Help from childminders re: 6 month old bottle refuser

[snowchick1977]

Im after some advice from childminders who look after babies.

My son is due to start with his childminder in 4 weeks time. He is breastfed and I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to get him to switch to a bottle without success.

He is 6 months old but very tiny and im not advised to wean until 8/9 months due to issues with weight.

As a childminder who would be looking after him how would you approach this? Ie if in 4 weeks time he does not take a bottle would you struggle to have him? Or how would you get round this?

Thanks so much x

Have you tried a cup? Sometimes bottle-refusers go straight to cups and resist all attempts to move them to bottles.
By 6 months, most of our babies are making that transition to cups. If the worst comes to worst and your baby won't even try a lidded cup, I would be trying with an open cup and me firmly holding it - even newborns can drink from this.

yes I would try a lidded cup, perhaps with a soft spout, a doidy-cup as well, we would have a go at spooning it in, or maybe syringe into cheek, lots of things. I wouldn't give up after 4 weeks or even longer

you might have to be prepared for a bit of reverse-cycling where he tanks up with BFs at night as he transistions

Another way I have used is to bottle feed standing up - bouncing the baby gently at the same time. I've fed a 'refuser' this way.

And don't forget, babies can sometimes refuse for mum - or even in their own home - and yet accept a bottle elsewhere.

I would second the cup suggestion. What does your CM say about it?

What type of cup should I try? I just worry that it will be hassle for her. I haven't actually spoken to her about it yet as I was hoping that the bottle would be successful

Have you tried the closer to nature bottles? I've found those work for bottle refusers sometimes

nah it won't be hassle, all part and parcel

this is the kind of thing, a soft spot

doidy cup

SPOUT not spot, d'oh!

I'm not a childminder either, but I had similar with my own baby although he was younger (about 5 months) - we tried all the fancy bottles and teats and cups etc - I could spoon it in but being a fairly hefty baby this was like chucking a marble down a well :o

In the end, a Heath visitor who was retiral age told me to go to the chemist and get some of the cheap browny coloured bottle teats and try those......worked like a dream. He would drink water happily from a cup but not milk and we tried someone else feeding him, we tried expressed milk vs formula milk - hubby wearing my t-shirt, me not being in the house and none of that worked.

I'd have said it wouldn't be a problem if some solids are taken, but your baby is going to be hungry and miserable if breast milk is his only source of nutrition and he won't take it by bottle.

Give the cups a try, but if that fails I'd be reconsidering weaning. My boys were weaned at six months when they only weighed 10lbs so am surprised you have been advised otherwise.

I agree with the cup idea. I took on a BF baby who refused a bottle and he soon learned to drink from a cup. The best kind are the sippy cups with a very basic spout with holes. I mean the ones where the milk will pour out of the cup when it is turned upside down, not the ones that have a valve that requires the child to suck. At first I would lie the little boy in my lap on his back and use the cup to drip milk into his mouth, a little at a time. After a while he learned to suck from it on his own.

I'll try to post a link to the type of cup I mean but not sure if it will work:
www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_80977_10001

I want to stop breastfeeding altogether by the time i return to work as i work 12 hour shifts so its not really possible to carry on.

I have tried a tommee tippee cup with a spout, ill maybe get one of the ones that pours this weekend. I might also give an old fashioned bottle a go...like the ones you mentioned from the chemists. Ill probably also try a faster flow teat too.

Thanks for all your advice. Its good to know that you dont refuse the "difficult" kids :)

best of luck, and please, do ask if you have any other questions

oh, it is still possible to continue to BF around your shifts, it need not mean the end of your BF relationship - ask on the BF/FF boards for advice if you fancy exploring more, they are a great bunch over there too.

By weaning I was assuming you meant stopping breastfeeds - presumably you will be starting solids at 6m? If he's not taking a bottle and he's not having solids then a cup won't be enough!