Weaning from breast to bottle

[EMMABEESMUM]

Hi everyone I am new here and have been reading all the conversations about weaning from breast to bottle. The only thing is my dd is only nearly 5 months and everyone else with this problem seems to have alot older babies.
I am going back to work in 2 months time and to be really honest with you I just don't want the hassle of expressing so I would like her to go on to formula.
My major problem at the moment is she refuses to take a bottle, I have tried to give her a bottle, my husband has, and so has my mother and she still refuses. We have tried her with bottles of formula and expressed milk, she still wont take it.
Any suggestions?

[hercules]

I found at this age that dd wouldnt take a bottle from me and I had to be out for her to take it from dh. She never accepted ordinary bottles and we found the playtex system a godsend.

[aloha]

No real advice except not to panic, two months is a long time in baby-world and she will be a very different baby then. I'd probably leave it for a while and definitely don't let it spoil the lovely time you have with her now. At six months she may well take a cup, not a bottle anyway.

[Catilla]

Hi EBM,

My main suggestion is not to get too worried about it. A couple of months ago I was in the same situation - return to work looming, baby absolutely refusing bottle, and to top it all he's allergic to milk so has to have a special formula that tastes grim so who could have blamed him for turning it down!

Anyway here we are, back at work, settled at nursery, and positively opening mouth and grabbing for bottle, downing 8oz in about 2mins, 3 times a day! He is still a bit funny sometimes, doesn't always take milk at nursery, but I have nearly wound the bf down to nothing now, he gets bottle in the morning and bottle before breast in the evening (plus plenty of solids now).

SO, I hear you asking, how did you get there? Basically keep on trying and be open-minded! I did have quite a determined period of trying where I offered the bottle first at all the daytime feeds (kept morning/night calm & cuddly with breast only). But I didn't push it or leave him to get really upset (tried that a couple of times but made no diff). I tried some different cups as well as the bottle and I tried both formula and ebm (and mixture of both).

One great breakthrough was when he realised that the bottle could fill him up ie. make him feel better when he was uncomfortable (hungry). But of course he only found that after lots of attempts. Sometimes it seemed there was never a right time for the bottle - he was either too full, too hungry or too tired. But that's why you just have to keep on offering it. And accept you will throw lots away!

I did express a bit but never got huge quantities. I know you said you don't want the hassle of expressing - but when my ds started nursery he would take ebm fairly reliably but was still funny about formula and not taking water or much solids. So I gave them a backup bottle of ebm every day for about 4 weeks just to reassure me/them in case he got very upset. They only used it a few times and his solids intake upped quite well so now it's not so important if he doesn't take much milk during the day.

I'm sorry for waffling on - I do hope this gives you some hope! As Aloha says, your dd will change so much in these two months you'll look back and wonder why you were worried! If I can help any more please feel free to CAT me.

[hermykne]

ebm
aka expressed breast milk
my ds would not take a bottle, even for just one feed to allow his wrecked mum a visit to the shops! teehee
but at about 5 and 1/2 6 mths he got curious and just starting playing with t, i gave it to him at non feed times, so he got use to it in a diff context, if you get my jist.
now he is so so with it but will take it if he is very hungry so maybe stretch her feeds maybe the morn to lunch one and see how it goes

[tegansmummy]

hi emmabeesmum,
this week i decided to get my six month onto the bottle. so monday i went out and bought avent bottles and sma progress formula. on tuesday i gave her breast for her first morning feed. i didnt give her her usual creamed porridge so she would get hungry. i then offered her only the bottle when she was hungry throughout the day and she finally got that hungry she took 14oz at half 4 in the afternoon. it is now day 3 of giving the bottle and she is taking it no bother at all now. i am expressing as well. i know it may seem cruel to starve her but it was the only way. i had to stay focused and not give in and give her the breast.
good luck and remember to be strong and that you will win the battle

[buba]

I went back to work 5 months after my DD was born and she refused to take a bottle. She had baby rice and drank water from a cup, I still fed her myself in the morning and at night. She was fine and we've never looked back. She's never had a bottle and now takes the cup and drinks from it confidently herself. Try not to worry too much about it.

[moondog]

My mother suggested I put my index finger under ds's chin when trying to get him to take a bottle of EBM. An old trick she was taught in the 60's.
Really worked!!

[hollybelle]

I tried to give my dd a bottle at 5 months but she wasn't keen, I persevered and eventually she took it. Have you tried the mam bottles and teats (the teats are very soft).Shes now 10 months old and I'm finally weaning her off the breast(fed her morning and night for a few months and i'm now down to am every other day.)Sad to stop feeding her but i'm going on a hen party very soon!

[EMMABEESMUM]

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I think I am just going to keep trying her and hope that by the time I go back to work she will be older and maybe more accepting of new things! I have a cupboard full of all these weird and wonderful bottles, just hope she will take one of them eventually and let me go out with hubby for an evening.

I'll tell you what though, the next time I have a baby I will introduce a bottle from day one, I took midwifes advice and waited six weeks until her feeding was established. I think if she was used to having a feed a day from her dad via a bottle right from the start then I wouldn't have had this problem.

[Riebee]

Emmabeesmum

I know how you feel..I have spent a small fortune on different bottles teat etc. My ds is nearly 5months and I am battling to get him to take a bottle. 3 times he has drank from a bottle and we thought we had cracked it but then the next day he doesn't want to know, will keep on trying and use some of the tips from here.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one.
He will have to take it Sat night as I am of on a Hen night and he will be one hungry boy if not.