Help! Moving onto bottles with limited success!

[Readytoburst]

Dd is 15 weeks and we're moving onto formula. She's on Pepti 1, we started off by mixing it with breast milk and now its formula only. Only doing one feed a day on formula at the moment. However, we're struggling. She tends to chug 3 ounces straight away, then stops and refuses to have the teat in her mouth. I know she's still hungry as she's chewing on her fist and will accept breast if offered (I don't offer it though - I'm more stubborn than she is). I've tried nuk, dr brown and tommee tippee bottles - all the same. Help! Any ideas?

When I stopped bf when Alfie was 5 months I did it because I had to go back to work from 6pm - 10pm at night. So, he physically couldn't have been bf when I'm not here and he would not entertain a bottle at all. He preferred to go without than have a bottle!! It was very distressing at times but we perservered.

So we started by not offering breast milk between 5pm and 11pm. He eventually got either that hungry, or tired, or fed up that he had a bottle when it was offered. And very slowly, once he started to take a bottle between these hours (5-11pm) we slowly increased the time. So then when he was used to a bottle in the evening we would only offer a bottle between 2pm-11pm.

It did take 2 months to completely wean off breast milk but we wanted to do it quite gradually as it was a big change with me working in the evenings, bottle feeding and then introducing food - more or less at the same time. So we took it quite slowly really.

But again like yourself we tried all sorts of milk and bottles. But we ended up making a choice and sticking to it. (Avent bottles and Farleys milk) So Alfie would know what to expect every time, and get used to the way the bottle needed to be suckled. Instead of trying different bottles.

I'm afraid it really was patience and reassurance for baby that worked in the end. Maybe just let dad or someone else offer the bottle to begin with. As your baby will know you have the milk she wants!!

Keep in touch and good luck!

3oz is a typical feed for a breastfed baby, so maybe she genuinely doesn't want any more than that?

3oz? Really? She seems so hungry though. Will she gradually increase the amount of formula she takes. I'm suppose to be seeing if Pepti agrees with her but can't tell on one feed a day. She definitely can't have 'normal' formula. Should I offer some breast after bottle but do more bottles a day? Oh dear, she's so much more complicated than dd1!

I think 3oz sounds quite low? But then I'm not feeding a baby at the mo - would follow the guidelines on the pack of formula. I wouldn't offer breast after bottle, I think your baby will know if the hangs on she'll get breast.

My only advice would be what I said before - decide on a slot when she normally has a feed, and refuse breast milk during that time. Only offer formula in that time slot. That what I would do.

Breastfed babies only take around 25oz a day so their stomachs aren't used to the same volumes as a formula fed baby. If she's been used to only taking around 3oz per breastfeed (that's if she has around 8 feeds a day - if it's 5 feeds it'll be 5oz a time, 10 feeds would be 2.5oz etc) then she might not want to take a large amount of formula in one go yet.

That's really interesting Rita, she has 6-7 feeds a day so that makes sense. She took 4oz today after a bit of a fight. I guess she'll increase as we switch over more. Now I just have to keep expressing while I work out if the formula is ok for her poor tum!

Mummy22 I thought the same about her holding out for breast if I continue to offer it. In my experience they learn manipulation VERY early on!