My baby refuses a bottle, HV says move straight to a cup. Which is best?

9 replies

Sarahlou8 · 05/02/2011 12:36

Hi,

After 2 weeks of trying to give a bottle of expressed milk to my DD (15 weeks) in the evening, I have now given up as the screaming, crying and point blank refusal was really upsetting me.

My health visitor has suggested moving straight to a cup. Any ideas which is the best one to get?

OP posts:

JiltedJohnsJulie · 05/02/2011 14:41

Sarah, I think at 15 weeks they lap from a cup so these ones maybe what you are after. TBH though I'd ring one of the helplines and see what they suggest.

Is it essential that LO takes a bottle in the evening?

Original poster

Sarahlou8 · 05/02/2011 21:18

Hi, thanks for your reply - no not essential, but I had to cancel a very much looked forward to night out last night because I know DH will have an impossible night of crying and fussing if she can't take milk from elsewhere.

DD was taking an odd bottle quite well just before Christmas and we thought we'd cracked it, so didn't give any more. Started expressing a couple of ounces every morning to try every evening (a couple of weeks ago) but she's got progressively worse and now cries when she even sees the bottle.

I think I'm just going to have to keep on gently trying different things and see what works!

OP posts:

JiltedJohnsJulie · 06/02/2011 15:37

There are loads on threads on here about getting ebf babies to take a bottle Sarah.

emsyj · 06/02/2011 15:49

Have you tried a Doidy cup? I started DD on a free flow cup with a spout (one of those tommee tippee cups with the fold down spout) but not til she was a little older than that. She took to it really easily (also a bottle refuser) and can now hold and drink from it herself (aged 8 months) quite well.
A couple of other mums I know who had no luck giving their babies a bottle found the Doidy cup really good in the early days.

spongebobsquareknickers · 06/02/2011 16:05

My DS has started to do this, was also fine before christmas. He will drink fine from a freeflow cup though, so I guess if I'm out he'll have milk from that.

Original poster

Sarahlou8 · 06/02/2011 21:46

jiltedjohnsjulie - yes, I've read lots of them and tried many of the suggestions but no luck. She knows what she wants!

I tried a Tommee Tippee freeflow cup tonight, when she was calm. While I wouldn't say she sucked at it with gusto, it wasn't refused outright so I'll have another go with that tomorrow.

I'm not sure about a doidy cup, she tends to wriggle, squirm and toss her head around a fair bit when she realises what we're trying to do - but I'm willing to try one if the free flow cup doesn't work, so thanks for the tip.

OP posts:

mamjo · 07/02/2011 10:14

Same problem here. Having spent approx £150 on every type of bottle and teat on the Market I gave up trying to get her to take a bottle. Tried the Doidy cup this week and we have managed 3 feeds. It works best if I sit her on my knee facing forward and put something on the tv to distract her. That way there is much less mess.

Original poster

Sarahlou8 · 07/02/2011 14:27

A lot of people seem to rate the doidy cup and I've found one on Amazon, so I'll give it a go, thanks!

OP posts:

ginger2000 · 07/02/2011 14:39

My dd2 is a refuser too! I gave up on a bottle today and poured milk into bottle lid-she drank more from the lid than she ever has from a bottle! Am also going the cup route from now on. just wondering how sleepy bed and night feeds will work when i move on from bf in a few months! a

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