Bit of a dim question.

[smurfgirl]

Ok.

My mate breastfed her children, but her husband gave them a bottle at bedtime everynight. I was talking to her recently and she said that she was lucky that they took a bottle because some don't.

So if you breastfeed and they don't take a bottle does that mean you can never leave the baby with someone else?

I know it will change when I have children but that seems a bit scary. Silly question I know.

[MrsBadger]

you can try different bottles/teats, or offer milk in a cup or beaker

and they can actually go for quite a while between feeds - since she was 5m or so if I feed dd before I left for choir at 7pm she'd last till I got home at 10.

[onepieceoflollipop]

Not a dim question. My dd1 never took to a bottle but we didn't try til she was a few months old.

With dd2 (now 6 months) I expressed milk and gave it to her in a bottle (occasionally not every night) from around 6 weeks. She will take a bottle and switch from breast to bottle with no apparent problems. I waited until she was 6 weeks because I wanted to wait til my supply was well established and to minimise her getting confused. However all babies are different so what works with mine may not with yours.

[Sushipaws]

Thats not a dim question, I didn't have a clue about bottles till my dd arrived.

I didn't try dd with a bottle till she was 8 weeks as I'd heard they can get confussed and refuse the breast. By that time she decided she didn't want a bottle at all, it took months to get her to take anything, but we found a bottle that worked for us.

Every baby is different, some are happy to take bottle and some are a bit fussier

[mybabywakesupsinging]

I carefully expressed a bottle for ds1 to have for months - he took them, but weaned onto a cup in the end anyway...couldn't be bothered with ds2, who is now a total bottle refusenik at 9 months. He will take bits of juice/cow's milk from a cup (but not formula or water).
so it is up to the baby, whatever you try