Introducing a bottle to a 5 1/2 month baby

[Beechview]

I want to introduce some formula milk to dd who is almost 6 months.
I just want a bottle for night time and if I need to leave dd with dh.
Do I need to buy a steriliser or will boiling water in a pan be ok?

Also if anyone can give me any tips I'd be grateful as shes refusing to take it.

I used boiling water when I just had a couple of bottles and the breast pump. Gave them a really good wash then boiled in a pan. Now I have more I do use an electric steriliser, seems a bit quicker.

You could use cold water tablets or just the dishwasher (if you have one) as an alternative?

Hi beechview
I am also struggling with this. Have been trying to get my daughter to take a bottle since she was 6 weeks old. No luck.

Am now determined to get ths sorted and we are givi her an ounce or so 3 times a day, just to get her more accepting of it. I gave up on normal teats. She just won't do it. we are using a nuk first sippy teat and having more luck.

I want to stop bf which is why I am really keen but if you only want occasional feeding then a doidy cup is worth a go (messy but they take to it quite fast) or spoon feed? Or syringe feed?

Good luck. And des anyone have any magic way to get a 6 month old to accept a bottle and take more than an ounce?

5mo DD has been mix fed (one bottle a day, sometimes formula, sometimes EBM) since 3mo (EBF until then).

I never sterilised her bottles - just a VERY good scrub with soap and hot water and air dry. She has had no tummy trouble at all.

Tips for getting her to take the bottle - get someone who is not you to do it (my DD less likely to take a bottle from me than her dad, it's like she knows my boobs are there and an option! ) and make sure the milk is your body temp. A friend used to mix EBM with formula to get her used to the taste.

Oh - and we used Tommee Tippee closer to nature teats, she seems t like them. Stuck with the lowest flow though, so she doesn't get lazy at the breast.

I went from ebf to using an occasional bottle around that age. Took some persistence but got there. I used mam bottles - there are ones that are self sterilizing using a microwave, so no need for sterilizer. Cost 8-9 quid I think.
I second what rootypig said, make sure milk is warm and low flow.

Well I've had no luck with any bottles but at only four months if desperate am starting to have luck with a beaker. DD doesn't seem to have a clue when it comes to bottle or dummies, it doesn't seem like refusual, she wants it but it just doesn't work.

I have failed to get my LO to take a bottle after lots of trying it was less stressful to give up.

I persisted with doidy and sippy cup she started around 5 months to take milk out if doidy and can take a full feed if needed. It is messy but gets much easier as they learn to (but bottle feeding her was just as messy with her as it dribbled everywhere!)

You need to introduce a cup at six months for water anyway so you can practice with water first.

At just short of seven months, my son is finally established on mixed feeding. Took a lot of faffing with bottles but settled on tommee tippee closer to nature, after trying medela etc. you must have someone else do it (dad in our house) because if you are there, with the boobs, theres no way baby will settle for anything less! Even now, its my husband who does the bottle feeds (bedtime and 2am)

For what it's worth I completely disagree with using a slow flow teat so your baby doesn't become lazy at the breast. I went down that route following advice here somewhere with DD1. She became a complete bottle refusnik and we had a nightmare when I went back to work.
Have just bumped 5 mo DD2 up to medium flow [mix fed from birth as needed top ups] but recently fighting the bottle and becoming v upset] and she has magically calmed down and is v happy. I guess my bm delivers a lot faster than the slow flow teats [medela and Tommy Tippee]. I thought because she was dribbling everywhere with the TT Closer to nature bottles that she couldn't cope with the flow, but with the faster flow she is suddenly a much tidier feeder. Weird.

Get someone else to offer or offer a top up yourself after half a feed so your DC is not frantic with hunger. If they are not interested my advice is not to flog it, at nearly six months you can easily feed with a cup.

To answer your actual question try sterilizer bags for the microwave if you really want to sterilize. Each bag lasts for ages and they take up no space on your kitchen counter. Perfect for holidays and you can store the microwaved bottle and teats in there with an unbroken seal. Watch your microwave temp though - if you have a new one, you might need to use a lower heat setting. A mate killed off her medela calmia teats in a couple of weeks.
You can also boil them, stick them in the dishwasher or use sterilzing tablets but I've found the microwave bags to be the most low maintenance way of sterilizing. poor DD2 is much less pfb and her stuff just goes in the dishwasher since she was about 4 weeks old, no ill effects so far

butting in

That's interesting about the flow oscarwilde - my DS2 (also 5 months) has also been very reluctant to take EBM from a bottle (after one successful attempt about a month ago he is now refusing entirely). I'm not that worried and, as you say, won't flog it as he's nearly old enough for a cup but I'd still be happier if I knew he could take it, especially as I have a couple of things I'd like to go out for in a couple of months . I have a very fast let down (I'm still spraying across the room if he comes off) and I'm wondering is he just finding the slow flow teat frustrating? I've been using a slow Medela teat, I have some medium ones left over from DS1, would those be worth a go? Sorry for hijacking your thread, OP.

I would give it a go leedy. I've found that a good time to try is after the evening feed while they are still awake but a bit satiated and relaxed. Extra grub always seems to go down well then.

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

Thanks for all the responses. They're very helpful.
I am going to try the bottle again this weekend and will get dh to give it. Shes almost 6 months now so I wont bother with a steriliser but just ensure good cleaning.