Nipple Racism

Kate... oh dear Kate... these discoveries that we now make... it was Easter when I first noticed this prejudice. We were at my parent's for the day and I had only brought a sippy cup and forgotten a bottle. She typically has a bottle before slumbering. Well, my Mom had a brand new Gerber bottle that had been for Reilly. It had the brownish nipple on it, not a silicon one like many of her bottles (which are old Avent ones - with size 1 nipples and she's 13 months old!). Anyway, we filled the bottle with milk and passed it to her. She turned her head away. I picked her up like I used to before she could hold her own bottle and I held the bottle to her lips - again she refused. I dripped a drop of milk on her lips and she rolled her lips to the inside like you do when someone is trying to stick something in your mouth that you want NOTHING to do with. So, she was thirsty.

This racism was reinforced the past weekend when I again forgot a bottle (hence the self-proclaimed title "mother of the year") and only had a sippy cup at my sister Kate's house. Thankfully, since Connor is recently finished with bottles, there was a spare for Kate to try out. This time silicon nipple - almost an identical match to her pacifier. Since she first refused, I laid her in the pack and play with the bottle of milk. I watched her from behind to see how she dealt with it. She was thirsty so she did try. She touched the nipple with her finger, she pushed it against her lips, she licked the tip... and she threw the bottle down and rolled over.

I'm not sure what her issue is, but I did chuckle at it. She woke up and downed her sippy cup of milk. Clearly I undervalued the varying bottles and cups with Reilly. Someone had recommended we do it, we did and never had a problem - which probably made me think it wouldn't have been a problem to begin with. I think I was wrong.