When to introduce a bottle for successful mixed feeding?

[Bramshott]

DD2 is a week old and breastfeeding going well. I am going back to work when she'll be about 5 months old, so we are going to have to move onto mixed feeding at some point (with DD1 I exclusively breast-fed for 9 months, in part because we could never get her to take a bottle).

I don't want to introduce a bottle too early and confuse her (I would express so it would be EBM in the bottle), but neither do I want to leave it too late (which is what I fear we did with DD1, who was about a month old when we first tried to offer her one). So just wondering when the best time is really - don't want to jeopardise breastfeeding, but neither do I want to end up with a baby who won't ever take a bottle, like we did last time!

But babies of this age (from about 5 mths on) don't really need bottles - they can use a cup, with help.

Why struggle getting a bottle into a baby who isn't going to need it?

The only exception would be if you were away from her every day for long hours - it might be difficult to get sufficient fluid into her for her comfort with just a cup.

The other option would be to combine cup feeding with slightly-earlier-than recommended solids, which you could make very watery, and offer on a spoon.

Bramshott, I was in same situ with my dd, who is now 8 months. I offered her ebm in a bottle once a week or so from when she was three weeks old, mainly at the 10pm feed when she was sleepy anyway. There was no confusion - she took to it fine and would take a bottle off anyone even during the day when I needed it. I went back to work when she was five months and switched to bottles during the day, first ebm and then formula after I introduced solids. She took a bottle from anyone, still loves her wake up and bed time boob feeds, and in the past fortnight I have switched daytime milk to a few ounces from a Doidy cup, which sometimes she downs and sometimes she only has a few sips off. She's fine and happy. I think early and regular use of a bottle is the key, personally.

I agree wiht tiktok -whilst I didn't have the time pressures you have, my ds never had a bottle - when he was about 6months old he started ff in the day, with bf morning and night from a spouted cup - pretty soon he decided it was easier to drink from a cup than from Mummy!!

Bramshott, my ds3 was 8 weeks prem and was given EBM in bottles from birth and regularly after that even though I mostly bf him once we got home. He still decided to refuse bottles from 5 months old. Although I do wonder now if MIL who used to mind him had anything to do with it. I remember watching her bottlefeed dh's niece and every time the little mite moved her head away MIL would follow her around with the teat, looked like force-feeding. If she did that to ds3, I'd say it could have put him off bottles.

Thanks all - it's great to hear about different experiences. Tiktok - am interested to know why you suggest cup feeding: is it because of the worry of bottle feeding causing nipple confusion, or dental problems associated with bottles. I had assumed that I would have to use bottles and then wean onto a spouted cup like Avent magic later on.

Tiktok will know better but when I told my HV that I was going to ebf for 6 months she said that if I hadn't used a bottle up until then, I might as well go straight to a cup because babies should be 'weaned' off bottles at a year anyway mainly I think because of their teeth (decay and formation)and I think it can affect their speech development (but don't quote me on that one). My lo is 7 months and on solids and bm but she does have a cup of water with meals and will (with help) take a few sips (not many because I think she should still have bm as her main drink) but at least she's getting used to a cup. And I'm thinking of putting bm into the cup to see if she'll take it so we can have a night out (hurray)

Or should that be hooray?

Bramshott, I suggest cup feeding because why bother with bottles?