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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Could all the good of breastfeeding be outdone by giving a 7 week old rusk in a bottle of formula?

130 replies

imdreamingofawhiteKITTYmas · 15/12/2007 21:25

Sorry just have to share this, saw friends 7 week old today, doing reakky well she is BFing but giving her a bottle of formula at night. Today she said she was having half a rusk in it as well.

Now I know HVs and MWs don't recommend it now but I was still when she said it. I said you aren't supposed to now and she asked why and I said I think theres a risk of choking didn't go into the allergies thing and basically you are grinding up a sugary biscuit into your babies milk.

Think it's another one of these things that people don't believe a baby can survive on just milk for 6 months.

OP posts:
ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 15/12/2007 21:26

Good God, what is wrong with people?

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 15/12/2007 21:27

OMG. Not only should rusks not be in the bottle, no kind of solid food should be going into that babies belly at 7weeks old. Breastmilk or formula, that's it!

yelnats · 15/12/2007 21:28

No way!! You should never put anything in a babys bottle - if you MUST give anything that early then it should always be off a spoon.

coldtits · 15/12/2007 21:29

Gawd, some people really are a bit thick, aren't they?

fingerwoman · 15/12/2007 21:29

my word, now that is insane. What on earth makes her think that a 7 week old would need that.

Myrrhcy · 15/12/2007 21:30

lack of information, education and support, that's what's wrong with people. It's not necessarily 'their' fault.

And listening to what mum and what grandmother did, which is completely normal and understandable.

Original poster
imdreamingofawhiteKITTYmas · 15/12/2007 21:32

I know but this is a friend and I didn't want to say "are you mad?" sometimes you just got to live and let live unfortunately.

Not as bad as the baby who was getting a taste of Fruit Shoots at 8 weeks old

OP posts:
berolina · 15/12/2007 21:34

I think you have to say 'are you mad?', kitty. Never mind live and let live, what she is doing is dangerous on several levels.

Snowmond · 15/12/2007 21:37

No No No!

I have a friend who was advised by her HV to put her barely 3mth old on solids as she was wanting more milk after a 7oz bottle. Growth spurt?

Also know someone who started solids at 9weeks I can't understand it. I have to bite my tongue a lot about early weaning.
That same person is still giving puree at 6 months and my DD has started BLW.
Wonder who will have the problems down the line?

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 15/12/2007 21:37

Kitty, I understand how hard it would be to say something, but you really do have to.
The semi-solid food going into her gut that is not ready for it is very likely to cause her problems without the issue of the food being in the bottle on top.

Please get as much info as you can as to what can happen and talk to her again. Maybe say you considered it or recc'd it to someone and they told you 'blah blah blah' if you don't want it to look like you're sticking your nose in.

Original poster
imdreamingofawhiteKITTYmas · 15/12/2007 21:44

I know all this I know how dangerous it is but I do think she is being led by her Mum whose generation was the rusk in a bottle generation.

She is not the kind of person who would easily take advice, she knows best kind of thing, she would say oh she's fine with it. Nothing I could say would change her mind. I am just because I thought you got leaflets etc telling you not to do this kind of thing.

(I was a 34 week premmie, I was on rusks at 6 weeks and mince and potatoes at 8 weeks God knows what that would have done to me but thats what everyone did back then).

OP posts:
frostythesnowmum · 15/12/2007 22:02

I wouldn't worry about it although it's not something I would do.

Advice changes all the time who knows what I'm doing now in 20 years time might be deemed terrible.

As my HV says the human race survived for millions of years before HV were invented

At the end of the day it's her baby and she is doing really well bf the rest of the time and the benefits will remain important despite this added extra.

tiktok · 15/12/2007 22:15

Breastfeeding benefits remain, though she is undoing the health impact of exclusive breastfeeding, obviously.

More than that, though, this practice is actively dangerous. It risks overloading the baby's kidneys because the baby is taking in inadequately diluted fluid. This can lead to dehydration and illness. Her health visitor will confirm this.

I think you do need to say something.

bubblepop · 15/12/2007 22:17

would'nt add rusk to a bottle myself, but doubt if this practice will undue the benefits of breastfeeding. is she doing it to try and make baby sleep longer?

5goldrings4MONKEYBIRDs · 15/12/2007 23:32

frosty... yup, and now we've got HV's we're doubtless statistically more likely to die out, given the advice they usually churn out

And I have to say Kitty, I thought this was a joke when I read the thread title - read it as a '7 week old rusk' IYSWIM and thought you were pulling legs, and am truly truly shocked that your friend would consider it... Please speak to her again and on this occasion, get her to speak to her HV

Original poster
imdreamingofawhiteKITTYmas · 16/12/2007 15:11

Unfortunately no joke, honestly if she was the type of friend that would take advice I would giver her some but she already thinks I am too protective and a bit hippylike. (I am but thats not the point).

Last weekend she left her baby for 2 days with family and went out all weekend, drinking and taking drugs but apparently she pumped and dumped that milk. Theres just not alking to some people sometimes, even if you took along WHO guidelines etc they would still think they knew better. She's in her thirties btw not some 16yo girl.

OP posts:
edam · 16/12/2007 15:18

Blimey, what a daft mare. I know she doesn't take kindly to advice, but could you ask her what her HV says about it?

Wisteria · 16/12/2007 15:24

Snowmond - there will not necessarily be problems down the line you know! My dd was weaned at 3 months and has no problems the other one at 4months(I think), no problems. I did it when they seemed to need it and as someone else has said advice changes so often it's difficult to keep up.

You have to remember that BLW is a relatively new concept so please don't be so judgemental about your friend's baby being on puree - we all do things differently.

Rusk in a bottle.... how strange.....it won't undo the benefits of breastfeeding and the baby will like as not suffer no ill effects - I was weaned at 6 weeks........

Oblomov · 16/12/2007 15:33

Rusk in a bottle can not undue the benefits of bf'ing.
Generations gave rusks. Maybe this mum was just advised by her mum. Dh's mum did rusks and also, I think a bit of brandy in the milk, you know. Sounds mad, but lots of people did.

Oblomov · 16/12/2007 15:34

If mum is out on the lash , and doing drugs, a rusk in the bottle is the least of our concerns !

Wisteria · 16/12/2007 15:51

How true Oblomov....

According to my Mum being told to put a snifter of brandy in my nightfeed probably saved me from certain death

AMerryScot · 16/12/2007 16:40

You can't undo the goodness of breastfeeding, although it is not good to add something to formula. A baby should only have breastmilk or formula until 6 months. I don't think rusks have any redeeming features, tbh.

Wisteria · 16/12/2007 16:42

Best thing about rusks iirc is that I liked to nibble on them whilst bf

Oblomov · 16/12/2007 16:49

When they make them, the smell that comes from their factory is the most fantastic.
Yes, I think that is their one and only redeeming feature. Certainly not taste.
Only for nutters like pregnant Wisteria! Coal, or greggs deep fried with icecream - any other wierdo taste fetishes whilst preggy Wisteria ?

stockingfiller · 16/12/2007 16:54

it may be being encouraged by your friends mom as when we were babies my mom put rusks in our bottles and gave us baby rice 4/6weeks at every bottle feed we would have a teaspoon of rice too!
and i know of ppl who still do it!