3.5 month old refusing bottle

[@llli*anhcow266]

Hello All! My 3.5 month old is refusing all bottles. He started off on bottles almost right off the bat because he was a NICU baby and in fact preferred them so much that we had problems with breastfeeding. We started to breastfeed exclusively at 4 weeks of age and now he breastfeeds like a champ. My problem is I have to return to work soon and I am a registered nurse so when I am working I am out of the house for 13 hours (on a good day). I don't want him to hold off until I come home from work, which I have heard of babies doing since that is a long stretch of time to be doing so.
We have tried a lot of strategies: more than a dozen different types of bottles, cold breastmilk, warm breast milk and every temperature in between, daddy bottle feeding while mom is out of the house so baby can't smell mom, karo syrup on the bottle nipple, nothing seems to be working, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[@llli*tclynx]

Hum,
What about a straw cup or sippy cup? 4 months is a little young for it but I've heard of some needing to be fed that way when they refuse bottles.

[@llli*bsua65]

Doidy cups can be used from 4 months or a normal open up could be used too!

Apparently a doidy cup allows them to lap similar to the breast but as with all cups/bottles it is quite child dependent on whether they take to it. Other then it's shape a doidy is quite similar to an open cup. I know babies can cup feed right from newborn.

You could try syringe feeding too maybe? Not sure if there is an upper she limit that this is recommended for. My Lo was syringe fed on the special care unit.

[@llli*tclynx]

Oh those doidy cups look great. I have a 5 month old that I really don't like to let him get bottles much since we had such a terrible time with nursing early on. I don't want to risk extended breastfeeding but I've read bad things about sippy cups (truth is sippy cups are for parents to be able to avoid the mess of baby learning to drink from a cup or spills when traveling.)

[@llli*bsua65]

My daughter uses a doidy (hence me knowing about them) and we like it... Yes she gets wet but I figure it's easy to change clothes, and a bit usually soaks the worst of it! Besides it's all part of the learning experience!

[@llli*bsua65]

I do only use it for sips of water tho... If it were breastmilk I would support the cup so none was wasted

[@llli*tclynx]

I do only use it for sips of water tho... If it were breastmilk I would support the cup so none was wasted

LOL no doubt

[@llli*julienne02]

I have just returned to work this week and had the same issue with both of my sons, now 2.5yrs and 4 mos. With my first one, he ended up liking the cold milk on his sore gums since he was teething and took a bottle after a couple days. This time, however, my son refused it warm or cold for three days straight until my DH went to Babies R Us and bought an Avent sippy cup made for 4 month olds. He finally drank a couple ounces last night and it seems like a great cup. They control the flow, like breastfeeding and unlike a bottle, but it is different enough from a nipple that he seems willing to give it a chance. Many moms who reviewed this cup said it was the only way their BF child would take milk when they weren't there.
Good luck and I hope you find something that works.

[@llli*anhcow266]

Thank you ladies for responding. We have had my lo be bottle fed by my husband each night since my post just to see if he will give in and slowly get used to being bottle fed. He will take the bottle from my husband with some struggle now. We are hoping for continued progress, if not, I may just give the sippy cups a shot. Thank you so much!