DS won't take ebm (or anything else) at nursery - help please!

[Essie3]

He will be going to nursery 2 days a week, and with my mum 2 days. He's 7 months.

I've left him at nursery all this week because he wouldn't take a bottle - I thought do or die!
Alas, he seems to be opting for starvation.
He won't take ebm from a bottle, or any kind of beaker or cup.
At the beginning of the week we had mixed success, but today he went on strike, refused to eat anything either, and was sent home in disgrace after (not) lunch!

He eats his lunch well at nursery (except today), but isn't big on drinking water or juice either.

Timetable below. Now, is this a problem? Are there any solutions?

8 or 8.30 wakes, bf
8.45 a pathetic amount of breakfast, usually yoghurt, but only around 3 spoonfuls. We've only recently tried to introduce breakfast and it's not usually a success.
9-9.30 dropped off at nursery
Mid morning they try to force persuade him to take some ebm
11.30 lunch with fruit puree dessert
Mid afternoon they fight attempt further ebm.
4-4.30 I pick him up and bf.
6pm supper
7.30 bedtime bf
11.30 late bf
4am bf

[Milkmade]

Hi Essie - I remember how panicky I was when dd first started at nursery (14wks, so a bit younger) but she was equally steadfast in refusing a bottle, and even once she was ok at nursery, we ended up back at square one for a while when she was about 7 months after she'd been bf on hol for a fortnight with no bottles... In the end it was absolutely fine, but it was a bumpy emotional ride to get there so I feel for you. Things that helped us
a) frequent feeds - creche started offering her around 40ml ebm at a time, so if she refused we didn't waste the lot (a big stress factor for me)
b) when older i.e. about your ds's age, very watery fruit puree on a spoon to keep up fluid levels
c) I know this is cheating, but we gave her sugar water (well baby ORS) out of a bottle - she necked it and it seemed to really convert her to the whole botle idea.

No great luck with doidy cups etc I'm afraid, and good luck at the bf clinic, but I must say when I contacted the LL and asked for help on the whole thing I got told "well if bf is working well why do you want to go to work and leave your baby to someone else"- not very helpful...

Goog luck, and it will work eventually. X

[Essie3]

Wilf thanks - that's the kind of thing I wanted to hear. I just don't know what's normal (well, I do really...nothing is!) and obviously I don't want him to suffer or get ill.
I just hadn't realised it was 5 bfs a day, IYKWIM! And that sounds ok.

Will now print out the schedule, and I'm aiming to skip work and go to the bfing clinic next Wednesday. (It's in work's interests, no? )

[WilfSell]

That's still 5 bfs a day you're doing though? I don't think that's to bad, and I say that with the hindsight of an almost identically fussy DS3 who wouldn't have any kind of milk at nursery and little water until about 12months.

Key with DS was self-feeding and drinking. Even now, he just wants to be in charge of it himself. And as I was always BF such a lot at home also, I didn't worry about the milk during the day, only the general hydration. Gradually he got more used to water in a sippy cup and then cow's milk.

Can you give BLW type finger foods and a tommee tippee and get the nursery to lay off the heavy persuasion?

[Dalrymps]

Your ds sounds difficult to feed like my ds, he lives at the bottom of the centiles too and was 6lb 5oz at 2 weeks overdue.

We had many problems feeding him with a bottle, it seems to have just been a matter of time and determination. I have to say, like the others have said that he likes it really quite warm.

There's a bottle I saw on the baby whisperer program that apparently is good for babies who bf and refuse to take from the bottle. I haven't tried one myself as only heard about it recently. Here it is if you fancy a look.

I would guess he's probably getting enough milk from his 5 bf a day anyway so I wouldn't stress too much (easier said than done I know!). He might take to it over time anyway

[Essie3]

Ooh, Grendle, of the 15, we do not have one with a straw. Will pay Morrisons a visit tomorrow!

We've tried ebm at various temperatures. Nursery heats it - but I'll double check with them that it's warm rather than cold.

[Grendle]

How warm is the EBM you're offering? Breastmilk comes out at body temp obviously, which is surprisingly warm. Dripped onto your inside wrist it should feel neither hot nor cold.

Have you tried a cup with an integral straw? We have one from Morrisons that dd used successfully for water occasionally from around 7 months (it has a screw top with an integral but short straw, so immediate reward for small suck).

Could try offering lots of watery foods such as fruit to keep his fluid intake up.

[Essie3]

Thanks, Madmouse, that's helpful. Yes, he is small - he's very low on the centiles - 1 or 2! He was 6lb at birth and overdue.
Tried all manner of cups and beakers, but my Mum had a bit of success tonight with a huge grown up glass tumbler. He was sitting on her knee and she was drinking her water, and he wanted some. We moved fast, switching it for ebm, and he immediately had a strop!

I'm having a stress out because of nursery today, and worrying I'll have to start going in to feed him during the day, which is not the way I want to go.

Doidy cup. Hahaha. Yes, we've tried it. Top tip - always, always experiment with water. Not ebm.

[madmouse]

I would say he gets enough fluid not to get dehydrated, and it is early days yet.

You said somewhere else he is very small, are you worried about his weight?

He looks a lot like my ds in terms of build, btw, he lives somewhere bottom of centiles but seems happy there.

My ds went to cm at 10 months when he thought a tommee tippee cup was for bashing and throwing across the room and taking the occassional sip. I still bf, stopped 2 weeks ago, he will be one next week.

He learned to drink properly at the childminder,simply because he got thirsty. it was easier for me as he was well established on solids and atr yogurt/from frais for morning and afternoon snacks as well as lunch.

must say he is a bit constipated now he is off the boob, he is adjusting in terms of fluid intake, but he will be fine.

I would say don't panic, give it another week.

Have you tried doidy cups or tommee tippy without lid? My ds did better with these and still prefers cowsmilk in a doidy, except warm cowsmilk at bedtime, which needs closed tommee tippee. particular, moi

[PuzzleRocks]

Bumping for you.