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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

6mo won't take bottle - I only want to give the occasional one anyway so what should I do?

22 replies

franch · 31/03/2006 15:56

Anyone else experienced this? Difficult to get DD2 used to the bottle when I only want to give it on the odd occasion when I need to leave her.

OP posts:

Miaou · 31/03/2006 16:01

Have you tried getting her to sip from an open cup? Ds is 8 months and has taken milk from an open cup when I've left him (though now he just drinks water from it with a lid on as he can hold it himself). I haven't bothered with a bottle at all - he wouldn't entertain a dummy so I didn't think he'd take to a teat.

Jasnem · 31/03/2006 16:02

Mine never had bottles either.
I used avent cup/bottle with a spout. I think there is a soft one suitable from 6 m.

Posey · 31/03/2006 20:05

Hi franch, hope you're okay!
Got to say ds never took a bottle either and point blank refused any other milk in any other wayat all (it was breast or nothing). So on the rare occasion I had to leave him, I had to fill him up before I left and just let dh get on with it. Not ideal but what can you do?
As you know ds is pretty headstrong
Hope someone can help with a good alternative.

Dragonhart · 31/03/2006 20:22

Mine would not use teat on bottle so used avent spout fitted to a normal bottle (so I could tell how much he had) without the valve on to stop the flow. I started giving him a bit of expressed milk in cup then breast fed him after til he got the hang of it then kept increasing the amount of milk in cup til he was taking a full feed. Health Advisor said she thought he would hold out but he did not. Not sure if you mean breast milk in bottle but when I started to swap the day feeds for formula, I tried afew diff types before found one that he liked. Tried aptimel and cow and gate cos of the probiotics but he just spat them out. When I tried it, I was not surprised as it tasted horrible. A friend told me that she had had the same prob and tried SMA which I did too and he gulped it down! Suppose they are all diff but worth buying afew of the little cartons before forking out on a great big tub! Hope that helps.

cookie4 · 02/04/2006 12:06

Am having same prob with dd4. She refuses to take a teat in her mouth at all. Me or nothing! She'll take water from tippy cup but I think that it's the comfort side of sucking on mummy that she's missing. Seeing as the only occasion that I get to go out anywhere is at night when the kids are in bed, this is the main time when she likes to nod off next to lovely warm mummy boob. I don't want to go out much! or stop BF but I want the flexibility.Beginning to think this ain't gonna happen!

lockets · 02/04/2006 12:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mfer · 05/04/2006 12:26

There is a similar post on refusing bottles going on on this board - we had the same at 6 months (you dont say how old DD2 is)and were recommended the american playtex system - a number of other Mners have used it too because the teat is really soft and breastlike you can go from breastfeeding to bottlefeeding and back again - the link for their tips is here \link{http://www.infantcaredirect.co.uk/acatalog/Breastfeeding_Support_Products.html\this} definitely try the latex teat but you need to get their bottle (nurser they call it!) too

Also are you using formula or EBM?

Original poster

franch · 06/04/2006 14:46

Thanks Mfer. DD2 is nearly 7m. She took EBM ok from a bottle when younger but I've stopped expressing now. Will have a look at the playtex thing

OP posts:

hoxtonchick · 06/04/2006 14:49

playtex worked for us too

moondog · 06/04/2006 14:49

Very soon she'll be able to go a while without milk anyway.

Original poster

franch · 06/04/2006 14:55

Should I order the playtex stuff online or will I be able to get it from chemist?

