Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH refuses to measure bottles

209 replies

CharmingDryad · 06/06/2025 15:57

DH refuses to measure the water and formula scoops when making bottles for our baby. The bottles have measurement lines on there. You just pour to your desired line, and sometimes pour a little out if it’s too much. But he says that’s too difficult to do. He also refuses to use the built-in level in the formula can to make the scoops exact so you know how much you’re giving her. He says, “that’s not how cooking works.” And “I just eyeball it.” He tries to eyeball the measurement, but it’s really not difficult to go ahead and use the level. Yet he refuses.

AIBU to demand he measure properly? Or am I being too fastidious?

OP posts:
outerspacepotato · 06/06/2025 19:40

TaggieO · 06/06/2025 19:31

I’m sorry but I’d be wondering what else he wasn’t doing properly - putting her down on her back to sleep, buckling her in her car seat, being careful with hot drinks - I don’t think I could have someone like that around my child unsupervised.

I would worry about this too. He seems very oppositional.

I think he needs to attend parenting classes.

TortillaChipAddict · 06/06/2025 19:49

Maxorias · 06/06/2025 16:06

By two years I'm baffled you were still giving him formula at all ! My 15 month old daughter is on cow's milk, it's better for her and much cheaper.

OP, if your baby is young enough to need formula as a main source of food, your partner is being a dangerous dick. I'd be tempted to serve him dinner with a large hand ful of salt and, when he spits it out, say "oh, I just eyeballed it, it's fine, just eat it". But I'm a vindictive jerk 😁

But pp is right, he's showing you how much your baby's safety matters to him, or maybe weaponizing his incompetence so he doesn't have to do childcare.

Not all one year olds can drink cows milk and the alternatives are not suitable until 3

Superscientist · 06/06/2025 19:50

NoMoreLifts · 06/06/2025 18:46

Types of cooking are different.
Stews etc., sure, eyeball it.
Sponges and cakes, no, that's chemistry.
This is very arrogant and careless of him.

My PhD chemistry professor used to give us a short shrift for comparing any form of cookery to chemistry/science or vice versa!

There's also a surprising amount of chemistry that's by eye! You often just need one thing measured properly and the everything else can usually be done relatively to that.

Quite of bit of my baking is by eye too or doesn't have to be too precise. The size of an egg can vary. I bake a lot with bananas as my daughter is dairy and egg free but the size of "3 bananas" that most recipes use can vary wildly! I was taught by my grandmother and she roughly measured thing but then adjusted by eye to find tune the look of the dough or the batter to what she'd expect it to be like

Atina321 · 06/06/2025 19:54

If he won’t measure he can find the money to pay for pre-mixed formula.

If he refuses then this is serious enough to kick him out and refuse unsupervised contact. Your baby could end up really poorly.

If he isn’t measuring properly what else is he skimping on? Not buckling the car seat properly? Ignoring safe sleep advice?
Some things are non-negotiable.

Motheroffive999 · 06/06/2025 20:04

This is not ok , constipation and other health problems will be the result of his actions.
He is not being a good parent.
Disgusting

Nikki75 · 06/06/2025 20:12

Absolute stupid idiot .. measurments are there for a reason tell him , he is putting your baby at risk I'd lose my shit at this .

Psychologymam · 06/06/2025 20:26

FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 06/06/2025 16:13

Is he being stupid? Or is it weaponised incompetence?

Weaponised incompetence. If he was merely an idiot, he would have changed his highly dangerous behaviour when it was pointed out to him. But he would happily put his child at risk because he knows if he does, mom will have to step in and be with baby all the time. Im sorry OP, he sounds like an awful father and partner - is this typical? Does he do this with other tasks? What’s the division of labour like in your house?

Mumof2amazingasdkiddos · 06/06/2025 20:26

CharmingDryad · 06/06/2025 18:25

Thanks for this. It’s a struggle to negotiate the new dynamics in our relationship now that we’re parents. I’m also reading “How not to hate your husband after kids.” It’s helpful. I recommend it.

@CharmingDryad I see the DH has realised he's been monumentally stupid and I hope this is the catalyst for him to listen to you with respect and do his research in future if other issues crop up. I hope your baby is healthy and no damage done and in many many years time you'll be able to laugh at that time he was a total dickhead and how much things have changed since then.

@LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta thank you for posting this article, I only quickly scan read your post but I've bookmarked the article to read later. My ex hasn't seen the DC in over a year but is making noises and sniffing about to resume contact (needs a thread of its own and im not about to derail OPs!) And I think this article will come in very helpful as there have been many occasions in the past where his neglect has been defended as "different parenting styles" and this will help me be prepared to push back calmly and with factual info instead of just being dismissed as over reacting/trying to block his relationship with DC

Foodylicious · 06/06/2025 20:28

Make sure he's in and have the HV round.
Let her tell him and also find out what support there is for new Dads and families.

Scottishgirl85 · 06/06/2025 21:04

Arrogant twat

Bourneo · 06/06/2025 21:29

Ok, this is actually so lazy and actually neglectful. He's not prepared to give your baby proper nutrition!? WTF!? What an awful excuse for a man.

Mookie81 · 06/06/2025 21:34

Since being on MN, I never fail to be surprised by how much of a cunt men can be.
This thread is yet another surprise.

ByOchrePanda · 06/06/2025 23:53

That is 100% weaponised incompetence

Barnbrack · 07/06/2025 00:45

TortillaChipAddict · 06/06/2025 19:49

Not all one year olds can drink cows milk and the alternatives are not suitable until 3

My son didn't drink cows milk simply because he didn't like it as a toddler, he took oat milk to nursery but was still breastfed at home. What makes you think alternatives aren't suitable under 3?

