Been trying to get my 3 week old to take bottles so the wife can get a break and maybe I can actually be useful but he just screams when I try. Wife says he smells me and knows milk isn't coming. Feeling pretty useless right now. Any tips from other dads on how to make this work?
This was my biggest frustration the first month. Have you tried warming the bottle? And sometimes a different nipple flow helps too.
The bottle struggle is real. Pro tip: sometimes it helps if mom isn't in the room. Like they can smell her and just want that instead.
It took a few weeks with our son before he'd take a bottle from me. Don't stress too much about it yet - at three weeks old your wife might still be the preference and that's totally normal. Give it time.
Patience man. It's frustrating but it'll happen. In the meantime your wife probably needs the actual break more than the method of getting it.
Have you tried warming the bottle? Also sometimes letting someone else feed them while you're out of the room helps. Babies can smell mom and want the real thing.
3 weeks is super early, don't sweat it too much. Our son didn't take a bottle from me until like 5 weeks. It just clicked one day and suddenly he was fine with it.
Your wife needs that break though so keep trying. Eventually he'll figure it out. In the meantime maybe she pumps and you do midnight feedings?
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Three weeks is really early. Some babies are just stubborn about bottles. Have you tried different bottle nipples? Sometimes it's just about finding the right one that feels natural to them.