Back to work and won't take a bottle

[evarday]

Hello.
My little girl (2nd child) will be 5 months old when I return to work in September. I cannot get her to take a bottle. The HV suggested we try her on a cup, which went ok, very messy but she seemed a little happier than she was with the bottle but she's barely consuming anything, there's A LOT of spillage! I have to go back to work, we can't afford for me not to, but I'm so worried about her not feeding properly.
I've tried Tommee Tipee bottles and NUK bottles and now the Doidee cup. But nothing is really working and eventually she ends up really upset. She's so little still I know she needs to be feeding properly I just want to continue breast feeding her but I realise I'm running out of time and only have a month left to get her feeding not from me (either bottle or cup).
There's nobody around to try and feed her for me either so it has to be me which I know isn't recommended.
Any advice would be so gratefully appreciated.
I'm feeling very worried about it.

Thank you xxx

[Havetothink]

Have you tried one of the non spill 360° cups?

[Rach000]

I had loads of problems getting my daughter to take a bottle recently. I bought different bottles but they didn't help as it wasn't the type of bottle that was the problem it was because she wanted me to feed her.
In the end my dad and step mum took her for the afternoon and night to get her to have a bottle. I gave them breast milk and formula.
At first she wasn't really interested and didn't have much if anything. But then she had some of my milk at bed time and went to sleep but didn't have a lot. She then woke in the night and had some more as she would do any way. Then by the morning she had a couple of bottles of formula with no problems.
I carried on giving her bottles as well as breastfeeding as she won't always take a bottle but is loads better and will have one if I am out. But when I am home and we try give her a bottle she prefers me to give her the bottle rather than her dad or someone else.
I am trying to go to bottle feeding soon but may still feed her myself during the night if I can.
Are you able to leave your baby with someone or dad? As think they need to go long enough to want to take a bottle and realise it's not so bad.

[evarday]

I have a 360 Cup for my son but I thought that she was sort of lapping the milk with her tongue which she wouldn't be able to do with that cup !

I have left her a few times with her Dad and once with my Mum but neither of them have had much success. My Mum seemed more positive about the cup. The problem is between now and me going back to work it will just be me with her so I need to try and wean her onto something on my own.

Thank you so much for your help!

[milkjetmum]

Some babies are just firm refusers! Dd2 wasn't having any of it, so we had to provide plenty of 'wet' food during the day eg yogurt, melon, soup with sippy cup/bottle always offered and refused alongside.

we tried every year and cup known to man, and had been trying to mix feed since 6 weeks as we did successfully for dd1.

Dd2 just waited for me to get home then epic bf session! Eventually after I'd been back at work a month she relented and took a bottle happily from then on.

Must warn you she remains determined to this day

[milkjetmum]

*teat not year

[Rach000]

We also have so many teats and bottles! Could your mum have her over night?
She may take a bottle when your at work and not there. Maybe not straight away but she will if she is hungry enough.
It is hard. But if you are trying do it when she is a bit hungry and not too upset and try make it fun and sing etc and sit her up. Just keep trying each day. Then might eventually take a bit. That's what I mainly did with my eldest.

[Keeptrudging]

I had the same with DD. Tried every type of bottle going. The only one I had any success with was one with disposable bags that you pushed the air out of before feeding - think it was maybe meant for anti-colic? Can't remember what it was called. She would also (eventually) take from a bottle lid, but not a sippy cup. Total nightmare!

[HJBeans]

I had the same problem when my DS was three months, and had a few knackering months where he just swapped day for night and fed with me at night and fasted in the day outside of when I could come to nursery and feed him. I tried all the different bottles and the only thing that worked was a brilliant nursery staff member working with him everyday until he took the bottle. My sympathy, it's really stressful.

[Notlostjustexploring]

Not really sure what actually created the success for us, but it was a combination of the following:
We started having success with ours when he started weaning, which was about 5-6 months, so getting used to different flavours anyway.
We used mam bottles.
Used to give him the bottles to play with
Sitting him bolt, and I mean bolt, upright, fed by my husband. We may at one point used the TV to distract him, and them once he realised he was drinking, he just kept going.
Just trying formula, and at various temperatures, I think toasty was most successful.
Giving him a bottle with a handle so he could try and feed himself.
Trying at various times, just not when he was hungry.
Used sippy cups early on


Caveat, not sure how many of our approaches would be sanctioned by a HV, but we were desperate to try to outsmart our own child!

Good luck!