CharmingDryad · 07/06/2025 01:45

Devonshiregal · 06/06/2025 19:03

Wait, you say he isn’t neurodivergent yet he’s apparently incredibly intellectual but can’t follow directions to the point he has a lie he automatically trots out to avoid doing so? …ok then.

Please don’t make him apologise to a baby. Like he can choose to do this himself privately, but you lose all high ground if you stand over him and force him to apologise to a baby. Really.

If he actually has read a bunch of women calling him a fucking idiot and has admitted he was wrong that’s a good sign he’s not a twat. It takes a lot to apologise so maybe try rewarding that rather than doing an I told you so (which you already have with this thread).

From personal experience as the child in this situation, dont keep hoping you can trust him to be safe with the kid, being let down, then trusting again, then being let down as the resentment will just build and build and build and it’s horrid to be around. You know he’s sloppy with things so take him as he is and just leave or accept it. It will save a lot of arguments. You will not be able to trust him to use his common sense or do the right thing. He will not miraculously change.

He’s not neurodivergent, but has some “special” things about him. He happily apologized to the baby this evening and promised to do better. We’re both figuring this first time parenting out together.

OP posts:
Invisabledisappearingperson · 07/06/2025 01:53

TomatoSandwiches · 06/06/2025 16:00

He's a fucking idiot.

This nails it. 👏

LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta · 07/06/2025 05:14

Is he planning to read that book you are reading? Do research for himself on how to be a good father to DD?

I hope that is a one time blip and that he informs himself and treats you, the more well informed one, as a valuable resource of information.

He's been pretty dismissive of you and disrespectful. Keep an eye out for that.

sashh · 07/06/2025 07:51

He's a fucking idiot.

Sorry I know I'm a bit late to this but I needed to add it.

It's not cooking, it is mixing chemicals to simulate human breast milk.

CandidRaven · 07/06/2025 08:24

Show him the official recommendations for making up formula and include the risks of not doing so, hopefully that will open his eyes and make him realise he could be hurting his baby by not doing it correctly

LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta · 07/06/2025 10:32

Mumof2amazingasdkiddos · 06/06/2025 20:26

@CharmingDryad I see the DH has realised he's been monumentally stupid and I hope this is the catalyst for him to listen to you with respect and do his research in future if other issues crop up. I hope your baby is healthy and no damage done and in many many years time you'll be able to laugh at that time he was a total dickhead and how much things have changed since then.

@LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta thank you for posting this article, I only quickly scan read your post but I've bookmarked the article to read later. My ex hasn't seen the DC in over a year but is making noises and sniffing about to resume contact (needs a thread of its own and im not about to derail OPs!) And I think this article will come in very helpful as there have been many occasions in the past where his neglect has been defended as "different parenting styles" and this will help me be prepared to push back calmly and with factual info instead of just being dismissed as over reacting/trying to block his relationship with DC

"And I think this article will come in very helpful as there have been many occasions in the past where his neglect has been defended as "different parenting styles" and this will help me be prepared to push back calmly and with factual info instead of just being dismissed as over reacting/trying to block his relationship with DC"

I'm glad the article might be useful to you. Inadvertent neglect because one does not know better is one thing. But if your ex has a pattern of neglectful potentially harmful behaviours and will not listen to you or anyone else because he is a Dunning-Kruger guy who thinks he knows better than you and experts, then he's possibly an active danger to the children.

You will likely find yourself struggling against the "different parenting standards" notion that prevails in the justice etc system. On the one hand, I understand it - men should be encouraged to take their parenting time, otherwise the generational bad father cycle just perpetuates itself. But on the other hand, the pendulum has swung too far in many cases, leaving children exposed to dangerously neglectful or violent fathers or fathers who instrumentalise the children as a weapon against the mother.

You should insist on parenting classes or some sort of oversight, and document everything. Good luck.

The13thFairy · 07/06/2025 10:43

IfItWereMe · 06/06/2025 16:00

This is outrageous - how dangerous !!! I think he is giving you a very clear message- he wants nothing to do with the work of looking after this baby. If you cannot trust him to take the most basic safety steps how could you ever, for example, leave your baby in his sole care? What age is your baby OP

Exactly. You're on your own with this baby. At least you know now, and you can think about whether or not you really need this husband.

saraclara · 07/06/2025 10:51

CharmingDryad · 06/06/2025 18:27

Why is it ridiculous to have him apologize to the baby? I want him to look at his precious baby and admit he put her health at risk so he truly feels it and learns from this mistake.

Okay, this is just mad. The baby won't understand a word of it, he's already realised he was wrong, you got your win. He doesn't need to 'truly feel' anything more than he already has.

It's just bizarre to put him through this performance. It will achieve nothing other than make him feel stupid and resentful. If someone made me do that, I'd think they'd lost their mind, and it would damage our relationship.

Since you've read him some other posts, be fair and read him one that disagrees with you. No more cherry picking.

ETA that he's "happily" apologised to the baby. He's a better person than me.

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 07/06/2025 12:40

@CharmingDryad I still cant get past the fact that baby is 5 months old and this is OP only now starting to make the bottles! why did you let dp make all those bottles for all those months? what were you doing? does he not go out to work?

uncomfortablydumb60 · 07/06/2025 16:21

Fucking Hell I'm sorry but you're just as cavalier.. Despite claiming to have found the book" how not to hate your husband"
Its true that babies don't come with an instruction manual so a good Mum learns on the job but fuck me, where's your common sense and logic
You even think it's necessary to apologise to your DD
id await a call from SS if you don't learn sharpish
Im being blunt out of concern for your Daughter

SummertimeFeelingFine · 07/06/2025 17:08

@uncomfortablydumb60 don't be ridiculous.