bottle refusenik - your top tips quick please!

[mac12]

I am breastfeeding DS2, now seven weeks, and have to go to work event on thursday. Have tried to introduce him to concept of the bottle but he just sort of mouths and laps at the teat so most of the milk just dribbles out of his mouth. He doesn't seem to have the idea of sucking. How can I help him? There are only a couple of days to grasp this now, otherwise he and DH are in for a horrid time on Thursday. We had some progress today where he did get some milk from the bottle but he's still not really sucking. Any tips gratefully received - I have a stock of expressed milk in the freezer but hadn't expected this problem!

Hi there, sorry I don't have answer just jumping in to see the replies you get! I'm having similar problems tried loads of combinations of bottles & cups for my 10 week-old dd but she'll only have boob, things are getting urgent now as I too have to go to work too... It's so stressful!!

My DD refused a bottle too, it was quite stressful so I feel for you (both). Your DH, or others, will probably have more success than you, as they don't have your lovely boobs that smell so deliciously of milk. We had success with a doidy cup that DD could sip/lap from - v slow to give a full feed, but it worked when we needed to. They were cheapest (and had the best range of colours) on kiddicare, but Jojo maman has a massive range of open cups in all shapes and sizes - we have one of each!

Think of the benefits - this time next year when everyone else is struggling to wean their LOs off a bottle, it won't be an issue for you!

Hope you find something that works, good luck

That's an idea, haven't tried a cup yet. Do they tend to take to the cup naturally? We've got a doidy cup somewhere so will give that a go tomorrow if the bottle is again refused. I never had this issue with my other two, they easily took to bottle and breast, so this has taken me by surprise. fortunately i usually work from home and only go away once a month but it's going to be an awful day for DH and DS2 if we don't come to some kind of arrangement - and i'll spend my whole time worrying rather than doing anything effective at work (although the sleep deprivation will also take care of that!).

We struggled with my 12wo but we got a NUK bottle (from Boots) and he takes it quite happily from my DP. He likes the milk to be very warm though and until he got the hang of it, needed to be calm and not too hungry. Good luck!

I think tiny babies tend to lap, rather than sip, from a cup - but as I understand it, lapping is quite instinctive from birth. DD was older than your DS when we went through this, so I'm not sure how he'll do it, but hopefully you and he will find a way