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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

NUK teats - do they make a difference???

29 replies

emsyj · 27/04/2013 16:24

That old 'breastfed baby won't take a bottle' chestnut is rearing its ugly head in my house AGAIN ((sigh)) . I had this issue with DD1 and so planned to give DD2 a daily expressed bottle to ensure it didn't recur, but it hasn't worked - for the last 4 days she has pushed the teat out of her mouth with her tongue.

I've been using MAM bottles and teats but have just ordered an NUK bottle with the latex teat to see if it makes a difference - any nice anecdotes about bottle refusers accepting a NUK latex teat to cheer me up?? Please??

OP posts:

SkiBumMum · 27/04/2013 16:32

Yep mine did. She had to have the hole made bigger though as she liked the faster flow. They deteriorate quite quickly so need replacing every couple of weeks.

Original poster

emsyj · 27/04/2013 17:12

Hurrah!

Fingers crossed this helps me too - I will be surprised (but delighted) if it does...

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abigboydidit · 27/04/2013 18:00

Not what you want to hear am afraid but..bought the small hole teat directly from Nuk as could only get medium in shops. DD (10 weeks I think at time) seemed to take to it really well as it didn't flood her mouth with milk like other teats. Took a few gulps from half filled bottle between feeds and 2 bottles as full feeds I think so we thought we'd nailed it. The last bottle however seemed to go down really fast - as if the anti colic bit was letting milk through too quickly. I mean it was like that student trick with the bottle of alcopop and a bendy straw. Next attempt was similar and milk seemed to be dripping out while I was holding it to put to her mouth. She almost inhaled a big glug of milk which just made her burp and then she wouldn't take the teat in her mouth again. I have no idea if it was just the teat softening due to being washed and sterilised causing the flow to increase or what. We're back to square 1 now and just spend silly money on a Madela bottle. We're making slow progress but she seems happy enough to chew on the teat and have it in her mouth - something that hasn't happened with any bottle other than the 1st attempts with the Nuk. Now I just need to work out how to get her to suck...

Good luck though. Hope it works for you.

lazzaroo · 27/04/2013 18:30

Am on second bottle refuser too. Was determined to at least mix feed this time but DD has had other ideas! I'm afraid nuk hasn't saved the day in this house. Neither did Breastflow (or mam, tommee Tippee, supermarket own brand etc etc!). She's now 15 weeks and we've given up!

Hope you have more success!

Original poster

emsyj · 27/04/2013 19:21

To be honest I'm not expecting it to help much - I tried Breastflow last time but I think they're a bit of a gimmick. It's only £6 for the bottle and teat on amazon so I'm giving it a try, if it works it would be amazing but this time around I think I will end up starting the cup at 4 months and persevering with that. It was even harder with DD1 from the point of view that she was a very frequent feeder and also very very late and slow to take to solids, so I couldn't leave her at all until she was quite old. I'm going back to work PT when DD2 is 9 months so I will need her to be able to be left by then...

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abigboydidit · 27/04/2013 19:46

Well, if any consolation DS was 8 months when I went back to work full time & a bottle refuser. I just fed him 1st thing, then again when we got in from work/nursery and at bedtime. Sometimes a little bit more at weekends. Anyway, he seemed fine with that and never seemed to look for milk at nursery IYSWIM.

Original poster

emsyj · 27/04/2013 20:09

Did your DS feed more at night after you returned to work, abigboydidit? I'm a bit scared of the prospect of the 'baby feeds all night to make up for it' thing happening - not my idea of a good time!!!

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namechangea · 27/04/2013 21:01

Ooh can I join in and mark my place for all the advice that will be forthcoming from mn. I found out today am going to need an op sometime probably soon. DD2 is 5 months and is also a bottle refuser, we could try a cup.... What cup would we try, doidi (sp?) although I do want her to take a bottle rather than cup as she feeds to sleep at the moment and can't see that happening sipping from a cup.

I am distraught at the thought of 10 days in hospital away from my baby girl and beautiful toddler. She'll probably go off the breast completely (sob) although hope to do a feed during visiting hours. I need the consolation that she's still getting milk.

I'd best get pumping and freezing and crossing my fingers.

Original poster

emsyj · 27/04/2013 21:10

I would just go to one of those free flow tommee tippee ones - DD1 drank milk from them quite happily eventually, but it did take practice and as you say, it's harder to do a bedtime feed from them if you normally feed them to sleep.

I can tell you though that when I gave up bf at 1 year with DD1, she had no problem with the change to having toast & milk from a cup downstairs, then being put to bed with a story, sing and cuddle with DH. We had expected major ructions, but it was fine - so a transition to cup & bed might not be terrible, although obviously 5 months is much younger than DD1 was.

I think the Doidy cups work quite well - I'm going to buy one if DD2 doesn't take to the normal lidded cup, but they're quite expensive so would like to avoid if possible.

OP posts:

abigboydidit · 27/04/2013 21:33

Sorry for the delay! DS had been sleeping through from 12 weeks and never started needing night feeds once his day feeds were cut, he just sort of adapted! I think he just fed more efficiently.

