**Help please! want to wean 5mth old off breast onto bottle...how?***

[VoodooFig]

Hi people.

Ihave bf dd exclusively for 5 mths, she refuses dummies and has never never had a bottle.

Now I have an awful bacterial infection in my left nipple, I have decided to finish bf and wean onto bottles. (I was going to at 6mth anyway)

I have no equipment and no idea.
Come on you MNetters...what do you think?

[fortyplus]

Nipple shields can be effective if dd latches on 'deeply'. Just an idea. Anyway, to answer your question...
Maybe start with breast milk in a bottle - that way you won't be introducing formula at the same time as stopping bf. It might be really easy - mine thought that bottles were wonderful - not nearly such hard work as the boob! They both had top up feeds of formula from about 4 months and stopped bf of their own accord at 7 months.
You'll miss the convenience of bf, though! If you want to carry made up formula around you need something to keep it cool.
If you use sterilising solutions then rinse teats & bottles thoroughly or your dd may get thrush in her mouth.
Teats come in different speeds - allowing a slow, medium or fast flow of milk. You might need to experiment a bit with that.

[fortyplus]

Sorry - posted thread before sending you good wishes for an easy changeover and a rapidly healing nipple (OUCH!)

[VoodooFig]

thank you 40+

hv just told me to stick to spoon feeding breast milk and dont use bottles at all as will cause nipple confusion? I told her that was the idea, to save the nipples before they get munched off??!
she said to try a sippy cup thing and avoid bottles altogether.. (she doesnt seem to listen to me)
and not to give any baby rice till closer to 6mths, as she is only just 5mths.
but dd seems starving hungry, and I am trying to feed off one boob only...


GAHHHHH! this kind of stuff is supposed to be easy! It is so frolicking hard!!!!

[KTeepee]

How about continuing to BF on the right side, so you still have the convenience when you are out and about, etc. Then introduce bottles of expressed milk/formula to top up?

I did this with my youngest at 4 months when I developed a bad abscess on one side. Did not cause any nipple confusion though took him a while to get used to the bottles. Ended up using Playtex disposable system as it was the only one he took to - no need to sterilise these ones either which is a plus imo.

Get someone else to give your dd the bottles too to start of with, so she doesn't smell you and try holding off for a BF.

Come to think of it, googling the Playtex bottles was how I found Mumsnet!

[Notyummy]

My dd wasn't too keen on bottles at first; she is still exclusively breast fed at 19 weeks but gets 1 bottle of ebm per day. Tryher with size 1 or 2 teats first to avoid her taking to much and spluttering/chokeing. Get someone else to feed her and ask them to warm the teet, as it feels nicer for them when they are used to a warm boob! Also, what worked for us was trying again and again at feed time, but when she got really worked up, putting the bottle down, soothing her, and retrying when she was not hysterical....she seemed more likely to take it when she was really hungry, but not if she was crying.tbh, persistence is the key. My dh was brilliant and v patient. Once she takes it, keep going everyday or she will forget what to do with it and refuse again. Good luck!

[VoodooFig]

good thoughts


I have just looked at these disposable bottle liner things for storage?

playtex? anyone used these?
I think I will continue to feed off the right and xpress from the left ...