My baby refuses a bottle

Your baby refuses a bottle? don’t worry, we will help you. It is a situation that can happen and that is why our midwifery team has prepared the following post for you. Because you’ve probably wondered why my baby won’t take a bottle, or which bottle is right for my baby? Here are the keys to getting your baby to accept a bottle.

Why does your baby refuse a bottle?

The first thing is to understand what is going on and what stage you and your baby are at to get the best solution to your situation. In addition, it will be key to avoid using a generic bottle and instead opt for a custom-designed Happymami bottle for two main reasons.

If your baby is breastfed, such as a 4-month-old baby who has been exclusively breastfed, and now mum has to go back to work. Your baby will probably be able to recognise what your mother’s breast looks like, its shape, texture and milk flow. To such an extent that he will surely have assimilated the perfect stimulation that your breast exerts on his palate and the pressures he must exert to express milk and feed.

In this situation, if you offer a generic bottle that is totally different from your breast, your baby will probably reject the bottle. Because he is used to his mother’s individual nipple, and the stimulation of his palate with the generic bottle is much greater, so he becomes overwhelmed.

What about the 15-day-old baby who needs supplementation? In this situation we should also prioritise the use of a custom-designed Happymami bottle. Because science warns us, 50% of babies who use a generic bottle lose their breastfeeding. At 15 days of age, breastfeeding is not yet fully established, and using a generic bottle that is different from your breast will cause your baby to suffer from the nipple-nipple confusion factor of the newborn, and you will lose your breastfeeding.

What to do when your baby refuses a bottle?

The first thing to do is to find the exact cause of your baby’s refusal of a bottle and the best solution is to offer him or her the closest thing to breastfeeding. Because your baby is used to your breast, and the more representative your breastfeeding is, the better the result.

So we will have to dispense with the use of generic feeding bottles, the solution being to offer your baby the feeding in a Happymami bottle designed to measure, as well as following the guidelines that you will receive with your Happymami bottle for the first feedings. These guidelines are developed by our midwives based on the age of your baby and the design you make, and will help you to ensure that your baby does not refuse a bottle.

What do I do if my baby won’t take a bottle?

If your baby refuses a bottle, and you are still using a generic bottle, the first option is to switch to a Happymami custom-designed bottle and follow the guidelines we will give you to get your baby to take a bottle. Incluso tenemos un servicio totalmente gratuito para que los casos necesarios, nuestras matronas te harán un seguimiento vía whatsapp para ver las tomas del biberón de tu bebé, buscar fallos y darte pautas para así conseguirlo. We want your baby to take the bottle and protect your breastfeeding as much as you do, that’s why we will always offer you our best.

How do I know if my baby refuses formula?

Just like you, your baby does not like all brands of milk, as each has its own taste. So, if you use formula, the first thing to do is to make sure that you like the milk you have selected for your baby.

To do this, you can offer a little bit first on a spoon, so we can see your baby’s reaction, which can be one of total acceptance or of making a funny face. The latter being a sign that he does not like that type of milk.

If you are not sure whether or not your baby likes the milk you have selected, you should think that he/she does not like the milk and it would be advisable to change the milk for another one, the best option for the first feeds being to use your own milk that we know he/she likes.

How do I stop my baby refusing a bottle?

As we have seen, the most important thing is to avoid using a generic bottle and use a custom designed Hapyymami bottle. This will allow you to make the bottle more representative of your breastfeeding and increase bottle acceptance rates. In addition, you must follow the guidelines that you will receive with your order after purchase.

Design the most representative bottle of your breastfeeding

This now seems obvious, but it is something that has never existed until the advent of the Happymami project. We are mothers and midwives who, during our professional work, have seen how generic bottles often cause the baby to reject the bottle.

Not to mention how many breastfeeds were terminated by the use of the generic bottle. So we set to work on a new bottle concept that would give each individual mother the opportunity to have the bottle most representative of her own breastfeeding.

Also, for your baby, your breastfeeding is perfect, so if you use a bottle that is as representative of your breast as possible, you will increase bottle acceptance rates considerably.

Bottle and nipple materials

A detail to be taken into account is the material the bottle is made of, especially the teat. It is essential that it is as close as possible to the texture of the skin of your mother’s breast.

