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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Cup feeding a 5 month old.

25 replies

NoTeaForMe · 20/10/2013 16:49

So some of you may know that I'm trying to get my 5 month old to have a bottle of expressed breast milk occasionally. She doesn't think this is such a good idea! We thought that we'd now try a cup. What's the best cup to go for? Do they take enough from a cup for a feed?

Thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 20/10/2013 20:39

Anyone?!

OP posts:
SoftSheen · 20/10/2013 20:43

A lot of babies seem to like the Tommee Tippee sippy cup

LoganMummy · 20/10/2013 20:44

I can't help, sorry but just wanted to say we're having exactly the same problem.

Smartiepants79 · 20/10/2013 20:47

Never used a cup before 6 month weaning. We've only used the bog standard tommee tippee. www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_206449_10001?$ja=tsid:49662&cm_mmc=googlemerchantcenter--nmppla--NULL--NULL&_$ja=cgid:10700677529%7Ctsid:49662%7Ccid:180463649%7Clid:66236338529%7Cnw:search%7Ccrid:38281323449%7Cdvc:t%7Cadp:1o2%7Cbku:1&gclid=CNjb3PSVproCFfHKtAodPS0AIw
This one.
My children didn't drink more than about 100ml (tops) at a time until they were much older.
Have to say both my EBF girls refused bottles. One went very happily to milk in a cup at 9-12months. My 10 month old though is unimpressed with milk in a cup. Will only drink water!

Thesebootsweremadeforwalking · 20/10/2013 20:51

DS was a bottle refuser but I had him using the Tommee Tippee cup at 5 months. He would also take milk from a Doidy cup (messy) or an Avent soft spout training cup with the non-spill valve removed (handy as the bottle body was compatible with my breast pump).

He never did get the hang of using non-spill/ valved cups.

zoobaby · 20/10/2013 20:56

Those tommee tippee cups are pretty bog standard. They are sold in my local Sainsburys, which is not a massive store, so would assume Tesco and asda would stock them too. DS took to it nicely just before 6 months of age. They are free flow, so not the type of thing to leave DC with.

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 20/10/2013 21:00

I have one of those cups from my first baby. She was mixed fed so I didn't have any of these problems just a hideous time breatfeeding! I don't remember when she used it from but I don't think it was this young and was only for sips of water, never trying to get a whole feed down her! We also have a doidy cup.

I wasn't sure whether we should try with the tommee tippee one or get a valved/sucking teat one?

OP posts:
Beamur · 20/10/2013 21:03

My HV said the free flowing ones were preferable (can't remember why now though!)

Whyisitsodifficult · 20/10/2013 21:26

I have been using a doidy cup with my six month old. This was on the advice of my HV when I mentioned I wanted to stop breast feeding, she said they advise to go straight onto a cup now. We've been doing it for about three weeks now and she takes about 5 oz's of formula twice a day. I'm still breast feeding morning, lunch time and tonight was her first formula feed at bedtime as want to phase that one out now. It was quite messy at first but it's amazing how well she drinks from it now. I'd recommend going for it if you have the time and patience to persevere with it as it's not as straight forward as bottle feeding! Makes sense to miss the bottles out and one less thing to phase out later on!

mrswigglemunch · 20/10/2013 21:41

my ds will rarely take a bottle but gets on fine with a doidy cup (which we've been using for about 4 weeks - he's now 21 weeks). got given our doidy cup at one stay and play at our local sure start x

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 21/10/2013 08:09

Silly question...do I need to sterilise one of those tommee tippee cups?! If so how?

OP posts:
Smartiepants79 · 21/10/2013 10:09

I would sterilise if you plAn to use it for milk feeds. At least until she is weaned.
If you don't have a steriliser you can use the dishwasher or boil them in water for a few minutes.

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 22/10/2013 14:45

Thanks!

Do people manage to replace whole feeds with a cup?

OP posts:
Thesebootsweremadeforwalking · 22/10/2013 17:33

DS would eventually take about 4oz from a cup - he was starting on solids at the same time (22 weeks on) and I suspect it may have encouraged him to eat a bit more at lunchtime than he might otherwise have done. I used to give him expressed milk in a cup if we were out and about as he was impossible to feed in public around then, too many distractions!

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 22/10/2013 18:14

See I was kind of hoping to start cutting back on breastfeeding. I feel so run down all the time and she's so nosey that it's turning into a nightmare in public. I guess that's not going to be possible with cup feeding?

She will be starting solids soon though so surely she'll cut down some feeds then?! My eldest daughter did...

