I need BF 4 month old to drink from somewhere else!

[jennimoo]

My DD is 4 months and more or less got the hang of our Avent bottles early on for a bit of EBM but when we tried again at about 3months she is now struggling to drink from them. I've been trying an ounce each day for weeks and sometimes gets it down, others doesn't get much down at all. She doesn't seem to 'latch' or close her mouth round the bottles, abd so sucks in lots of air and needs burping every few mouthfulls. If she had a full feed this way would take hours! She seems to be happy to have the bottle in her mouth, and reaches for it, just doesn't seem to be able to work it.

So, I'm thinking I should try something else. Some options I'm considering having asked around /googled:

1. breastflow bottle
2. tommy tippee bottle
3. some kind of sippy cup.

What do you think ?

It is only for occasional feed at the moment but I may go back to work in a couple of months.

I have no idea as am in exactly your position! we are trying everyday too but v limited success. Have tried three different teats (tommee tippeen nuk and dr brown), a sippy cup, other people feeding her, different times of the day etc.

The only thing I haven't tried which I am leaving until i an desperate is cold turkey!

am just hoping that one day it will just 'click' with her! If not, she will have to find a way when I go back to work at 7 months!

let me know if anything works for you!

From what I've read sounds like the girls are the worst!

Well she drank a bit from a cheapy flip top sippy cup yesterday, so will give that another try later. Might be good enough for the odd feed when I can't be there

Trying to decide whether to order a tommee tippee bottle to try (the shops here only seem to have big packs of them...) or possibly the breast flow bottle.

Anyone got any experience of this to share? It seems quite common though :(

also there is a WORLD of difference between a 4 month old and a 6/7 month old. They will probably be able to cope with sippy cups or even normal cups by then.

Had the same problem with dd2. We tried 3 different bottles but in the end persevered with the avent (and made the hole a little bigger) and kept trying until she accidentally sucked and realised she got milk! Sympathies though, I was feeling pretty despondent for a while.

Persevere with the sippy cup. My dd1 refused milk from anything but the breast or bottle and still does which is why she still has one at night aged 3

Im sure things will be different in a few months, but having been trying for months to get her to take something consistently, the fact she's particularly hungry night and day, and I have a long dentist appointment on Friday, I'm finding it rather stressful. Still havent had 4h sleep in one chunk and woukd really love DH to be able to help now and then :(

Ginger - did you have any luck with anything?

We basically gave up after a bit and took a break, as it was getting too stressful and upsetting all of us.

About to start trying again, as she's almost 6 months, and going back to work at 7 months, but no idea what to try still. I think we need to pick bottle /sippy/ open cup and then just stick to it...

Tommee Tippee CTN bottles are designed to be like a breast do you can dual feed I would recommend them.

However it may take some time, as now its also about the smell, the warmth etc.

Try feeding with the bottle in the BF position.

Offer daily to make it part of her routine, she'll get used to it then.

I think she may be a bit old now to go cold turkey and hope when shes hungry she'll take.

HTH

I had this issue, dd is 7 months now, started full time at nursery at 6 months, and she still takes less than an ounce from a cup the whole day... she refuses formula point blank, I spend all my lunch hour pumping, aghhh, yet she still holds out for home time and dives on me the minute she sees me, she goes from about 7 to 6 without hardly any, but does eat 3 big meals a day plus water, she seems to be ok... its worrying, but the staff have told me she's not the first breastfed baby to be like this, I suppose ill never be able to give it up, which doesn't bother me so much, as long as she's happy, she does free a lot at night though, which is where I put my sanity down to co-sleeping!