Six months old, feeds happily for me, and refuses every bottle my mother offers

jade_quilt_896626 Apr 2026

My parents look after her two days a week while I'm on leave, so I can catch up on reading and appointments. I leave expressed milk. Until last week she took the bottle from my mother without a fuss. Now she turns her head away, cries, and holds out till I'm back, then feeds as if she's been starving all day. My mother is hurt, though she says she isn't, and keeps asking whether she's doing something wrong. Do I stay nearby so she settles, or leave the house properly? What did you do on grandparent days?

2 comments

ochre_tiffin_221326 Apr 2026
With our son it started around the same age and came and went for a couple of months. What helped was leaving the house completely instead of hovering in the next room. I think he knew I was close and simply waited. Our parents also found it easier once they stopped offering it the moment we walked out. Does your mother try straight away, or wait till she's properly hungry?
jade_pigeon_531127 Apr 2026
Ask your mother to try a different hold, facing outwards or walking about the room, so it doesn't feel like a feed with the wrong person. Ours went from refusing to taking it from his nani in about three weeks. It's hard on grandparents, but it passes.