Maybe going back to work: what to do?

[dashoflime]

Soo, I might have a full time job soon.

I also have a nearly 5 month old who refuses to take a bottle.

What do I do about this? Should I persist in trying to get him to bottle feed?, try to interest him in milk from a sippy cup? Or start ween him onto solids?

All ideas welcome...Help me mumsnet!

How long is it until you start work? Have you spoken to nursery/cm? I'd also give one of the bfing helplines a call, the BFC will be able to talk to you about reducing your feeds so that you don't get mastitis and other feeding methods rather than bottles.

What will your child care arrangements be if you go back to work? Childminder, nursery, relatives? It might be an idea to ask them.

If it was me, I think I'd go for persisted with trying to get him to take a bottle of EBM (or sippy cup) as the first option.

If I get the job, it will be one month before I start.

Childcare will be husband for 3 days, child minder for 2.

Just go straight for the sippy cup. My DS only gets more adamant in his bottle refusing the older he gets (almost 7mo now) and you're supposed to ditch bottles at 12 months anyway. Solids shouldn't really be used as a milk substitute, although it's the only way DS will take milk at nursery (mixed into his food) since he's not quite taking meaningful quantities of milk from a cup yet, although we're getting there maybe. At home, though, he'll barely let anything that's not milk pass his lips, and there's lots of babies who just aren't interested in solids for a long time, so your most reliable method may just be to start now with a cup and persist like mad.

I agree with Elphaba, but would add- see if your DH has more luck than you with either bottle or sippy cup. Leave the room (or even house) for a bit while he tries.

Right. Will start expressing into a sippy cup and see what happens. Wish me luck!

Good luck OP. By the way, our nns could make a nice drink, all we need is to find a MNer called 'vodka'.