6 month old breastfed baby, need to go back to work afternoons only from next week, can she go without a feed until I get back? .

[hattyyellow]

Would really welcome any help.

DD is 6 months and I go back to work in the afternoons from next week. She is just not interested in taking a bottle. DH will be looking after her as well as our three year old very lively twins so can't spend half the afternoon trying to get her to feed.

I put her onto solids about 2 weeks ago and she is happy on them. Currently breastfeeds in the morning, small amount of breakfast, breastfeeds 10.30ish and reasonable lunch. Then 2.30ish feed after lunchtime nap, solids at teatime and big cluster feed before bed.

I'll be out between 2 and 5.30/6pm so the main problem is the 2.30ish feed.

Would she be okay on cooled boiled water? Or will she get dehyrdated in this weather? Or could she have some kind of sloppy food with formula in?

Any help much appreciated - I'm getting stressed about it and I don't know how to get around it.

Sorry, I don't know but I am watching with interest as my DD is starting nursery at 6 months.

She should drink something - get your DH to try her on an open cup (a few sips may be all she needs) with water or milk or heavily diluted juice in it. If she wont take that, get him to give her a snack - maybe a yoghurt or something which will then help her tide over till you get home.

My DD goes from 7.30 til 4 with no milk (and my DS did the same). Neither were bothered during the day - although were offered water at plenty of opportunities. When the weather got hotter both started drinking more water.

I wouldnt worry about her having milk - just have her normal food if she is hungry? She is not going to massively dehydrate in 4 hours especially if you offer a feed before you go.

Both my children were milk monsters and fed 2 hourly before they started nursery at 6 months. Neither would take a bottle or drink milk from any other beaker etc. They seemed to associate milk with me .

If your DH has her and the twins I bet there will be so much going on she will be distracted and happy enough without. If she is really thirsty I am sure she will drink some water from a cup - and most foods have lots of water in them (especially if you use purees).

Thanks so much all, so many useful suggestions and ideas. Tried again yesterday and the poor mite just sobbed and sobbed and couldn't work out how to get her tongue around the teat - she kept lapping at it like a kitten. DH caved in after about 10 minutes and I gave up shortly afterwards and fed her!

We got a sippy cup from Boots which said suitable for 4 months on but it's really hard to get the liquid out of, even one of my 3 year olds struggled.

Any recommendations for really easy flow cups without valves? Managed to get her to take afew sips from a cup but most of it ends up down her front.

Tommee Tippee cups used to be great but now I find they are too free flowing as they have put two holes in them rather than the one.

Have you tried a bottle?

Both of mine I B/F until 18 months and they defi prefered mum to all else, but I did work when they were 10 months and when your not around you will probably be suprised at how they manage and settle to a new option.

We tried and tested a few, so I can attempt to give my thoughts on the ones we tried :

Tommy Tippee first cup - worked best for us.
The Nuby one with the soft silicon spout - ds2 liked drinking out of this a lot, but everytime we tried it, he would take in too much air and throw everything back up within half an hour, so these weren't really anything for us.
Tesco own brand free flow beakers - worked well and cheap (and only have one hole).
Tomy Tippee Easiflow - ds1 liked these, ds2 didn't. They're non-spill, but when they bite the teat it becomes free-flow (btw Amazon currently seem to have these for 99p www.amazon.co.uk/Tommee-Tippee-Easiflow-Cup-Pink/dp/B000OUT2WS/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t/280-2460358-47390 43 but I don't know what the postage is on top of that...).
Doidy cups - ds2 is now (at 13 months) great at drinking from his provided that we only put little dribbles of liquid in at any one time, so a definate vote for these.

I hope that helps! I think the only thing though really is just avoid the cups you can't see through.

academicmum waves back and sorry for hijack. Its actually going surprisingly well thanks . I have one more chapter to write, then the discussion...then its done?!

Everything is conspiring against me though - DC's keep trying to be ill, everything keeps breaking and I keep losing my internet connection but I will get there

I have had the same problem - I returned to work some afternoons about two months ago, when DD was 4.5 months. She only accepted the boob and despite trying everything, including spoons, syringes and eggcups, we have been unsucessful. On work days I drop her at my Mum's at 12pm. I feed her there and then shoot off to work for 1pm. My Mum gives her a jar of banana rice at 2ish and then she usually sleeps for a bit. I pick her up at 4.30ish and then she has to wait another half hour while I sort my other 3 little DD's out. If at home she would have 2 booby feeds in that time, but she just seems to have adapted. I have found that it's a bit uncomfy at times and worry about leaky boobs in front of a class of 30, but it hasn't happened yet! She will adapt and if she is like mine will not bother about water either. I have been leaving a bottle of ebm every time, but as she always refuses am not going to bother any more. They know that Mummy is best

Having just bought a Doidy cup after someone here recommended it (my dd is seven months but seems to be taking her time to develop a lot of the dexterity/sitting up skills of her peers)I can really recommend them. We started using it at every meal this weekend and she will take it (whereas she hated every other bloody sippy/teet cup we've bought and i think we tried every one on the market). We've just started with a weeny amount of water just until she gets used to it but she's getting there although i doubt she'll actually hold it for weeks and weeks!