Need some advice on getting a 6 month old to take a bottle please please......

[tousletop]

Never had this problem with DC1 but DC2 just won't accept even breast milk in a bottle. Have had DH try but she goes even more crazy than with me. She's started on a little bit of food now but this hasn't made any difference either. Going to be a bridesmaid at a wedding this weekend so she's going to be left for the afternoon and evening (and I think i might be ready to stop feeding anyway......)

Several people I have known in this situation have had success with Mam teats. Can get 'em from Mothercare I think.

Just got DS2 on bottles at 6 and a half months (was EBF before) and had bottle battle with DS1 at similar age - top tips are

• ensure the teat is warmed
• put EBM in the bottle if possible, make sure is warmed (slightly warm to the wrist is how our boys really)
• offer the bottle for only a few minutes (5 max) when they are showing hunger signs (but not when totally ravenous); if they fight it, then stop and do something else and try again later
• try a sippy cup if they totally refuse the bottle; free flow flip up lid tommee tippee is good one
• experiment with different positions when feeding the baby, some like to be cuddled up close, others like to have more space to look around the place.

In order to establish the bottle I stopped bfing for 48 hours and expressed milk for the bottles for the baby and then returned to mix feeding after that gradually introducing formula during the day (as wont be able to express when at work).

If DC2 is hungry enough they will take it - DS1 resisted for 8 hours, DS2 for 14 hours but then cracked it.

Thanks for those tips - never thought of so many of these things... 14 hours though dinky, how did you manage to stay sane??

Well, we knew DS2 could take a bottle as he took 3 oz in the morning - I left him with DH for most of the day and took DS1 out to see some family who were visiting in London and DH took him out for a day out with lots of distractions - he had some food and lots of water in that time too and plenty of sleeps - so only had the evening to deal with and it was pretty horrible - mostly as I deliberately stayed away to stop him trying to bf off me. He refused evening bottle from DH and woke at 2 crying with hunger - and then took 9 oz straight off from me (I put on a huge fleece of DH's to go through to him) in a bottle and went straight to sleep and never looked back from that.

Hi I had same problem with DD1. I bought every teat available by the end, nothing would work. In the end I tried some formula in a beaker (not the non spill as they're hard to get milk out).

Because the milk was different (i.e not breast milk) and in a beaker I think my DD1 didn't link the 2 and therefore took it).

Good luck I know it can be really hard and you feel tied to what you do because of it, but I remember leaving my DD1 and Dh to go shopping and he told me not to ring and check, as she would milk in a different way if she was that hungry. (she was ok when I returned, she had taken it from beaker)

I remember this very clearly...

I also remember holding DD's nose to try to force her to take a bottle

However, two things cracked it:

1. advice on mumsnet which said give her the bottle to roll around with on her own for a while and ignore the mess

and 2) I put In the Night Garden On, and she blissfully drank it whilst distracted by Upsy Daisy.

I think when there was less pressure on the bottle she didn't mind in the slightest.

Thanks Dinky and Purple. I'm actually beginning to think that this wedding might be the perfect solution to be out of the way so that she really has no option but to take a bottle eventually. Wondering whether I should book a room for the night too and make a weekend of it, so that my parents can REALLY sort it all out in my abscence...

and thanks littlebit too, night garden may calm both of us down....