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Introducing bottles

1 reply

AM88 · 30/05/2018 21:12

I'm new to MN so please be kind! (And let me know if this is not the right place to be posting this!)

I'm looking for some advice on introducing a bedtime bottle to my 7wo baby. She's been exclusively breastfed since about 10 days old, but we've given her a couple of bottles in the last week to start getting her used to them again (after having bottles for the first 10 days in hospital). She's taken a bottle of formula, but seems much less happy about taking breastmilk from a bottle.
She currently nurses to sleep at night (around 8-9pm), but we're doing this in an attempt to get her comfortable enough with a bottle that she'll go to sleep so mummy might be able to have an evening out in the near future without hubby/grandma struggling to get her to sleep!
So far she's taken 2 bedtime bottles of formula but both times she's not looked remotely tired, has been agitated and has needed a top up from me which has sent her to sleep. Any experience with babies not liking BM from a bottle? Any suggestions on how to make her take it? Any advice on getting her more comfortable with a bottle in general? And any tips on helping build a sleep routine with a bottle?
Any help would be very welcome!!
Thanks in advance 😊

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
teaandbiscuitsforme · 31/05/2018 07:25

As you've found, simply being full of milk isn't necessarily the key to going to sleep. If you think what she gets from you whilst BF (milk, sucking, warmth, comfort, security), you might need to replicate some of this to help her get to sleep after a bottle. So you could use a dummy, rock her, lie with her, etc.

Nobody ever told me before kids that 'fed and dry' was not all babies needed to go to sleep! BF is a lot more than just the milk so you have to help her with that.

Having said this, mine with both EBF because it was easy and I didn't want the hassle of introducing bottles. It sounds like she's taking a bottle well which seems to be the part most people struggle with.

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