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Original poster

How to get breastfeeding baby to occasionally take a bottle

24 replies

PLaurel19 · 16/10/2019 14:32

We would love to be able to occasionally feed our 6 week old a bottle of my expressed milk so that dad can look after her more often...
But she wont take it... we have tried all temperatures including right from the boob. Also have tried just dad in the room etc...
Any tips? She screams the place down! :(

OP posts:

caringcarer · 16/10/2019 14:37

You have to do this regularly from day 1. My dd tried to introduce an occasional bottle with expressed milk for dgs1 when he was about 1 month-5 weeks old but he would not take it. With dgs2 she introduced this from week 1 and he is quite happy with it.

Celebelly · 16/10/2019 14:39

Have you tried different kinds of teats?

babycatcher411 · 16/10/2019 14:44

Have you tried any different bottles/teats?
It’s a whole new learning experience for them, taking milk from the bottle in very different for them in many ways, so it often takes a bit of time to get used to it.
I would try different bottles if you haven’t (DS favourite was a cheap Poundland bottle, having tried multiple ‘good brands’, so you don’t need to spend a fortune).
I wouldn’t offer the bottle when she’s starving, try doing so between feeds so she’s not trying to learn something new, whilst already being upset. And also, a lot of breastfeeding is about comfort for them, so trying a bottle when upset is going to be a challenge from that point of view too.
I also found that whilst he was learning to suck the bottle, he needed a quicker flow teat, and then once he learnt to suck we moved back down a teat size as he was then getting too much. But he needed the higher flow to begin with to even realise milk came out of it.

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Sparrowlegs248 · 16/10/2019 14:48

I don't think you can do it for occasional bottles at this stage. If you are really keen to crack it, id suggest giving her 1 bottle a day, at the same time, and persevering. I could bear it with ds1 (also tried from 6 weeks) and he never took to it. As with the pp grandson, I gave ds2 one bottle a day from 1 week old. He still went through a phase of objecting but I persevered and he accepted it.

Yeahthatthing · 16/10/2019 14:54

We never managed it with DC1. Tried every bottle going!

Chillisauceboss · 16/10/2019 15:01

I managed quite easily with a minbie bottle. But to be honest once she got to 3/4 months she could go a full 4 hours, maybe 5 if for any reason I got stuck away from her. Then when she was 6 months she started to eat so if ever I had to (I can recall maybe 3/4 times I had a day away from her from 9am-3am) then she would also satisfy herself with food.

This is not goady, but when do you see yourself being away from her for more than 4-5 hours in on stretch?

Chillisauceboss · 16/10/2019 15:03

I also echo previous poster, don't do it when she's hungry or agitated. We actually tried an ounce about 20 minutes after her feed (for the first time) and she was calm and curious and took it

Chillisauceboss · 16/10/2019 15:03

I've also known people in 'emergency's' feed via spoon / syringe or a tiny cup.

Yeahthatthing · 16/10/2019 15:40

Chillisauceboss depends on your baby though really, DC1 fed every 90minutes or more frequently until 8 months, despite a great appetite and enjoying food. DC2 is as you've described and easily goes several hours between feeds.

FriedasCarLoad · 16/10/2019 15:45

We never managed, but she would drink from a cup.

CmdrCressidaDuck · 16/10/2019 15:48

I had success at 5mo with a) Minbie bottles and b) sheer bloody perseverance. (By someone else, namely my nanny and MIL.)

Some mums have had success with taking baby off boob when they've fed for a while and are reasonably content/nearly asleep and quickly substituting bottle, but I agree that you want quite an easy flow teat for that lest you merely have a very pissed off baby.

Although tbh once they get to 4-5 months it probably makes more sense just to focus on sippy/straw or open cup if needs be.

