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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Please help me get my baby to take a bottle.

24 replies

Highlove · 26/04/2017 19:01

I have tried all sorts of bottles and sippy cups etc. I've tried, as has DH, my mum, SIL. I've even tried getting her 3 yo sister whom she adores to try! At home and out. Distractions, telly, singing, walking about. Formula and even cow's milk in case it's the taste. Hungry/a bit hungry/starving. Me there and me not there. On a good day she might sit with it in her mouth for a bit. On a bad day you would think her eyes were being pricked with needles. Been trying weeks and I'm getting increasingly stressed and frustrated. I don't want go cold turkey but may have to at this rate. I didn't really want to stop fully, rather get her into several bottles a day and keep one or two BFs. But I'll stop if it's that or nothing.

So, any last ditch ideas before we go cold turkey? Please!

OP posts:

Original poster

Highlove · 26/04/2017 19:02

Sorry - she's 8.5months.

OP posts:

SchnitzelvonKrummsverylowtum · 26/04/2017 19:05

Following as I'm having exactly the same problem, only DD is 6 months and I have to go back to work in a week and a half. I'm dreading it!

Original poster

Highlove · 26/04/2017 19:07

I'm sure someone will be along with a miracle schnitzel.

OP posts:

PamBagnallsGotACollage · 26/04/2017 19:13

At a similar age we were in the same situation i.e. Had tried EVERYTHING but didn't really want to stop fully. So we bought some of those smaller cow and gate started bottles that come with teats so we weren't wasting too much milk. We decided to only offer formula after first morning breastfeed until 10pm.

Day one: he took a few ml a couple of times during the day. And by the evening drank about 4 oz in one go.

Day 2: larger amounts during the day and drank more in the evening.

Day 3: was having full 7 oz feeds during the day.

My husband dealt with it on the first day, he took some milk from both of us on the second day and I did it on my own the third day.

Havinga period of time where we only offered formula in a bottle really helped. When we were trying for one feed and going back to BF it just didn't work. Knowing we had a cut off point and that he would get some BF at 10pm also made it easier.

At 8 months we knew he was eating so wouldn't go hungry. He adjusted on the first day to realise gbhe was o my being offered the bottles and wasn't ever distressed or upset that was important or we wouldn't have carried on. Having that plan we offered the bottle but didn't feel pressured to sit and try and try, I nome sitting. If he wasn't bothered, we waited a bit.

Good luck with it all!

PamBagnallsGotACollage · 26/04/2017 19:15

Oh, meant to say, because we only went cold turkey between about 7 am and 10pm, I was able to keep
morning and bedtime feeds (once he accepted a bottle, I moved the last BF to normal bedtime feed...and then a few night wakes!)

MonumentsAndMelodies · 26/04/2017 19:16

Also following. Dd is 10 months, I dread to think how much I've spent on different types of bottles, cups and formula and how much breast milk I've poured down the sink in the past 6 months! Dd now has 4 teeth and I have a wedding to go to in June so getting desperate lol.

Keeping my fingers crossed for the miracle solution

PastysPrincess · 26/04/2017 19:16

I was never able to get my son to take one. We were told by the HV if all other efforts fail just go cold turkey and he will soon accept it...he never did. We just added extra fluid to his foods as we were in the early stages of weaning him with purée etc

milkjetmum · 26/04/2017 19:20

I was back at ft work a month before Dd2 would tolerate a bottle... Tried every teat bottle slippy cup etc.

I would make peace with bottles maybe not being accepted by your lo, some kids are just not gonna have it! Instead ensure lots of wet or milky food offered during the day, melon, yogurt etc with a water slippy cup on hand, that will be fine if you are still planning to bf morning and evening but get ready for 3hr cluster feeds in the evening

TheUnseenAcademic · 26/04/2017 19:20

You've probably tried varying temperatures, but my DS had to have it surprisingly warm before he'd take a bottle. My DD (around 6 months)?just used to chew the teat until I started to sort of squeeze/massage it so that milk went into her mouth. One day then it just clicked.

Aliveinwanderland · 26/04/2017 19:21

Is it worth trying at that age? Does she drink from a sippy cup in the day time? If so don't bother with a bottle and just find a cup she likes.

Bella1985 · 27/04/2017 11:45

We've been trying to get DS to take breast milk in a bottle as I have tickets to the theatre (a gift) so DH will need to feed without me, and the only thing that seems to help a little - he's very stubborn though and won't take every time - is I don't put the teat in the sterilising fluid, only the bottle. We place the teat in boiling water so it doesn't taste chemically. It could be coincidence, but he's stopped pulling a funny face now and has taken an ounce or two a couple of times. Screamed blue murder this morning though and refused 100%

Original poster

Highlove · 27/04/2017 12:33

Thanks all. I've tried sippy cups too and still no. Basically any vessel that isn't my boob is a no! I've tried unsterilised (but carefully washed!) too and still no. So - I think the '12 hour cold turkey' as a PP suggested is our way forward...

