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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Help to get my 7 month old off BF and onto FF?

19 replies

BKKate · 19/08/2013 09:31

please I'd love some ideas of how to get my 7 month old off breast feeds and onto formula. she will occasionally drink formula from a bottle and will have some expressed milk in a bottle, but it's pretty rare. I know she likes the current formula as she drank 6oz of it the other week from a Mam bottle.
I'm keen for any alternative ideas? At the moment she plays with the bottle and takes the odd sip....should I go cold turkey on the boob?

OP posts:
LJWal1 · 19/08/2013 20:38

I wish I had an answer. My seven month old used to take a bottle no problem but now refuses unless very sleepy and alternated with breast and done by me. It's driving me insane as I can never get a break as no one else can put her to bed or help at night. She doesn't sleep either! Night time takes up to 2 hours to get her to sleep as it is!! I can only sympathise and watch this post in the hope someone has answers!!

thisisyesterday · 19/08/2013 20:41

is there a particular reason you need her to have a bottle rather than breast?

i would just keep offering now and then until she is more used to it. don't go cold turkey. breastfeeding is about so much more than just milk and she is way too young to know why you would suddenly not be letting her have it

Tiredtrout · 19/08/2013 21:14

I'm desperate for my 3mo ebf baby to accept a bottle of ebm or formula. My dm is terminally ill and I don't think it would be a good idea to take the baby with me when I see her as it is too tiring for dm and she is on an oncology ward so babies nappies with all they entail and the noise would be inconsiderate. She screams at the bottle no matter who gives it.

Any ideas?

Tiredtrout · 19/08/2013 21:15

Sorry to jump in Kate Thanks

ExBrightonBell · 19/08/2013 21:26

Tiredtrout, have you tried giving her milk from a cup? Even young babies can learn to drink from them apparently. It could be worth a try.

So sorry about your DM.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 19/08/2013 21:27

Can you get your dh to feed for a while ? So she doesn't smell the milk. You can continue to express in meantime and do the evening feed?

Tiredtrout · 19/08/2013 22:05

So far we've tried dh, big brother, big sister all feeding her with a bottle, with expressed milk, with me in the room, not in the room but in the house and with me out of the house. We've tried spoon feeding too. Not tried a cup, is that dippy or normal?

The other thing I've tried is swapping onto the bottle mid feed when she's all calm.

All attempts have just resulted in screaming. The feeding when I've been out of the house she screamed for half an hour while all three tried to persuade then she just fell ssleep

ExBrightonBell · 19/08/2013 22:40

Doidy cups or similar open cups can work, rather than sippy cups. There's a video on YouTube demo-ing it.

Tiredtrout · 19/08/2013 22:46

I'll keep trying stuff then, I'm planning on pumping and dumping as necessary, it's all going a bit down hill for mum at the moment and she finds the kids exhausting however much she loves them. I have some ready mixed formula in the cupboard for emergencies but intend to continue feeding myself after the crisis

Original poster
BKKate · 20/08/2013 00:58

I did try lots if different bottles, and the best I've found are "breast flow bottles" by the first years. They're a bit different to other bottles and I got her to take milk from them after she first refused to take bottle and they stopped the screaming everytime the bottle came out. Maybe worth a try?

OP posts:
AidanTheRevengeNinja · 20/08/2013 07:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tiredtrout · 20/08/2013 07:54

Thanks kate, from what I remember boob cold turkey is a bad idea for your problem, I think it's going to be best to reduce into formula. Can you get someone else to give some of the feeds?

Original poster
BKKate · 20/08/2013 14:09

Actually I tried a sippy cup today and she happily had a fair bit of formula, so might try that tomorrow with some breastmilk and go from there....

OP posts:
Tiredtrout · 20/08/2013 18:13

I've got hold of a doidy cup so we are going to give it a try later

Tiredtrout · 21/08/2013 06:04

Tried with the doidy cup and a different bottle, no cigar, she turned purple and was screaming, nothing taken. I'm off to see the health visitors today as I have to go to the hospital today

chestnut100 · 21/08/2013 06:32

Can I suggest trying the nuk range of tears? My son stubbornly refused for months but got the hang of these almost immediately

NumTumDeDum · 21/08/2013 06:35

You could also try the Medala bottles and teats which are meant to mimic breastfeeding better.

Original poster
BKKate · 21/08/2013 08:00

More success with the sippy cup today. Maybe worth a try Tiredtrout? Or another friend of mine also had success with the nil teats. It's very frustrating...

OP posts:
Tiredtrout · 21/08/2013 12:17

I saw the health visitor, she suggested the nuk bottles, doidy cup, cherry dummies and trying at every feed. Which means expressing at every feed too. Off to visit mum now, thanks for the help everyone

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