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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Trying to stop breast feeding but baby refuses bottle

14 replies

kate1970 · 15/04/2009 11:14

Hi. I'm new here, so apologies if this has been covered previously and I haven't learnt all the abreviations yet!

my son is 6 months old now and still breasfeeding and I am trying to get him to drink bottles so I can gradually phase out, but he refuses to drink formula. I have tried different brands, different types of bottles and now a cup as recommened by health visitor but he is just not interested. he'll occasionally drink an ounce or so, but no more.

he's recently started on solids and has taken to them really well, and I had hoped that might mean he would drink formula but no luck!

I'd be grateful for any tips!!

thanks

OP posts:
Wonderstuff · 15/04/2009 11:18

Have you tried expressed bm in a cup to start with?

My dd also refuse bottles but did eventually start taking formula from a cup at nursery, it took a bout 6 weeks before she would take more than a sip.

ronshar · 15/04/2009 11:18

I am watching with interest as my son is also 6 months old and loves his food but will not entertain the idea of a bottle of anything!

If you would like to join a post-natal thread, I assume your DS is an October baby, come and join us. I am rubbish at linking threads but we are a great bunch and the support is fab.
I hope someone comes along with some good ideas for you.

MrsPuddleduck · 15/04/2009 11:23

I had this problem with my DS2 and to be honest he never really had a bottle at all.

I was hell bent on giving up breast feeding at six months and I regret it now - I should have just carried on, at least first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Original poster
kate1970 · 15/04/2009 11:31

thanks - that was very quick!! I'd thought of trying to carry on last thing at night and early morning and trying to get him to drink formula / water / juice from a cup during the day but my worry then would be whether he would then be getting enough liquids, and enough of the goodness he needs from milk...

I'll look for the October thread too

gotta go now, hes waking up!!

OP posts:
BunnyLebowski · 15/04/2009 14:14

Hi Kate!

I'm another watcher with interest. My wee girl is 6 months as well and is breastfed.

Like your wee boy she just won't take a bottle, although in my case it's expressed breast milk rather than formula. She also won't take a nuby cup.

We've tried 4 different types of bottles.My DP tries when I'm not in the house as apparently babies can smell their mothers so know there's boob on the go and this means they're less likely to take a bottle.

As a result I haven't been away from my dd for more that 2 hours since she's been born!

I'm not planning giving up breastfeeding anytime soon but it would be lovely if I could go out once in a while and leave her with DP knowing she'll take a bottle

I don't know if it's related but she has never taken a dummy either - if we give her one she just bits it and then spits it out!

ronshar · 15/04/2009 19:48

I tried Ds with a bottle with just water this afternoon. He is able to hold it himself but just chews the teet. The water did come out but all down his chin. Not much help if I wanted to put milk in there!!!!
Will keep trying I guess.

BunnyLebowski · 15/04/2009 20:27

That's EXACTLY what happens to us ronshar!

DD does the same taking a wee bit of the water in but the majority of it dribbles down her chin (and soaks whatever she's wearing)

It takes me quite a while to express a decent amount (plus it kinda hurts) so seeing it get poured down the sink is rubbish

I guess perseverance is the answer.

ronshar · 15/04/2009 21:51

Oh I stopped wasting the liquid gold ages ago. It broke my heart to see it get poured down the sink.

I understand it is a different action, BF and bottle feeding, but surely it isnt too tricky to tell the difference is it?
I dont know, what with the not taking a bottle and still feeding every 3 hours even though he has three good meals a day, it is lucky we have already decided we were not having any more children

SausageRoleModel · 16/04/2009 00:49

i have no miracle cure as still havent got my DD to take bottle successfully, however, at 4.5 months she is able to take liquid from a tommy tippee cup - forget the first stage cups as they all have non spill valves that mean your DCs need to suck on them, which is usually what they are failing to do with bottles - the TT toddler sippee cup is the one you want - it just flows out with gravity, but not so fast they drown! I gave up and started her on semi-solids early (though am also still BFing) and mix up baby rice/porridge with formula. She is an extremely hungry baby and I was failing to cope with the constant feeding demands. She is thriving on semi-solids, and I have a little respite at last!

Original poster
kate1970 · 16/04/2009 10:52

I don't know what I did differently but yesterday he drank a good 2-3 ounces of formula from a tommy tippee cup (plus dribbled a lot down his chin) so fingers crossed for a repeat performance today!!

good to know that other mums and babies are experiencing the same things!!

OP posts:
Skimummy · 16/04/2009 13:59

Are you me?!

I am dealing with the same thing, although have not ventured onto formula yet - just water. DD is 6.5 months and due to go to nursery for three days a week in June so I have to get her drinking formula out of some sort of cup/bottle by then! It's really stressing me out.

I have tried a couple of different cups, including the Doidy which was a messy disaster. The one that has seemed most promising is the Avent Magic Cup but she struggles to get much out of it (20 mls at most). I might try the Tommee Tippee again tonight but have a NUK one coming that I am hopeful about.

Like many, I don't mind BF morning and night for a while longer but it it those days at nursery that I am worried about. Unfortunately my work is not close enough for a feeding visit.

Will be most interested to hear how everyone gets on via this thread!

boardbaber · 17/04/2009 13:42

Had the same problem with DS2 but finally managed after 3 months sheer perseverance. From about 6 months we tried to give him a bottle at every feed (I made up small amounts in advance) and breastfed him when not successful which was most of the time for the first 2 months. He showed a real improvement when DH gave him his first feed of the day when I wasn´t in the room which was very encouraging and gave me the boost I needed to carry on. I do wish I´d introduced a bottle earlier on as I did with DS1. It was a whole lot easier to make the change. Good luck!

audreyraines · 17/04/2009 13:55

My ds never had a bottle. He just didn't know what to do with it. I ended up just BFing him, and then introducing cups of milk when he was over one. He still doesn't drink much milk at 2 y o, but he eats a varied enough diet, so figure he's ok!
i think if i really persevered with the bottle, he would have taken it eventually, but i'm just too lazy...

lecohen · 18/04/2009 15:17

BunnyLebowski - our dd's are exactly the same in everything you said in your post lol

My dd likes to suck her thumb though, does yours?

watching this thread with interest.

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