Start work in 2 weeks and baby won't take a bottle

[Hatsoff2U]

I'm so stressed and I don't know what to do. I have to go back to work in just over 2 weeks - baby will be 7 months old. They have been EBF, though I'm now weaning onto solids gradually. They refuse a bottle no matter what I do. How on earth can I get them to the point where they will take a bottle and not be distraught at nursery in just two weeks? I feel I've completely messed everything up. Help me please!

Do they drink water from a cup? Do they eat yoghurt?

I think if they drink water / eat yoghurt they will most likely be okay with no milk during the day and just catch up in the morning / evening and night. So they will be okay

And babies can be fickle beasts… they might accept a bottle at nursery even when they don’t at home!

Neither of my children ever used a bottle. Just go straight to a sippy cup.

Another thought… have you tried giving them milk in a cup with a straw? They might like the novelty?

My EBF baby is the same when it comes to bottles, but she will take milk from this.. Doidy Cup - Training Sippy Cups... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ASIXJE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I hope it’s all ok for you, they will be fine!

If they are drinking water from a beaker then nursery can give them milk in a beaker. Mine has never taken a bottle and any milk she got when I wasn't there was from a beaker.

Thank you all so much. I've ordered that cup to try @Perpop. I didn't realise it was OK to give babies water this young, if I'm honest. I will try that too. You've made me feel that we'll work through this somehow. Should I try dropping a breastfed in the next two weeks do you think? And offering a bottle/cup instead?

Have you got some settling in sessions arranged? When mine went to nursery they did just a half day or something the week before but I asked and paid for extra ones in the weeks leading up to it as I was anxious too about how they'd settle. Maybe think about something like that and see how they do?

Mine wouldn't take bottles when I went back to work but took drinks from cups fine at nursery and then just made up for it feeding overnight. So be prepared, you might want to think in advance how to manage this (ie feed at every waking or keep feeds at specific times and then just settle back to sleep at other times)

You may find they take far more solid at nursery and then just want milk at home.

Ours would do/eat/drink far more at nursery than they ever would at home, which I think is pretty common

I had the same issue with both mine. I found DD would take an Avant bottle as it allowed her to have that same open mouth shape as when she was breast feeding. DS went straight onto a cup with a little spout.

It was awful worrying though. I convinced myself both of them would be dehydrated to hell.

Hope the cup helps!

This group is also fantastic.. so much good advice and you can search topics. I’m no expert but have learnt so much! www.facebook.com/groups/BFYummyMummy/?ref=share

None of mine would take a bottle! From 7 months tho they would drink milk from a Nuby flexi straw bottle for 1 or 2 feeds a day depending on who they were with! Nursery’s will know how to deal with this so I wouldn’t panic!

Neither of mine would use a bottle before I went back to work (about 8 months) and started leaving them at nursery. DC1 happily started using one at nursery once there. DC2 never used one. But both were fine.

Whatever happens, it will work out.

This was me last year and the problem solved itself at the last minute when I realised that she always refused the bottle because if she did so for long enough she got boob instead. I assume you're still bfing at the times you'd like them to take a bottle? What I did was drop one daytime feed every three days - and once a feed was dropped there was no going back - it was bottle or nothing until the next feed was due. I think it also helped that DP did the first one while I was out of the house. And we used the Mam Trainer 2in1 with the sippy cup shaped teat - I think she liked the fact it had handles and a different shaped teat, but I guess they all go for different things

It happens a lot and kids adapt. Neither of mine would take a bottle from me, although one would from other people. When I went back to work the one that refused bottles from everyone decided to drink it from a normal sippy cup. If they won't drink milk then they will drink water and have food until you pick them up.

My baby boy is combi fed and takes milk in a bottle from Elhee no hesitation. He did refuse ‘slim’ bottles but the elhee ones are very round like a boob! X

Mine was EBF and I went back at 6 months and she didn’t drink from a bottle, we tried loads of brands of bottles and sippy cups etc

I think the brand that worked in the end was Nuk

I still ended up BF in the morning, after work first thing back and in the evenings / night (must admit I can’t remember it all now) but basically it all ended up fine

I think moving from BF quite a bit to less in the day was painful to start so if you can try and drop a day feed that will help

My DD is older than yours at 13 months but won't take a bottle.

When she started nursery I would express breast milk and they would give it in a sippy cup. She refused it. Tried for 2 weeks and she never drank it so I just gave up and dropped that feed.

She now has milk morning and night time & in the day she drinks water.

If she messes too much with a cup then let her lap milk off a spoon. If she refuses to drink any milk from a cup or spoon try giving her water or adding a small amount of pureed fruit to the milk.