OP posts:
Thesebootsweremadeforwalking · 22/10/2013 18:22

I don't know how much milk he had at each BF then, so I'm not sure, but he took to solids enthusiastically and dropped milk feeds quite quickly IIRC so that by 11mo (when I went back to work) he was only having milk three times a day - 2 BF and one FF, plus lots of yoghurt and cheese as he wasn't all that keen on formula.

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 22/10/2013 18:29

I never imagined myself breastfeeding much past 6 months and I'm keen to be stopping really. I just can't see that happening now.

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Whyisitsodifficult · 22/10/2013 20:50

I've replaced whole feeds with a cup. Like you I'm getting tired of the feeding so now she only gets me morning and lunchtime all her other feeds are cup. Working towards cutting out the morning but it's easier to lie down and feed her rather than sit up with a cup!

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 22/10/2013 22:36

What about night times whyisitsodifficult ? Or does your baby sleep through?

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Whyisitsodifficult · 23/10/2013 21:40

Touch wood she sleeps through generally. I've only just changed from breast to cup for the bedtime feed this week. She did wake up last night at 3am due to teeth. As I wasn't sure if she'd had enough from her last cup feed I did give her some more as she wasn't settling with just cal pol, I did use a cup again and she had 2 ounces or so then went off. It's not as easy as a bottle I admit but she does really well so I'm sticking it out!

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 23/10/2013 22:23

I just don't know what to do, I'm keen to start cutting down the breastfeeding a bit but it's been going so well that I can't help but feel guilty about being ready to stop...or at least start stopping!

I naively thought that I would just give her bottles and that after maybe a little persuasion she would just take them and that would be that! I don't know if I'm messing her around by trying a bottle, then trying a cup, and flitting around a bit. I don't even know how much a feed is for her or if I could express enough for a feed a day! She'll have to be on formula of she ever takes a bottle/cup in a couple of months anyway as I only have the loan of the pump until mid December!

Maybe I shouldn't worry too much until she has some solids, surely she'll start cutting down on milk then? I really can't remember what my eldest did!

OP posts:
Whyisitsodifficult · 24/10/2013 20:21

I know it's difficult isn't it, she's my third so you'd think i would be clued up! Why don't you just cut out one breast feed a day to start with, then decide whether it be a bottle or a cup and stick with it. I think that's the key then when she is used to that introduce more. I'm aiming on stopping the lunchtime one next week so then she'll only be having one morning breast feed a day. It's worth trying the cup if you have the determination to persevere with it, after all you'll have to wean her off bottles eventually so it's just missing out a step.

Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 24/10/2013 21:36

Thanks Why I spoke to my health visitor today as I went to have her weighed. She agreed that I should just put the bottles away now. Like you, she says that as my baby is 5 months by the time we get her on bottles we'll be looking to wean her off them! She recommended a cup like this as she will still need to suck a bit but the teat shape is totally different to a bottle. I mentioned the doidy or the big standard £1.99 tommee tippee cup which she said would be fine but would be messier to begin with and she possibly won't like the free flow of it.

I'll be weaning in a couple of weeks I guess so I'll start properly tying to cut the breastfeeding down from then. Will keep introducing a cup until then! Guess there's a small glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel then?!

OP posts:
Original poster
NoTeaForMe · 30/10/2013 07:58

I've had a breakthrough! I bough one of the "tommee tippee first sips" cups like in my link above and she enthusiastically held the handles and had it in her mouth. But she was chewing and sucking a big an not getting the milk, or maybe had a dribble, but anyway was frustrated. So I swapped the top to a bottle teat and she drank all of it! There was only 1.5oz in there though. Since then (3 days ago!) every day I have given her 2.5oz in a bottle and she has happily taken it! However much is in there she only takes 2.5oz, but she does then still go 2-2 and a half hours until she is hungry again, and that is average for her. Surely 2.5oz can't be a whole feed? Will this gradually build up do you think?

After all this time and people convincing me to give the bottles up now and just try a cup she takes a bottle! Awkward girl!

OP posts:
OooAhhh · 20/05/2020 20:39

Don't know if any of you will see this.. 7 years later!

Just wanted to say I'm having the exact same issue with my little 5.5 month old boy right now! Your thread has been very comforting to me, knowing that I'm not the only person who has struggled (and still is struggling!) to get him to take a bottle/cup. Everyone I know who has breastfed has had no issues whatsoever to get their little one to take a bottle so I feel like a bit of a failure. Anyway, hoping our cup feeding will help! Thanks again!

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