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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

8mo bottle refuser, going back to work in 3 weeks!

28 replies

hibbleddible · 10/11/2015 12:45

I'm not sure what to do.

Dd (8mo) has never had a bottle, having refused the few times we have tried.

I'm going back to work soon, and will be away from her for nearly 10 hours including travelling time.

I'm pretty worried now!

I have tried formula from a sippy cup but she refuses it. (She drinks water happily from a sippy cup)

Any ideas or experience?

OP posts:
Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 10/11/2015 12:48

If DD will be 11 months when you go back, I would try with cows milk rather than formula, save her adjusting to new milk twice. you can continue to do first thin/last thing with breast milk and just use cows milk in the daytime maybe?

Iguessyourestuckwithme · 10/11/2015 12:48

As a nanny / ex nursery nurse I have seen this many times. I wouldn't be too worried. I think with this I wouldnt worry. She's 8 months and on 3 meals a day (?) She will be okay during the day with water and meals and just having breast first and last thing at night. She may surprise you but don't worry if she won't take it

Bertieboo1 · 10/11/2015 12:50

Have you tried someone else giving your LO the formula in the cup? My son was exactly the same and wouldn't take it from me at first. I was incredibly stressed about it but he adapted to having formula at nursery much more quickly than I thought. Good luck.

OnlyHereForTheCamping · 10/11/2015 12:51

I went back to work when dd was 8 months. She just had water and packed lunch at nursery . Didn't appear to do any harm. She did have yoghurts etc for calcium

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 10/11/2015 12:52

Oh sorry I read returning to work in 3 months not 3 weeks Blush

In that case I agree, breast first thing and last thing and DD will adjust to formula at nursery, most kids do Smile

Artandco · 10/11/2015 12:54

I wouldn't worry either at that age. She will be on solids having Meals, can be offered normal milk and water through the the day by whoever is Caring for her. 10 hrs is only say 8am-6pm so you still have time to breastfeed her before and after work.

Iguessyourestuckwithme · 10/11/2015 12:58

I would send milk with her if you think she needs it - she may just take it. My current "big" one didn't take a bottle for mum until 2 days before I started and the little one only seems to take a bottle by me or a nanny friend but no one else.....

CheeseEMouse · 10/11/2015 13:00

We had the same, and my daughter refused bottles at nursery too. In the end I had to reconcile myself to the fact that she was drinking water fine during the day so wasn't thirsty, so there wasn't much else I could do. She was fine.

Micah · 10/11/2015 13:02

Same happened to me :). It was fine.

I sent in bottles anyway for the first month, but they never got drunk. In the end she was given a dairy snack instead.

She just bf morning and evening, and occasionally in the night too (which stopped at about a year).

I bf until 14 months, and she'd still never had a bottle.

About 9 months they can drop mid-morning and afternoon milk anyway, and just feed morning and evening.

Original poster
hibbleddible · 10/11/2015 14:14

She is having 3 meals a day but tbh isn't eating much right now. I think it is teething.

So if all else fails she could just have food and water in the day? I am planning to feed her morning and evening.

I will continue to persevere with formula but I think she doesn't like the taste!

OP posts:
museumum · 10/11/2015 14:20

My bottle refused had food and water on nursery and mil days from 6mo old. I just made sure he had porridge with milk, cheese and yoghurt. They don't need bottles of milk in the day if they're not keen and are getting dairy from food.

Dixiechick17 · 10/11/2015 21:58

Have you tried mixing the formula with your breast milk? My friend suggested this and it's helping us to get DD to drink formula, I'm gradually increasing the quantity of formula over the week until it's just formula.

Dixiechick17 · 10/11/2015 22:00

I do it on just one feed a day at the moment.

Original poster
hibbleddible · 10/11/2015 22:12

Dixie I haven't as I hate expressing. I tried it with dd1 and it was very painful and didn't really work. I really don't want to try again.

Any suggestions for which bottle to try? So far I have only tried tommee tippee, but have ordered a nuk bottle with latex teet. I saw mamajumi have good reviews for breastfed babies but they are eye wateringly expensive (but I will get them if others don't work)

OP posts:
TheOriginalWinkly · 10/11/2015 22:15

I went back to work when bottle refusing DD was 8.5m. She went through a lot of yoghurt and breast fed a bit more when I was around but she was absolutely fine. She liked the thick spouted sippy cups from Boots best and would drink more of the Hipp Organic formula than any other (ie some rather than none! )

BushyTailedPony · 10/11/2015 22:18

My DD won't take a bottle but she likes the Nuk learner bottle ( it's like a cross between a bottle and cup) as she can hold the handles herself. Hopefully link below works...

m.johnlewis.com/mt/www.johnlewis.com/nuk-first-choice-learner-bottle/p1759087?sku=234123098&kpid=234123098&s_kenid=6cdefaf0-72d7-4195-a2cd-2e7d93d6ff76&s_kwcid=403x764088&tmad=c&tmcampid=73#page_loaded

museumum · 11/11/2015 07:21

Ideally babies are supposed to stop bottles at around 12mo in favour of cups. I really wouldn't worry too much about a 9mo old not taking one. I'd stick to persevering with cups.
I was very stressed about ds not taking bottles at 5/6mo but it was great by 12mo when others were trying to give them up to just not have that issue.

Original poster
hibbleddible · 12/11/2015 19:29

Thank you for all the advice.

Any opinions on who she would be best to spend the first day I'm at work with. Choices are: my parents, dh or the childminder.

She would get one to one with my parents or dh, but conversely the childminder is more experienced. Currently my parents are booked but I'm worried they won't cope.

OP posts:
greatbigwho · 12/11/2015 19:32

Have you tried an open cup, such as a Doidy cup? We never managed to get my daughter to take a bottle or any kind of sippy cup or beaker with a spout but she used a Doidy cup quite successfully from about 8m and at almost 2 drinks only from open cups with no issues at all

Original poster
hibbleddible · 12/11/2015 19:40

We have a doidy cup but haven't tried very much with it. I will give it a go!

OP posts:
greatbigwho · 12/11/2015 19:46

Try with water in the bath initially ;)

Iguessyourestuckwithme · 12/11/2015 21:18

Does your childminder not do settling in sessions?

If I was in your shoes I'd be working on doing a couple of mornings/afternooons or just a couple of hours every so often where she is looked after by dp/gp/childminder in preparation. Otherwise it will be a very long unsettling day for her if she's just dropped in at the deep end.

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 13/11/2015 07:30

Oh I agree massively with Iguess. With DD1 I went back when she was 20 months and in the 6 weeks prior to it she did 3 hours 2 days the first week, 3 hours the next, weeks 3 and 4 she did 2 whole mornings, week 5 and 6 she did 3 full days (which is what I worked then ). It was a nice transition for both her and the CM, and DD took to it really well.

Original poster
hibbleddible · 13/11/2015 07:46

I guess we are doing 2 weeks of settling with the cm, I'm still worried about how she will cope for 10 hours without a feed though. She will be going to cm part time, and my parents part time.

OP posts:
Iguessyourestuckwithme · 13/11/2015 15:27

I would send her to the childminders.

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