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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

How can I get breastfed baby to take a bottle?

19 replies

Daenarys · 13/08/2019 19:02

Hi. Hoping for some advice from folks that have been successful with this! My DS2 is 6 months and has been EBF, just started baby led weaning which is not going great thus far. I have been trying for past few weeks to get him to take expressed milk from bottle (tried tommee tippee, minbie and even free flow sippy cup) but he point blank refuses to even let it into his mouth and screams and screams. I have tried, and my husband and mum have tried when im not there too but no success. I can't bear him being upset. I go back to work, 745 til 6pm 3 days a week in 2 weeks so need to get him taking a bottle before he starts nursery. Feeling very guilty for not starting him on bottles when he was young but in all honesty I just couldn't face pumping when both DS's weren't sleeping well.

Thanks for any advice willing to try anything!

OP posts:

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Daenarys · 13/08/2019 21:09

Bump xxc

OP posts:

Sandybval · 13/08/2019 21:12

Mam are really good, but use slow flow teats if you want to continue BF'ing as well. It might be a case of you going out whilst someone else feeds to start with as well, he will be able to 'smell' the milk from you and know it's available if he refuses the bottle. Good luck!

Sandybval · 13/08/2019 21:13

Sorry saw you've already tried going out, might take more of that unfortunately :( I know it's hard when they're upset, but it means he will be getting BM at nursery which is fab.

museumum · 13/08/2019 21:16

At 6mo I would 100% say give up in bottles and practice practice practice with cups.
I was soooo stressed about bottles at 5-6mo but honestly it’s not worth it. They should be giving them up at 12mo anyway. Just get cups sorted now. My ds got the tommee tippee freeflow ones at a couple of weeks over 6mo and never looked back. He also never drank as much milk as bottle fed babies but was totally fine. (I went to work at 6mo three short days).

BumbleNova · 13/08/2019 21:16

Have you tried a doidy cup? Another random tip is distraction. Put baby in a sling facing outwards and bounce, get the bottle to baby's mouth and try and sneak it in. If you pat their bottom it can trigger their swallowing reflex. YouTube it!

Bizarrely my EBF DS will only take a sports cap bottle.

yikesanotherbooboo · 13/08/2019 21:25

I wouldn't bother with bottles at six months . I would use a beaker.

glasshalfsomething · 13/08/2019 21:32

Have you tried heating the milk. My DD wouldn’t take from a bottle, even wariness in a bowl of hot water. Once, I blasted it in the microwave for 30 sec and she took it no problems. Obviously make sure it’s not burning hot, but I suspect that’s what made her turn a corner at 6M.

HeartvsHead · 13/08/2019 21:33

Go straight to a cup. Or these ones are good, my little one loved it! Bit of a half way between cup and bottle.
Philips AVENT Easysip Spout Cup 7oz/200ml, Assorted colors www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OKIJJZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_t4XuDbBXREFCX?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Also but random but have you tried your breast milk? I have a high level of lipase enzyme which meant my milk tasted sour pretty quickly after expressing (even if frozen!). I was gutted as had a freezer full of useless milk but we got some formula and she drank it straight up! Took us a while to realise but once we did we were not surprised she refused it!

PartridgeJoan · 13/08/2019 21:46

The only thing that has worked for us is the Ikea sippy cup

CmdrCressidaDuck · 13/08/2019 21:49

I agree with just skip the bottle and try sippy cup, Doidy cup, straw cup, sports bottle etc. Either they will take it when they are in childcare or they'll wait - at 6mo it doesn't hurt them to wait all day if needs be. Really, it will work itself out.

Pipanchew2 · 13/08/2019 21:59

OP I feel your pain I started trying to get DD onto a bottle at two months. She refused everything (formula, expressed milk and latterly cows milk) from anything (all different brands of bottle and cup) and from anyone . At 11months I was desperate as I was going back to work full time and she was still EBF 5 times a day so (am not proud of this but was desperate) I weaned her off the boob for a couple of feeds using nesquik mixed into the milk. I used a cup I knew she was happy to have water from. Once she’d take it I diluted it down till it was just plain milk. It took a week or two. I kept the morning and evening breastfeed for another 3 months and then she happily swapped them for a cup of milk.

Maltay · 13/08/2019 22:32

My DD is the same, she started nursery at 8no old and has now adapted to having a massive feed in the morning before nursery and just has sips of water at nursery. Occasionally DP will bring her to work for me to feed. Don't worry they adapt and nursery are used to this type of thing, if they sip water/BM for a cup they'll be fine and make up the feeds before/after nursery x

ShippingNews · 13/08/2019 23:57

You say she won't take a bottle from your DH or DM - but do make sure you are not anywhere nearby when they try this. If she knows there is a boob in the vicinity she'll want that - so do actually leave the house and leave them to it.

YobaOljazUwaque · 14/08/2019 00:03

Seconding pp about trying formula - sometimes expressed milk doesn't taste right.

Also think about your baby's position. Normal "hold" for a breast feed is probably very different from the position you are trying to bottle feed in. Try and find a way to get a bottle teat near his mouth in a position as similar to a normal breast feed as possible.

Daenarys · 14/08/2019 03:37

Thank you everyone for all the tips and advice. Feel better already! Will keep trying and try cups too. When I tried him on formula he got.a red rash round his mouth both times,.don't.know if this means he is.allergic to formula? Also its interesting to hear that some babies just go.without milk.at nursery and make.up at home. He isnt taking well.to weaning so far but hoping a few weeks makes a difference there so at least he wont starve! Thanks all X

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Daenarys · 14/08/2019 03:46

Sorry for the random full stops in that last message. Both boys poorly and up all night and sleep deprivation has affected my typing!

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YobaOljazUwaque · 14/08/2019 06:07

An allergy is possible - obviously you'd need to check with a professional to be sure. Health-food-type shops sometimes stock a goat-milk-based formula which is often suitable for babies who have a reaction to ordinary formula.

Caspianberg · 14/08/2019 06:13

I wouldn't panic too much. You can still bf him morning, early evening and late dreamfeed if needed on those days, and you are at home the other 4 days still.

Babybjorn cups are pretty good to try as small to hold as they grow.

If he won't take a bottle, nursery can try him on milk in a cup, or with milky based breakfasts ie you can probably get them to use formula or expressed milk on porridge if you like.

Retraintoday · 14/08/2019 06:30

Mine was a bottle refuser until 11 months. To get him to take one I would feed him, them take my nipple out his mouth and quickly replace it with a bottle of breast milk.
It seemed to do the trick. Sometimes he would get cross and refuse. But after a couple of weeks, he seemed to give in.

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