weaning 4 mnth old onto bottle or solids-which to do first?

[snowfallinthesahara]

ds is 4 mnths old,b/f exclusively.but im under tons of pressure to give him something more 'substantial' like starting him on solids.but i think its better if i wait a month to start solids get him to use the bottle first as
a)im due to start work in sep and will need childcare
b)dh can help out sometimes,atleast when i need to do stuff around the house
prob is,he will just Not take to the bottle(formula or ebm) and just twirls it about in his mouth and then cries and pushes it away!
should i use something else to give him ebm in like a spouted cup or is he too young for thata nd should i persist with the bottle?
really need some help with this!!

[beansprout]

Who is putting you under pressure? What is your view? My ds is 4 months and am not planning to wean him yet, but do appreciate the views that start being offered at 4 months!!!

[colditzmum]

Health care advice says to wait on the solids until baby is 6 months old
Id get the bottle sorted first IMO

[zubb]

snowfall - if you're not starting work till September then you have loads of time to wean your son onto a bottle or cup.
The recommendations are to start solids at 6 months so don't feel pressured into going to solids before you feel ready - if your ds is doing well and you are happy why not review the situation in a months time.
As for the bottle - has your dh tried giving it to him? sometimes it needs someone other than you to do it, and make sure he is hungry when it is first offered.

[tiktok]

Snow, I agree with the advice here. You have six whole months before going back to work - your baby will be on a cup by then.
If your time is scarce because you need to do stuff round the house and feed the baby, can your dh not do the stuff round the house while you feed the baby?

Your baby does not need solids before 6 months.

[californiagirl]

Getting the baby to take the bottle: Have somebody other than you do it, when you aren't around. Try different temperatures, including really cold and warmer than you think it should be -- babies don't always like the temperature you expect, mine won't take milk above room temperature. Try different shapes and speeds of nipples. Unless you really need to use formula, use EBM; it avoids trying to get the baby used to a new taste at the same time, and the evidence is that there's a real difference between babies who have ever had formula and babies that are exclusively breast fed. Just one bottle of formula will change the bacteria in the baby's stomach. It's hardly the end of the world, but it's also not something you want to do unless you need to.

And no, you don't need to give him solids until he's 6 months. It won't help him to sleep, he doesn't need them to grow, and you won't have to nurse him continuously (although he may have a frequent feeding burst about now as part of a growth spurt, it passes)

[snowfallinthesahara]

thank u SO much!tried ebm in bottle and gave baby to mum-in-law and success!!
wat a relief!hope this good luck continues!
however i really wonder Why ds was crying so muchand so uncharacteristicallyon the 3 days i tried giving him baby rice?was it too much for him to handle too soon?
i will wait for atleast another month now,but it does kindof worry u...shdnt he be able to handle baby rice anyway,whats wrong?

[HunkerMunker]

He's probably not ready for the rice yet - don't worry about it, just let him have milk for the next couple of months.

My DS is the same age now that yours will be when you go back to work, and I promise you, he'll be so different then, you'll wonder why you worried about him having a bottle/cup. You'll be worrying about him shinning up things to chew DVDs and whether he really should be playing with the buggy wheels

[tiktok]

How else can your baby tell you she doesn't want or need anythiing but milk at the moment, snow? She is fine without the rice!

[tiktok]

Sorry - 'he' not 'she'

[snowfallinthesahara]

hunkermunker-u put it so well!had a laugh after an exhausting day!
thanx tiktok..for a while there i was actually worried there was something wrong with his digestion as colleague at work who also had an oct'04 baby is giving her ds rice,veggies and singing about it!
feels g8 when u hv some understanding reassurance!