BonnyE · 16/10/2019 15:49

No idea. Never managed it with DD! I know it can feel very tying sometimes but it really does go quickly and get easier once the gap between feeds lengthens. Breastmilk mixed with porridge, banana or weetabix when we started weaning helped me get a bit of "me" back. DH just had to find other ways to care for DD.

Sanch1 · 16/10/2019 15:53

You have to perservere and keep it up, occasional is not an option! I introduced a 10pm bottle feed for my DD2 at 2 weeks old, every night without fail, took a few weeks but she got used to it in the end. Then kept it up, which meant she could be left with only bottle for as long as I needed. I learnt from DD1 that you cant do it occasioanlly it has to be consistent.

Smotheroffive · 16/10/2019 15:55

All you can do is try different bottles/teats when she's not fretful.

I don't think it matters whether you try from day one and I'm not sure its good to try both so early on in case the breast is rejected as a result as pumping doesn't work for everyone.

It won't be long and your dh will be able to do all the feeding he wants! For the rest of her life! This is just a few months so do t take it too hard if shes refuses to accept a teat.

You are doing brilliant bf

Also, even very young can take from teaspoon or cup.

Ssmiler · 16/10/2019 16:00

I had the same issue with DS at 9 weeks when he realised that if he rejected the 9pm expressed bottle he’d been having since 4 weeks, the next step was to be brought up to mummy (me!) in bed relaxing
The rule then was to discard the left over milk after an hour if he’d had the teat in his mouth - I don’t know if that’s still the same
So 7.5 oz of the 8oz bottle down the drain each night

Some one then suggested splitting the 8oz of expressed milk between 4 sterilised bottles. If he rejected the first then when he cried again an hour later for milk, heat the second and move on to each one as follows. Three hours later he took the third and fourth bottle and never rejected the bottles again

Don’t know if that will help but it worked for us

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 16/10/2019 16:00

DS1 would not take a bottle, we tried all sorts ....he weaned straight to a sippycup at 8 months

DD and DS2 were much more agreeable and would take formula or expressed ..we started earlier with them and it did make things easier.

Secretlifeofme · 16/10/2019 16:07

This is worrying me a lot :( my baby is due in less than two weeks and unfortunately because of the laws of the country in which I live, I have to go back to work when he or she will be 3 months old :( so the baby will have to take a bottle! Sorry to hijack your thread op but any advice on what I should do woukd be really helpful.

beckyvardy · 16/10/2019 16:41

My daughter did. However I think after reading these posts I was just really lucky that she did!

I mixed breast and bottle from day one then went totally bottle at 6 or 7 weeks.

MrsT1405 · 16/10/2019 17:08

I knew I was going back to work quite quickly, so I gave a little water from a bottle straight away. Then I gave a few formula feeds . I thought,as I went back to work, at 6 weeks, that would be it, but I was still breastfeeding at 18 months when 3 months pregnant . I fed when i was at home she had formula the rest of the time. I think you need to work on it as soon as possible . I'd just keep trying on a relaxed way when your half way through a fed.

Sparrowlegs248 · 16/10/2019 20:33

@Secretlifeofme don't worry, just start giving bottles straight away, give a bottle daily at the same time. Of course lots of babies have bottles only from day 1 and are fine.

Smotheroffive · 16/10/2019 23:07

Im not sure its ever advisable to give neonates water instead of the milk they need?!?

Smotheroffive · 16/10/2019 23:08

Giving bottoes early risks losing bf, I thought. The earlier the easier to confuse the baby who might reject bf.

Yeahthatthing · 16/10/2019 23:15

Smotheroffive yeah, you shouldn't give water.

Breast refusal, bottle refuser, pick the worst for you. I've only known one breast refuser, but many, many bottle refusers.

Stompythedinosaur · 17/10/2019 01:29

Dd1 was a bottle refused and I nearly went out of my mind in the run up to my return to work trying different bottles and cups. Turns out she would happily take a bottle as long as I had physically left the house. I spent many occasions sitting in the garage while dp fed her!

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