That’s why Happymami, after an exhaustive search for the best material. We choose to make our bottles, both the teat and the cup, from medical grade silicone. A state-of-the-art material that offers the best experience for your baby’s palate giving the best acceptance result, preventing the “gagging” and “gagging” that other materials can cause.

safe for your baby

Not only do we have to make sure that it is similar to the texture of your breast, but also that it is safe, which is why the state-of-the-art medical grade silicone used for Happymami’s custom-designed bottles has multiple advantages.

A material subjected to strict tests with quality certification (European Standard EN14350, Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 and Royal Decree 847/2011). Tests carried out by the Intertek International Laboratory make it possibly the safest baby bottle on the market.

So with the Happymami bottle we can be sure that it is free from toxins such as BPA, BPS and BPF, which can be found in plastic bottles. Also, if they fall out, as they are made of silicone, they do not break as would happen with glass bottles. All designed to offer the best bottle for your baby with the highest market acceptance.

Steps to stop your baby refusing a bottle

Now that we have a custom-designed Happymami bottle, the next step is to follow the guidelines that will come with your bottle. Please note that these guidelines are based on your design and your baby’s stage of development. And they are to get your baby to accept a bottle. Once bottle-feeding is achieved, there is no need to be so strict with the guidelines.

Sometimes it takes a little longer, but just like your breastfeeding which is now perfect, remember how it was in the beginning, and it wasn’t always as easy as it is now. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but just like your breastfeeding which is now perfect, remember how it was in the beginning, and it wasn’t always as easy as it is now. But with perseverance and patience you have succeeded in establishing breastfeeding.

Well, you are going to achieve the same with your Happymami baby bottle, with attention to detail, and by following the guidelines that you will receive with your design, your probability of success in the acceptance of the bottle will increase exponentially. Now we’re here for you and we’re going to help you get what you and your baby need without affecting your breastfeeding.

Use your own milk

Within the guidelines that you will receive with your Happymami bottle, you will find the type of milk to use, and our recommendation is that you use your own milk for the first feedings. It seems obvious but sometimes we don’t realise that your baby may not like the milk you are using, so offering your own milk is essential.

In addition, we will have to take into account when the milk is from, whether it is frozen or not, as well as the ideal temperature for feeding. And all of this will come to you perfectly indicated with your Happymami bottle.

The best time to bottle-feed

It is generally accepted to recommend that the baby is hungry before offering a bottle, but we do not recommend it. We have helped many mums like you, and the practice is the opposite. Your baby now knows that when he is hungry, to eat is the teat, and does not know that anything else exists, so if he is very hungry, he will be thinking only of his teat, and it is not the time to try anything new, or to make inventions.

Therefore, it is important that your baby is not very hungry for the first feedings, our recommendation is that you offer the bottle 20 minutes before the first feeding, so that your baby is more receptive to discovering the bottle and as long as it is not a feeding after sleeping, as babies are not usually very receptive to these feedings.

In addition, whenever he is crying inconsolably, it is important to stop, calm him down and then try again, or if it is the first feedings, try it at another time. We look for positive associations and if you force him to do something he doesn’t understand, he won’t be receptive to learning what you want to teach him.

Do I give him the bottle or grandma?

Another controversial and culturally widespread issue is the issue of giving a bottle to someone other than mum, because it smells to you. Well… maybe, but it’s not the focus of the problem if you don’t catch it. As we have seen before, your baby now knows that mummy’s boob is for eating, so if I am very hungry, I only think of the boob, and if it is mummy who gives me a bottle, I only want her boob. If it’s grandma who gives me a bottle and I’m really hungry, I’ll only think about mummy’s boob.

After this, our recommendation is to give it to the person who is most convinced of getting it, and who has the most patience. If you are nervous, your baby will probably be nervous too.

Other points so your baby doesn’t refuse a bottle

It is very important that your baby’s nappy is clean, that the room is at the right temperature, and that it is quiet. It also seems obvious, but often it’s not the milk or the bottle that’s wrong… it’s that the baby’s nappy is wet, or that it’s cold at home. That is why we cannot neglect these small details.

Conclusion my baby refuses a bottle

As always, every baby and every circumstance is unique, and you will need to adapt these recommendations to your particular case. In addition, if you need it, our team of midwives, experts in maternity and breastfeeding, will be happy to help you, write to our whatsapp that you will find on the web, and they will study your case and help you to achieve it.

Lots of encouragement, you’re doing great, and above all patience, every day is a small step, and when you least expect it, it will be over, so enjoy the moment.