7mo won't take a bottle/cup - am hoping to go out... suggestions?

[Moxxie]

Hello, just after some suggestions and/or reality check.

My DS is almost 7mo, and EBF. He used to have formula top-ups by bottle when he was tiny, but we stopped that at 8 weeks. I'm really slack about expressing (who has the time?) so haven't got into the rhythm of it, and bottle feeding fell by the wayside. He drinks water out of a sippy cup, but only a few gulps. He spits out a fair amount too.

He's starting in nursery in 2 months, so I'm going to have to get the expressing and cup feeding thing going, there doesn't seem any point in pursuing the bottle now (and he won't take it anyway). Any suggestions on how to do that other than just offering regularly? Sounds terrible, but as my supply is only just adequate, the thought of him spitting out my precious BM is a bit disheartening...

The more pressing issue is that DH and I are going to the Olympics on 10 Aug and my mum has offered to look after DS. She'll need to feed him and put him down for the night. How the hell is that going to work? or should I just accept that DS is coming to the Olympics with us...?

Really just offer regularly. They only learn by lots of play and experiments. But by 9mo, my DD was off all day feeds anyway. However she wasn't really proficient with the cup until 10mo. But somehow she survived not drinking much liquid all day at nursery!

Not sure the Olympics thing. If he's eating well, then I guess your mum can offer food. And they do sleep differently for different people. I needed to feed my DD to sleep for a long time, but nursery can put her down without a feed. But it's only one night, so there's no way your mum can develop a routine with your LO. Any change takes time, and LOs are quite stuck with their routines.

It's quite likely he'll go down fine for your mum and will just tank up when you get back.

As regards cup feeding, get a selection and stick them in amongst his toys for a while so he's used to them. Gradually add some water or ebm to see what he makes of them. While milk should still be the main source of nutrition there can be a marked difference in a baby's demand for bf between 7 and 9 months so don't worry tooooo much just yet. Start expressing when you can find a moment, freeze in small batches of 1-3oz so you never have to defrost and potentially throw away a large amount. You'll both be fine!

Thanks both. Have just checked our Olympics tickets again and we should be away for less time than anticipated, which helps (though we had hoped for dinner out...). Have made some progress with expressing too, and he seems to be drinking water well out of the cup.
He's in a foul mood at the moment though, so not the moment to be trying milk again...

We're doing BLW and he's not really eating enough to substitute for a milk feed yet, but it could all be different in a couple of weeks I guess.

I think its largely a case of remembering he's still very little. Unfortunately babies don't understand the need to have perfected X by Y time If he's taking water from a cup, that's great. DS was never one for taking milk by cup, though he quite happily took water.

As for the 10th of August, to be honest if he's used to being breastfed before bed, then put down by you or your DH, expecting him to go without a feed and be put down by someone else is quite a lot for a seven month old. Try and be home for bed time, or take him with you.