My baby has started rejecting the breast (nursing strike) or refusing the bottle. What's going on and what can I do?

The community frames sudden breast refusal as a temporary 'nursing strike' (sometimes triggered by a vaccine, cold/congestion, or bottle preference) and advises never force-feeding; instead use dream feeds, feeding right after waking in a calm dark room, paced bottle feeding, and patience, while checking for congestion, thrush, or an outgrown bottle-nipple size.

Community Answers from Moms(6)

Here's what moms in our community shared based on their own experience.

1. 1

   Sudden breast refusal is often a nursing strike and usually temporary; several moms saw it after the 6-week vaccine. Never force-feed, as that worsens it. It can take around 10 days to resolve. Babies often still feed at night or while drowsy, so dream feeds help.

2. 2

   Calm-feeding tricks: feed in a quiet, dark room right after the baby wakes; offer a pacifier to soothe, then remove it and immediately put the baby to the breast so they latch; or try side-lying feeding.

3. 3

   To take the edge off hunger, give a small amount (10-20 ml) in a bottle first so the baby stops crying, then move them to the breast to finish the feed.

4. 4

   Check for causes: nasal congestion (use nasal drops about 5 minutes before feeds so the baby can breathe), or thrush (a very white tongue that doesn't wipe clean plus nipple pain) which can create aversion.

5. 5

   For bottle refusal or chewing the bottle nipple, the baby may have outgrown the nipple size — go up a size (the number of drops on the carton indicates flow, go by number not months). Some babies simply develop a strong breast preference and refuse expressed milk in a bottle.

6. 6

   Always use paced bottle feeding and the slowest appropriate flow so the baby doesn't come to prefer the easier bottle over the breast. Don't force; many babies return to the breast gradually, especially at night.