending a hand of a medical doctor who knows what he’s doing.
• Also make sure and train your baby to have feeding time an integral part of his or her schedule, some babies tend to be distracted by gadgets, certain loud sounds or visuals in the Television, always make sure that during your baby’s feeding time, every kind of distraction is turned off to ensure a peaceful feeding.

Read also:  Laid-back Breastfeeding Is This The Best Position.

• You can try encouraging your baby to accept the milk bottle by offering a bottle with little amounts of breast milk; reassure them and put trust to them by gently touching them instead of being mad and forcing the baby to drink in the bottle, always make sure they are in a relaxed state; soothe them whenever you can, a relaxed baby will be easier to feed compared to a rowdy and crying one.
• Last but not the least; always be patient and calm yourself down, never ever force your baby to feed in the bottle if he or she doesn’t want to, it may be because he or she is starting to incorporate more of solid chunks of food and he or she is already liking it; it may also be because he or she might want to drink the milk in the bottle, as long as your baby is safe and not doing anything that impedes their safety; let them be. Rest assured that he will drink milk whenever he wants it.

Final notes

If you have made sure that everything that is mentioned above is properly intact but still the baby refuses to drink in the bottle; don’t try to force them to take the bottle away from their sight and make sure to offer them a bottle of milk before or after they eat, it is important to create a sense of demand from them.

If you keep forcing them to drink on the bottle, they will refuse and it would be a bad situation because you are forcing to control your baby, let the worry fade, they will surely want the bottle back after creating a demand, besides they will also feel thirsty after eating so they will probably drink their milk.

Read also:

• How To Transition From Bottle To Sippy Cup
• How To Get Your Child To Hold Their Own Bottle
• Baby Won’t Drink Milk? Tips To Make It Easier For You