Advice please on how to get ds2 to take a bottle

[BirdyArms]

I am returning to work in a week's time and am really struggling to get ds2, 6 mths, to accept a bottle. I have tried a gentle approach offering him both ebm and formula in different types of bottles most days over the past month but he hasn't shown any interest.

On Tuesday this week dh had the day off work so decided that we would tackle it. I bf him when he woke at 5am then didn't feed him for the rest of the day - he held out 'til 4pm when he took 4oz ebm from a bottle. It wasn't as traumatic as I'd feared, ds2 is such a gorgeous happy baby he just smiled and snoozed whilst he was being starved! Then thought I would replace his morning feed with a bottle but he has just skipped that feed and made up for it later. I am trying the drastic approach again today and haven't fed him since 10pm last night but he's still not taking the bottle. I am worried that when I go back to work he's just going to skip his daytime feeds and end up feeding all night.

Has anyone got any advice how to go about this sucessfully? I think that maybe I need to totally bottle feed him for three days or so, then once he is taking a bottle properly reintroduce the breast feeds that I'm going to continue when I'm back at work. But if anyone has any other suggestions I'd be very pleased - really don't want to spend my last week at home with my lovely ds2 having a big battle. I have very mixed feelings about going back to work and feel like I'm really letting him down by not having this sorted properly before now .

[KnickersInABreadmaker]

I got very stressed out with ds3 trying to get him to take a bottle. In the end, I left it for a couple of weeks and started again with the playtex nurser with NaturalLatch teat in latex rather than silicone. When I left him with my Mum for a day he ended up drinking 4 bottles!

[yelnats]

I am in the same boat here - due back at work in 3 weeks and dd2 is refusing a bottle. She has stayed with my parents a couple of times and happily taken a bottle from my mum but totally refuses a bottle in our own house from either me or dp. She did take the occasional bottle from dp when she was younger - 6 months now and wont take one. I am really starting to stress myself out about it as I am concerend that she wont take any milk all day when I go back to work. Though I will only be back 2 and a half days so I am sure it wont be too much of an issue if she doesnt take much /no milk when I am at work and feeds normally when I am at home. i just need to try and get her to drink some milk from a cup and at least that way she will be getting some fluid whil im not there.

Will watch thsi thread with interest and try some of the tips already mentioned.

Sorry for the hijack

[BirdyArms]

TOC & Tinker - you have given me a bit of hope that it won't be the end of the world if he doesn't take a bottle before I go back. Also feels better to know that I'm not the only person who seems to have tried everything but still not succeeded! My lovely MIL is looking after him the week I go back and we have a nanny starting the following week so maybe one of them will be able to persuade him.

Quite worried though because I am going to have to do the occasional late night/ trip to Europe but if he's not taking a bottle I'm really going to have to feed him myself every evening. I am filled with going back to work guilt in any case and ds2 on a starvation diet isn't going to help that at all! On the positive side he did happily munch on a bit of banana yesterday so perhaps he will get going on solids soon. Good idea to mix as much EBM as possible with the solids.

[TheOldestCat]

Birdy

Returned to work when DD was 6 months. She'd take EBM in a doidy cup, but going to nursery unsettled her and she went on hunger strike (lost weight and everything). BUT she got there slowly - her need for as much milk went down slightly as she started on solids. And eventually she gave in and started swigging milk from her doidy cup at nursery. she now drinks from it like a pro and is gaining weight again. Phew.

I don't mean to alarm you - just wanted you to know there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Please don't feel you're letting him down! Hope the return to work goes ok.

[Tinker]

Birdy - my 2nd never took a bottle. Ever. I went back to work when she was 8 months and expressed until 12 months - I'm sure most of that just got thrown away. My childminder had some success using a spoon with her but, mostly, she just held out until I got back home. When they start on solids you could mix ebm with that?

[EvangelinesMum]

BA - am having the same prob with dd - only 4 months old but trying to get her to take a bottle with edm or formula just to give me a break but to no avail so you're not alone. she will also go without rather than take a bottle. like yours she also happily took ebm from a bottle when younger but not now! i will also try some tips suggested here - good luck!!

[BirdyArms]

Well done Hamkin! Have tried Avent, Tommee Tippee and NUK bottles, will give MAM a go too although I think it's any bottle that he objects to. Have tried a cup - just a toommee tippee one without a valve - without success. He did take one feed a day from a bottle when he was 1-2 months but gradually started taking less and less until I gave up on it, so I think he could feed from a bottle if he felt like it, he just prefers the breast. Will try the milky bra though. Thanks for all your suggestions, you are making me fell less desparate!

[McEdam]

Dh got ds to take a bottle by wrapping it in a bra I had worn so it smelt of 'food'. Ds had refused bottles up to that point but apparently suddenly pulled a face that seemed to say 'Oh, why didn't you TELL me this was milk?'. But has to be dh, as if you are there, ds will just want you. Worth a try, anyway.

[hamkin]

i had exactly the same problem with my ds2 (ow 5.5 moths old). He actually took 4.5oz of EBM from a bottle esterday without screaming and crying! What i did was to give him a bottle at different times of the day with either a bit of EBM in or just water so he woud get the feel of it in his mouth. i also found that he would take more from the bottle when he wssn't starving-just before a feed was due was a good time, when he wasn't too desperate. Other times, only boobs would do! Keep trying, he will have it eventually - or maybe try a cup?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Which bottles have you tried Birdy. I never did manage to get dd to accept one (but I wasn't returning to work, so wasn't a real issue for us), but lots of people recommended the MAM Ultivent ones. Some people also have success with the Tommee Tippee boob shaped ones, but my dd was less interested in those than the MAM.

Alternatively, you could try going straight to a cup, which is what we did in the end (for water, she is still breastfed for milk). Again I tried many makes, but the playtex first sipster (hard to get hold of) was the one that she took to in the end.

Best of luck.

[BirdyArms]

Thanks moondog. Rationally I know that it will sort itself out and he won't starve. But he is only on about the 5- 10th percentile and isn't on any solids yet so I'm worried that he's going to lose weight if he goes all day without any milk. I did try to introduce some solids last week but he wasn't interested and it felt like I was shoving too many alien objects in his mouth - decided it was more important to concentrate on the bottle. He's actually six months in a couple of weeks time so am planning to start with a more blw approach then.

[moondog]

You're not letting him down,you've given him the best there is.
HJe will eventually take the bottle or a cup when hungry enough and probably when you are not there. He won't starve.

You probably could express for a bit.and it might interest you to know that once my baby was 8 mths old i was in work f/t and she happily went all day without breastmilk or EBM or formula,just water,yet we continued to breastfeed happily morning evening and at weekends for 2 1/2 years.

Search archives-lots of useful info on this.