Another possible suggestion.. I bought nipple shields to get DD used to the plastic-y feel of teats to see if that helps the transition. I tried it once and hated it (DD didn't notice any difference, it just made more mess as far as I could see) but it might be worth a go if you've got a clock ticking? Am holding it as a last resort option at the moment.

Original poster

emsyj · 27/04/2013 21:47

I do have some nipple shields that I bought 'just in case' before I had DD1. I'm going to see how we go with the NUK teat and then maybe just give up if it doesn't work. I think DD2 is quite different from DD1 and I have everything crossed that she will take to solids more quickly and earlier...

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abigboydidit · 27/04/2013 21:51

I just noticed the comment up thread re Nuk teats only lasting a couple of weeks so am guessing that was the problem with my DD. Fingers crosses if you get your DD2 used to the Nuk latex she might happily transfer over to another bottle.

Original poster

emsyj · 27/04/2013 21:56

Hopefully - although if I have to buy a new teat every week to make her take a bottle, I will do it!!!! What price freedom?

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abigboydidit · 27/04/2013 22:19

Haha! I know what you mean. This time round I was determined to start earlier with the bottle etc etc.. Problem is she was so content sucking on a plain old Avent at 4/5 weeks I assumed there'd be no issue. Then I needed her to take a bottle and I swear they sense it suddenly it was a no go. You'd think I would have learned from DS! DS finally took a Tommee Tippee one but he was over a year old (and still refusing milk from a cup) and it wasn't till about a week after I had weaned him off BFing (having discovered I was pregnant, I was too busy vomiting to feed ).

Am taking it slow but steady here, letting her play with the teat of the bottle for now and planning to try a sleepy feed this week (starting a feed from her nap before she's fully awake) as that's worked in the past. If am honest, am not hopeful but am refusing to give up just yet clearly she gets her stubbornness from DH

abigboydidit · 27/04/2013 22:21

Oh emsyj - if the Nuk do work I have an unopened pack of 2 latex medium flow I bought at the same time as the slow flow you're more than welcome to!

leedy · 27/04/2013 23:11

Nuk didn't work for us with bottle resista DS2 (5.5 months), but he has recently been reasonably successful with the Doidy cup, just as another data point.

Original poster

emsyj · 28/04/2013 12:52

Just ordered a doidy cup too! Fingers crossed one of them works a bit..

Thanks abigboydidit, I will let you know how we get on .

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abigboydidit · 28/04/2013 16:50

emsyj - I may join you in that!

mejon · 28/04/2013 20:45

My initial bottle refuser took to the NUK ones with no (well hardly any!) trouble. Once she'd got used to the latex ones we switched to the silicone ones that last much longer. Good luck!

nellyjelly · 28/04/2013 20:50

There are a couple of bottles just for BF babies with special teats. Think one was Breastflow and Medela do one too. Didn't work for my kids but maybe worth a try.

ImaHexGirl · 28/04/2013 20:58

We were probably a bit peculiar but we found different bottles worked at different times of day. The Tommee Tipee closer to nature were good for daytime feeds at that age or Nuk. Sometimes i had to try both to see which one suited DS that feed. First thing in the morning was a weird one that I've not come across since. I think it was Mooma? Bedtime was usually a Mam as DS seemed to be able to drain that with minimal effort and the fact he didn't have to try meant he just zoned out. He was often pretty much asleep by the time he finished it especially if it had been warmed.

Sorry that doesn't really help but it did seem to be trial and error and for us different types of bottles worked at different feeds!

ImaHexGirl · 28/04/2013 21:03

Sorry meant to say that when we first switched to FF DS was still having a feed at 10.30 ish. We used the closer to nature at that time.

I guess the point I was trying to make earlier was that we found different types seemed to suit DS at different times depending on what he was feeling. e.g. Was it hunger or more a comfort thing and whether he was just ravenous so wanted to scoff it down, wanted comfort or just wanted to take his time and wind down.

Original poster

emsyj · 28/04/2013 21:05

I've got a Breastflow one although not tried it this time around - may sterilise it to have a go, didn't do anything for DD1 but may try anyway. She will have the MAM teat in her mouth but won't suck on it - I have managed to con her into a brief few sucks by holding it next to boob and shoving it in, but she isn't fooled for more than a few seconds.

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SkiBumMum · 28/04/2013 21:11

You need to leave the house & get someone else to feed her. Mine would never have it if I was anywhere near. I ended up having to go for a whole day out while DH did bottle boot camp. Once she'd had one she was ok. She too took one fine (Nuk) for first few week and then stopped for a few months! She's still bloody stubborn over a year on. We dropped her bottle and now she won't have milk at all!

Original poster

emsyj · 28/04/2013 21:41

I did go out for quite a while last week as it happens, to meet work colleagues for a few drinks. Up to that point, DD2 had been having a bottle every day (although the amount she took varied from 2oz to 6oz) so I happily went off leaving two full bottles in the fridge and the whole time I was out she would only have 1oz. She fed for ages when I got back, although she was not too grizzly in my absence given that she must have been pretty hungry. Maybe I should work up to going out for a while again and see if she takes the NUK one.

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