OP posts:

Annie29 · 06/04/2006 15:46

Hi Franch,

I had this dilemma when I stopped bfing ds at 6 months. He wouldn't take any formula, from any kind of a bottle, beaker, or anything. Finished up using Farley's formula (though I think they are all much the same taste-wise when he's used to breast milk) and mix in some Actimel yoghurt drink, just half a bottle or less even, and then he'd drink it from an open cup. Eventually weaned the yoghurt drink out of it, and then one day, as if by magic (after about a month of complete mess) he got his first tooth, and took to a beaker. So it takes time, patience and a lot of cleaning up!! At 7 months your Dd2 may be eating yoghurts and things anyway so you'll know if she likes which flavours etc.
Probably doesn't help, but that's how it worked for me (eventually!)
I've heard if they've been bf for six months, there's very little chance of them taking to a bottle. Best to try with beakers/cups now, as it's better for their teeth.
Good luck

Good luck

TheBlonde · 06/04/2006 15:54

I used Mam teats (already had the avent bottles)
You can get them in mothercare or some times in Boots
They are very soft and the baby can use the same feeding motion to get the milk out

Not seen playtex anywhere but I think they should be at toysrus/babiesrus

hoxtonchick · 06/04/2006 16:34

independent chemists are your best bet for playtex stuff franch.

Original poster

franch · 06/04/2006 16:47

thanks all :)

OP posts:

Mfer · 06/04/2006 17:29

No all independet chemists stock the Playtex stuff so a bit hit and miss - I always get them direct from Playtex which is the site I put the link to on earlier post - cheapest on line and the arrive next day so saves scouring shops for them. Hope it works......

moodywren · 06/04/2006 18:03

Has any one tried the Adiri Breastbottle or the Haberman Nurser bottle? Do breastfed babies take them ok? I know they're expensive and I was wondering if they are worth the money.

beatie · 06/04/2006 19:12

Franch - MAM Ultivent teats worked for dd2. But that was from about 2 months and I kept up a bottle of ebm a day so I didn't run into the problems I had with dd1 taking a bottle at 4.5 months.

Still dd1 was pretty resistant to bottles, even at 8 weeks and the MAM Ultivent did the trick.

With dd1, I used one of those Tommee Tippee bottles which looks like a space rocket and has a rubbery spout on it, instead of a teat. At this age (7m right?) I'd go for a cup/bottle with a spout.

Please come and see us on the September postnatal board

Tommy · 06/04/2006 19:40

I would go for a beaker like Tommy Tippee really basic one - not worry about bottles at all at this age!

Original poster

franch · 07/04/2006 14:53

Thanks all (Beatie I will try to pop back but am being v strict about my MN time these days and find threads like the postnatal one far too addictive ...)

I think the cup/spout idea is v sensible. DH tried it the other day and DD2 choked a lot but took a bit (bottle with soft Avent spout, no valve) - prob less than from a bottle though. I suspect a cup might take more practice/perseverence than a very occasional formula feed would provide so am not sure whether to push on with that or to try the playtex/mam teat/bottle, which I guess DD2 might be happier with for one-off feeds but which I'll have to wean her off onto a cup in a few months anyway ... !

She's currently OK with water from a cup with a hard, free-flowing spout - I know from DD1 that this is no guarantee she'll accept milk from the same cup, but might try that next.

I probably just need to make a decision and stop confusing the poor thing with all my experiments

OP posts:

browniegirl · 14/04/2006 03:36

Hi franch- I am a nurse and I work 2 nights a week. I was quite concerned because my son wouldn't have a bottle, I would feed him right up to the last minute of me going out the door at 8.30. Once I wasn't around he soon got the message and slowly took to the bottle. Has anyone appart from you tried when you are not around you might be surprised especially when they are getting hungry.

Original poster

franch · 15/04/2006 14:59

Yes bg in fact until a few days ago I hadn't tried the bottle myself at all! Got the playtex thingy, seems good but DD2 was having none of it - the only limited success we've had (ie persuading her to at least take the teat in her mouth) was giving her the bottle during meals - DH's idea, going on the theory that she was a bit more open-minded as to what she allowed in her mouth at mealtimes! (She's a great eater and drinks water from a cup with hard spout.)

I think we'll get there in the end, but my hope of not having to present her with a bottle on a daily basis simply in order to give her one every now and again was a bit ambitious I think.

OP posts:

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