been done a million times before but struggling to make 6 mo take a bottle

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starting to wean off the breast now, begun to do a formula at 7.30pm before bed, hoping it'd help him sleep thru. ooooh how wrong i was, he is getting up ten times more with wind and bellyache. he is constipated now as well. he chews the teat, puts it to the side of his mouth like a pipe and all the milk dribbles out, he plays with the bottle pushing it away then when i take it from him, snatching it back to his mouth. need to move to bottles now as im going back to work, getting v disheartened. im using avent bottles with 6month level teats and aptamil follow on milk, should i try different milk, bottles or slower teats. thanks in advance

How old is DS and when are you going back to work? personally I wouldn't bother with a bottle at this stage, my DD went straight onto a cup at 6 months, I was still breast feeding her morning and night, but she had water during the day with her food.

I take it you haven't started to mixed feed yet, although you say you are usng a follow on milk.

I am a childminder and am used to this scenario, are you going to be using a nursery or c/m? If you want to use a bottle they will find it easier than you to give a bottle as he associates you with breast, and that is what he wants!

Is there anyone else who could try that bottle feed for you, he won't take whilst he can smell you - that's my experience with DD. She never took a bottle at all, despite how hard I tried!

he is 6 months, been doing the formula for about a week now, my boyf has fed him the bottle as well and not had any luck. feels like we're force feeding him it. ive got about a month before going back to work.

It's really hard when they don't want to take it.

The milk often flows too quickly from a teat and they can't control the flow like they can on the breast, he only gets milk when he sucks.

There are some teats around that are more 'breast like' but `I am not up to date on the choices.

Well done for feeding him fully for six months, you have done a great job, feel good about that and not bad about the bottle. You could try a soft spouted cup or the Avent soft top, and try when he is really hungry first thing.

Have you expressed and put some breast milk in a bottle and seen if that makes any difference?

Try a cup. I went back to work at 6 months and DS had expressed milk or water from a cup. He never took a bottle, ever.

If you aren't going back to work for a month, I'll give you the same advice I was given when I was looking for advice on the same thing - forget about the milk thing and just enjoy your time together. It will sort itself out

We've had similar problems and I have given up on bottles now and gone straight to a cup. Have found the best one by far to be the NUK first choice learner cup. It has a free flowing spout so it's nice and easy although a bit messy.

remember now that your baby is on solids he will be taking less milk during the day. You could stick to breast feeding first thing in the morning and last thing at night and then during the day work on getting him to have some formula from a cup.

It is early days for us with the cup but I have found that DS is much more willing to take it for mid morning feed, than he is his late afternoon feed. I think this is because by afternoon he is tired and wants the comfort of a breast feed.

I would give up trying to give the bottle at night for now and just concerntrate on givving it during the day.