OP posts:

RedBeanie · 27/04/2017 12:36

I had to go cold turkey with mine, it was really stressful but she wouldn't take any combination of bottles, milk, people etc. I hated going through it, but after around 8-10 hours of nothing, she took it. Sympathies.

LapinR0se · 27/04/2017 12:44

How long are you trying before relenting and giving the boob?

CatsCantFlyFast · 27/04/2017 12:51

Are they drinking water from a cup?

coragreta · 27/04/2017 13:05

My dc never took a bottle until she was 1. Even at nursery. I would focus on milky breakfast like porridge or something and wait. Don't starve the poor little thing.

Daytona79 · 27/04/2017 13:08

Had this issue with my first just had to use a normal open top cup and at 12 months stop BF and made sure diet had lots of dairy in it and he slowly drank more and more from cup

Daytona79 · 27/04/2017 13:08

Water from a cup ever meal doidy cup is good then slowly introduce milk in it

Blahblahblahyadayadayada · 27/04/2017 13:26

OP, would your LO drink from a straw cup? Apologies if you've already tried. I got straw cups suitable from 6 months from superdrug when my older DC was younger. I couldn't find them online to post a link, though. Or how about these:

www.amazon.co.uk/First-Years-Take-Straw-Count/dp/B0054YZDWC?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Sorry for jumping on this thread but I have a similarish question. My LO is only 1 month old but I was just thinking if I go back to work before LO starts on cow's milk, then what do I do? I'm currently bfing and have tried expressing. I only manage to get maximum 2 oz of expressed milk ( in the morning) but otherwise it takes me 2-3 attempts at expressing to get 1oz. So for a single feed (assuming an average baby would need 2-3oz per feed), it could take me days to express enough. I'm not averse to the idea of formula but when would I need to introduce this and I would like to give breastmilk until at least 6 months if possible. In an ideal world, I'd give breastmilk to nursery (when I go back to work) but I am not so confident as I can't seem to express much. (Also, the few times I tried a bottle of ebm to tip up a breastfeed, she wasn't keen on the bottle) Would it be sufficient for baby to breast feed morning and night only and not have milk during the day? I think I'll be going back to work at around 10months. Any tips? Many thanks.

SchnitzelvonKrummsverylowtum · 27/04/2017 15:03

I think I'm going to use the cold turkey approach.

BF in the morning when she wakes up (around 6) then bottle all day until around 4:30/5 when I would get home from work.

I'll express in the day, and have made arrangements to express in work.

I have a week and a half to make it work!

coragreta · 27/04/2017 17:42

Blah. Like I said my dc did t take a bottle when at nursery. She went 7hrs. She was 8.5months and fine. But she did well with solids. You could express and freeze. Then you'll have loads on the freezer by the time you return.

icclemunchy · 27/04/2017 17:54

Does she need to take a bottle? Are you just wanting her to have a bottle when you're not there? Or wean completely?

Some babies never take a bottle and just "reverse cycle" so they cram in 24 hours worth of nursing into the time you're home so if your planning to continue bf I'd just concentrate on finding s cup she'll have some water from during the day

CatsCantFlyFast · 27/04/2017 18:43

Blah blah - you'll need to (probably*) express daily - and keep expressing for a few mins after the milk stops each time, for a week or so before you start to see an increase in volume of milk expressed. If you're expressing to freeze milk then you're essentially asking your body to make more milk - enough for your babies normal feeds and then more to express. It can take a while for your body to adjust to this

*some people really aren't able to express successfully but I would try at least a week of expressing once or twice a day - even if you get nothing, until you give up

Blahblahblahyadayadayada · 27/04/2017 19:36

Thanks for the advice. I understand what you're saying. I suppose if I give her milky foods etc once she starts weaning then it's not so bad. I could add expressed breast milk to foods.
It's not essential she takes a bottle- I could express with a view to cup feeding after we start weaning. Cluster feeding Is a killer! So I am not looking forward to a possible return of it when I return to work!

I also get that I'd have to pump regularly ie on a daily basis but I'm not sure I am committed enough to do that. That sounds really awful of me! She is only a month old so months and months of expressing seems daunting. I only have a manual pump, however, as I didn't want to invest in an electric one if expressing/bf didn't work out.

I probably shouldn't worry too much about this now and focus on just enjoying my maternity leave!

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