BF baby, want her to take the odd bottle - advice please

[p1umpudding]

DD is 13.5 weeks old and exclusively breastfed. I just want her to take the odd bottle so I can go to back to college and take a part time course. I've tried the following, but no joy:

a)Avent, Breast FLow and Tommee Tippee bottles
b)I've tried expressed milk and formula
c)My husband has tried the feeds as he doesn't smell of milk
d)Tried a soft flexible teat on an Avent beaker
e)have tried at different times of the day
f) waited until she's really hungry

I feel I've exhausted all the options, but would love to know if you have any tips and tricks you could share with me. If it can't be sorted by the end of week, I won't be able to do my college course.

[Becky77]

Try Dr Browns... Also have you warmed the milk?

[Becky77]

Will she not take it at all? Does she even get the teat into her mouth?

[Sawyer64]

Try Baby Whisperer website,she recommends Habermann Bottles,which were designed for American Prem. babies.

They are the only bottle on the market that works like BF'ing.They only get milk if they suck,so they can rest at intervals,and not choke,also prevents swallowing air due to a valve-like system.(Dr Browns has a valve but still drips milk when tipped up.

If you did decide to get one try Ebay first. I had one and it doesn't confuse them when they are reluctant to bottle feed,some babies get used to the other bottles,some won't entertain the idea of a bottle(apart from these)HTH

[p1umpudding]

I've eventually managed to get the teat into her mouth and she does try to suckle (inbetween screaming). I've tried warming it, but she doesn't seem to want the bottle. I could try Dr Browns, but then it's more expense, especially as I then need to buy teats that are for 3 months.

I have notice that when she suckles, she doesn't actually take in any milk. She won't take a dummy either.

[soremummy]

I had/have the same problem and she is nearly 16 months old and wont even drink from a cup. i would just keep trying and trying and dont give up you will find something she will drink from . Don't end up like me gave up too easily

[Sawyer64]

Try looking here

[witchandchips]

Is there anyway you can muddle along for this term? By january she will be on solids with fewer (and more spaced out) feeds so leaving her for an afternoon or a morning at a time should not be a problem. How far away is your college?

[soremummy]

Do you want me to look at my stash of bottles and if you want one to try you can have it think i have a nuk ? one

[Geepers]

Have you tried a Doidy cup?

They were recommended to me when I had to spend the day away from my daughter when she was three months.

[soremummy]

Geepers do you know where I can get one of thosedoidy cups or are they just available online?

[witchandchips]

also just try with just an ordinary plastic beaker (not very different from doidy cups imo)

[mamaberta]

A bf guru told me babies can smell the milk from 20 feet away (but it might have been metres) anyway, a long way. Leave the house and go round the corner for a coffee. Try different times of day. Don't expect her to take too much at first 20-40mls would be fine. She'll take more later when she's more used to the bottle. DD1 took EBM bottles no prob but DD2 took some persuading. I think it took about a month or so but she is now fine even with a bedtime feed by bottle, weekly in the summer while I was working nights.

Encourage your DH or other carer to keep trying (some men are inclined to give up pretty quickly when it comes to baby stuff - lack of confidence and/or laziness maybe? If you can convince him to do skin to skin that might encourage her having a nice warm daddy to snuggle up to is a bit like having a nice warm mummy boob... but that might be a bit too lentilly for him - doubt my DH would've done it.

[p1umpudding]

witchandchips - College isn't that far away, but I'll be away from 12-5, so she'll need 1-2 feeds during this time.

Geepers - Apologies for the ignorance, but what's a doidy cup? Is it any different? Did it work?

soremummy - I have considered the NUK bottles as these teats have come highly recommended. With the postage etc, it will probably be the same price, so I may as well just buy one, but thank you so much for the offer.

[Geepers]

A Doidy cup is just a beaker with a slanted bottom. You literally just pour the milk and kind of let baby lap it up.

I got mine from the local breastfeeding support group so no idea where else you can buy them.

[Becky77]

They look great!

[Sawyer64]

DoidyCups

[Claire236]

My son would have starved with Avent bottles but he had no trouble with Nuk. Would definitely recommend them.

[Becky77]

My daughter took ages and ages to drink with NUK teats so we went onto Dr Brown's... Avent gave her the worst trapped wind ever...

[tiktok]

It can sometimes help to forget about bottles and teats for a couple of weeks - once you get to struggling and fighting, it is unlikely to succeed without a lot of tears. Leaving it a while can mean the baby forgets she has a 'thing' against bottles and teats

The thing about smell - I never understand this! A baby beyond newborn has no need of smell to tell the difference between a mum and a dad - she knows. I seriously doubt the baby can smell milk 20 feet away.... However, disappearing and leaving dad to it can help (but I don't think it is anything to do with smell).

One other thing - is it worth the struggle? In a month or so, the baby can sip from a cup with help, or may be predictable enough for you to take a short time away from her without worrying that she will be desperate for a feed when you are gone. This all depends on when you're planning on time away, and for how long, of course.

Good luck, whatever

[asicsgirl]

i do sympathise... ds1 was a nightmare. i agree re. leaving house entirely while dad perseveres. we tried all kinds of bottles and MAM ones worked for us - you can get them from boots. good luck!