How do I get my breastfed baby to drink formula when she refuses the bottle & cups?

[Emma961064]

My DD is 6.5 months and I have breastfed her exclusively, we started weaning 2 weeks ago.

We tried months ago to get her to take formula (or even breast milk) from a bottle but she wouldn’t drink from it. She’d get into a right state - crying intensely. So in the end we left it hoping we’d have more luck with an open flow/ sippy cup when she was a bit older.

We’ve tried numerous cups (giving up on the bottle) and even though she is getting good at sipping she will only take small amounts or refuse completely. I want to stop breast feeding for a number of reasons

Part of the issue is that she has reflux and the reflux formula doesn’t smell nice.

We’ve tried a few different brands of regular formula and cow and gate reflux formula. We’re hoping the reflux formula will help as life is hard at the moment. The reflux impacts every part of life and we’ve got omprezole from the dr but want to try formula before I give her that.

Any advice on how to get her on to formula and on to a cup etc would be amazing. Please let me know what helped your little one with reflux

Have you looked in allergies?

Or tried regular formula? Reflux formula is just thicker and bm tends to thinner than regular formula.

You can add thickener (carobel) to any formula so if she prefers one you could add it to that one

I’d also look into allergies just in case

It’s very difficult to get babies ime to take any of the specialised formulas when they are used to bm.
Mine had CMPA, the reflux was a lesser issue.
Trying to wean off the bm at the same time as introducing solids is tricky. I would concentrate on the solids and make food with formula such as porridge and custard. As more solids are consumed less bm will be consumed and try the formula again in a month

Can you pump? It might work if she’s got expressed breast milk in the bottle instead of formula as an intermediary step to weaning. I agree if it’s formula or nothing try a regular thinner formula that might taste better.

Also, where are you when she is being offered the bottle or cup?? My DC always refused the bottle from me, but if I left, they’d quite happily take it from my DH or a babysitter. Initially, I had to leave the house for a known feed and they’d cry and fuss until they realised Dad can only do a bottle. After they got used to it, they were fine with him bottle feeding them. But they never once accepted a bottle from me.

Is her dad on the scene? Or your mum or anyone who can watch her for an afternoon?
Go out for a few hours and leave the bottle. She'll probably be more willing to accept it from someone else especially if you aren't there.

Echoing other people - she's not going to take a bottle from you. My DP gave birth and we had an ardent bottle refuser. The way that worked for me in the end was to put DS in the sling, go for a walk outside and give him the bottle as we walked around. Madness. Eventually it clicked for him but the first weeks were hard.

Please let me know what helped your little one with reflux
The first main thing that helped mine were me eating a low acid diet so

• no coffee or tea except herbal teas
• no citrus or tomatoes
• no spicy foods
• only dairy being cheese or yogurt (no milk) and the worst of all
• limited chocolate

The second main thing was to never ever put them flat on their back. Our paediatrician gave us this wedge thing that you put under the fitted sheet of their cot and it slightly raises the head & chest above their legs. So they’re sleeping oh so slightly elevated.

The third main thing was maintain lots of smaller feeds rather than big less frequent feeds as they got older…otherwise mine would do the projectile vomiting.

I’m afraid I put a bit of sugar in it , then gradually reduced

I have given up dairy many times and didn’t make a difference to her reflux :(

I agree someone else needs to do it without you there. My bottle refuser didn’t give in until he’d gone hungry a few days when I went back to work. Distressing for all of us but it all worked out in the end.

Could you bare to continue breastfeeding just a bit longer?

In your shoes I'd push the solids more and get her to up her intake of those so she reduces her milk feeds.

I found with both mine they were down to 2 breastfeeds but 9/10 months. I also night weaned at that age so it was really just 2 feeds a day.

I also found that my bottle refusing daughter was more receptive to a cup as she got a bit older.

My eldest had reflux and CMPA. It got a lot better as he had more solids too.

The doctor has prescribed a medication to treat a condition that is causing her pain - why aren't you just giving her that!?