7month old breast to bottle. wont take bottle :(

[jimmijam]

hi we've been trying to get ds2 onto bottle for a month now.
i want to give up bf for several reasons and want to do so before i go back to work in 6weeks.
have so far tried... tommee tippee, avent and dr bowns bottles all with newborn & 6month+teats, cow & gate formula, hipp formula, breastmilk mixed with formula, just expressed breastmilk, trying to slip a bottle in instead of breast, hubby offering bottle with me hidden away quietly, hubby offering bottle with me there, me offering bottle, 3 types of cup-1 'normal' and 2 fir lo's, and going 7hours not offering him breast-just bottle. he very occasionally takes one sip but thats it.
got NUK bottle today to try but not holding out any hope

any tips much appreciated!
thanks

I had the same issue and found that the advice started drying up after I had tried all the things you just listed but I also NEEDED to fix it so I will share what is now starting to work here (really hoping I'm not jinxing it now).

I went to work, was away about 10 hours and my DS did not take any liquid at all from my DH but thankfully is on solids so at least had something. Since then I have refused to breastfeed him from when we get up until 6pm. This means that he gets a big feed at 18:00 and then usually again at 18:45 and again to go to sleep at 19:30. If he wakes at night I breastfeed him and if he didn't wake at all at night I would make sure he had a big feed from both breasts before starting the 'breastfeed ban' for the day.

During the rest of the day I give him 4 meals. I spoon feed not BLW because I need to ensure that he eats enough. He gets baby rice mixed with formula and fruit for breakfast, savoury lunch, fruit and finger foods in the afternoon and savoury dinner. He is also regularly offered formula milk throughout the day. This has been going on for 8 days now and he has made massive improvements in the amount of solids he eats from the beginning and in the last couple of days has started to drink much better too. He will only drink from an unlidded cup and prefers a doidy cup to all others. He still doesn't drink much at a time - a really good drink for him is probably about 40-50 mls - but he will now have a good drink about 4-5 times a day which is a massive improvement.

It has not been fun and to be honest he still isn't his normal cheery self (although we are not sure if he is now teething). He used to sleep through the night and now doesn't although we are hoping this will resolve itself when he is taking more milk in the day. I wouldn't recommend this course of action unless you really have no choice.

Sorry for the essay - I just got really desperate myself and didn't know what to do. Really hope it helps. My DS is 6.5 months by the way.

I think you're not going to get him onto a bottle if you haven't managed it after a month. But if he's seven months, over the next month you can wean him onto three meals a day and only have the morning and evening feed left. You might feel ok to continue with just those feeds left, but if you really want him off the breast just give the m

Stupid phone..

Just give the milk in a sippy cup, and until he's taking enough, make sure that you give him enough calcium in yogurts, milky puddings etc

Good luck!

I had one like this (along time ago!) I was at my wit's end. I just kept trying, offering bottle first every time. One day, after weeks and weeks of frustration, she just took the bottle. So I would just keep trying, although it may seem hopeless. Another thought - I'm not convinced that trying loads of different bottles and formulas is necessarily best. I just kept offering the same Avent teat and formula. I can imagine that lots of different teats and tastes might even make your baby more resistant? Possibly?

theduchesse hoping things continue to work well for you (and the bonjela too). i found the 7hour ban hard and couldnt wait to give in, not sure id be strong enough to keep it up :(

sugartongue isnt formula/breastmilk as much about all the vitamins etc as the calcium? though im sure there are vit supplements around for lo's. he's already on 3 meals a day. has bf morning, afternoon, then a big feed before bed and many short feeds through the night

changedname what youve just said has made complete sense to me, though not a short term fix as id hoped for (as im sure you did too), sounds a good idea. now just which bottle to pick and stick to......
did it take long for your lo to take it can u remember?

have ordered a doidy cup too, even if it doesnt help/isnt used now i know it will should be used when he's a bit bigger

our 2 eldest had bottles alongside bf from just a few weeks old, dd had no trouble with it, ds1 wouldnt take from avent but went straight to tommee tippee. this is a whole new experience!

hi, i had huge probs getting my girly to take the bottle, the only and fab one she took is the NUK latex teat i got from boots, is round with a flat bit on end. Believe me i tried loads but i think this one, because is latex, is really nice n soft. Good luck x

Let me know how you get on with the NUK teat. We have tried all the bottles going too. Just got a cheap £1 bottle from sainsburys with a latex teat.... Worth a try!

nuk didnt work :(
saw health visitor today she was fab. lo is now in his own room for the 1st time, and will have his 1st night with no booby, and when he wakes in the morning will have a bottle :)
will let u know how it goes x

fingers crossed for you

good luck jimmijam. Really hope it goes well.

While you still have time on your side before you return to work I wouldn't be following my plan either :)

And he has turned back into my happy little boy now :)