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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Trying to get 6.5 mo to take formula (EBF till now)

16 replies

Beaurevage · 03/10/2011 21:00

Hello

We are trying to get our son to accept formula as well as breast milk but he's not having any of it. He has been EBF and we started weaning about a month ago. He's loving the weaning :)

Strangely at the beginning of last week when we started, he drank the formula (somewhat) happily two nights in a row. But ever since just clamps his lips shut VERY tight.

Any ideas? We have tried different bottles and even a sippy cut (he does well with this cup for water with meals)...

TIA

OP posts:
crazybutterflylady · 03/10/2011 21:18

Have you tried mixing it with your breast milk - gradually cutting breast milk out completely? Might be worth trying different formula too? Or mixing formula with his food? All worth a shot anyway! Good luck!

Original poster
Beaurevage · 03/10/2011 21:25

All good ideas. Have been mixing it with his food and he doesn't have a problem with that. DH suggested a breast/formula mix, will give that a go. Next will be a different formula. Thx!

OP posts:
Cakebunny · 03/10/2011 21:28

We're about to embark upon the same process so will be watching this thread closely!
We did introduce a bottle at 6 weeks with expressed milk, but not been able to express much for a month or two so not sure if he'll welcome the bottle back when we do the formula thing.

We did used to find that he was less into the bottle as his last feed or pre-nap, as he's used to comfort sucking pre-bedtime and he started to reject the bottle(we're trying to put him down awake more now so he starts to loose the sucking to sleep association & hopefully zzz longer...pleeeeease!)

So perhaps try him at different time for a bottle when he is just after milk in the daytime. Then once he's used to having it try the night again.
Is it particularly nightime you want him to have the bottle?

Original poster
Beaurevage · 03/10/2011 21:58

It was the dream feed that we were trying to give him the bottle then came to the conclusions that you have - that he was looking for comfort as well as milk and so was really dissapointed and understandably pissed off! So we tried it during the day on Sunday and still a no go. Had DH try it so that my yummy smelling boobs weren't a distraction. Still no go. I tried during the day today with the sippy cup and after an excited big gulp he realised what it was that I was trying to give him and clamped up.

I hate experssing but I'm just going to have to get over that and do it. Will try the mixture of breast and formula and see how that goes.

The formula does smell pretty offputting, it reminds me of plastecine (sp??) ...not that I've taken a big whiff of my breast milk mind you.

OP posts:
lilham · 03/10/2011 22:14

Are you using cartons or powder? The cartons taste nicer so you may get better result. BM is very nice tasting. I taste all DD purees before giving them to her.Grin

Cakebunny · 03/10/2011 22:20

Persistance is probably (hopefully) the key!

Sounds like he doesn't like the taste of it, which must be most annoying once you've bought a big fat tub of the plastecine smelling stuff...(not opened my packet yet, so can't comment! lol) but who really knows, fickle things these babies! (or little Boobie monster as DH called him the other day!-as he does love his beloved boobie!!) Perhaps get a carton or two of some other brands as tasters if the mix doesn't work..?

Oh well good luck...fingers crossed for the mixture.

CurryMonkey · 03/10/2011 22:24

Have you tried Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles? They're the only bottles my LO will take, he recently had his first bottle at 5 months after many weeks of trying other bottles

Original poster
Beaurevage · 04/10/2011 09:39

Was thinking about the carton instead of powder. Hopefully he doesn't like it any better as I would imagine they're pretty pricey in comparison!!

We do have the Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles. About a gagillion of them. Got some as a pressie when he was born. Them some came with the breast pump and even more came with the steriliser! Could open up a shop. Of course they all came with the #1 teat, which we were using until we realised there were others Blush last week.

I think I'll give him the week off so that he forgets the torture as a break, then start trying again on the weekend with the mixture of breast and perhaps carton.

It is annoying that we have all these opened boxes / tubs of follow-on and night time formula! I've been using it in his porrige in the morning though so not a total waste.

OP posts:
Bubandbump · 04/10/2011 11:03

Oh I sympathize. My DD is 4 mo and has multiple food intolerances so literally the only milk she will be able to have for the next year is specialist formula which apparently tastes gross and she needs to get used to it before her taste buds develop more at 5 months.

Ironically she used to take gaviscon in a bottle and will take a bit of water in a zippy cup, she won't suck on a bottle with formula in and I can only extras about 1 oz... Argh any tips for success appreciated as I will be stringing it into her next week at this rate!

Bubandbump · 04/10/2011 11:04

Ok multiple auto correct issues ..sippy cup, express and syringe!

Original poster
Beaurevage · 04/10/2011 12:52

Bump I found the easiest way to express is when feeding. It's tricky and takes some practice as you have to manage baby as well as pump. But I have a massive let-down in both boobs, not just the one that DS is feeding from and so I take advatage of this when I can be asked to deal with the hassle when DS is feeding. Problem now is that he's more interested in what's going on on the other boob than feeding...

OP posts:
Matildathebrave · 04/10/2011 14:14

We had this problem and was told by the HV the formula milk closest to BM is Aptamil. We brought this in cartons and used Dr. Brown bottles and we were away!

Good luck!

Fillybuster · 04/10/2011 14:18

Every baby is different but the following might help....

  1. Mixing 50/50 with ebm for a bit
  1. If you do a 'dream feed', that seems to be the time they are most receptive to taking a bottle, which is a good start
  1. Don't stress it too much....if its becoming too much of a battle you might want to stop for a few days, then start again
  1. Is it possible he isn't hungry when you're offering the bottle? Could you risk him rejecting the bottle, not eating, and then offer him a bottle when he does wake, hungry, later on? Even if it messes up his sleep for a night or two?

Good luck :)

Original poster
Beaurevage · 04/10/2011 21:16

Thanks Matildathebrave and Fillybuster. Some good tips there.

OP posts:
itypefast · 05/10/2011 00:17

Some tips that worked for us:

Not cooling the bottle down too much. Apparently our breastmilk is quite warm!

Removing my top, so DD could feel my skin as she drank formula.

Started with the lunchtime feed only.

Got a bottle with the hole in it so DD can hold it.

Good luck :)

Original poster
Beaurevage · 08/10/2011 20:59

So update on this one: tried 50/50 breast and formula from the 'special' avent training beaker. DS excitedly took a swig, realised it was milk then clamped his mouth shut Angry.

DH came home after five minutes of me trying to prise DS' mouth open at which point I switched from the beaker spout to the teat. Then DH had a go without me in the room. Mouth clamped shut as well.

We bought carton formula today....will give that a try tomorrow.

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