Getting 7mo breastfed baby to drink milk from anything else

[Blueturtle12]

Hi everyone,

Looking for advice around how to get my baby to drink more milk from either a sippy cup or bottle, or any other ideas.

DS was formula fed for his first 3 weeks, I transitioned him to being fully breastfed. I didn't keep up the bottle and didn't realise that if I didn't keep it up, he would struggle taking one. I tried to give him a bottle around 4 months again thinking he would be fine, however he seemed to completely forget how to drink from one and I think lost his sucking reflex for it. I think I've tried all the tricks possible - partner giving bottle at the same time every day - but he still struggles to latch and drink. Tried every different brand of bottle (I'm based in Australia). He doesn't refuse, he always tries, but after 10 minutes he only manages to get about 10ml and gets frustrated.

The past month or so we've moved onto trying the sippy cup as he seems to have a problem with sucking. My partner basically pours the milk into his mouth, he doesn't have to suck it. Half goes down his chin but he's able to swallow some. Most he's ever drank is about 50ml.

I went out for the first time last week for 5 hours and baby was hysterical by the end of it because he was so hungry, he'd only drank 40ml. I went out again today for 5 hours and baby was less upset, but definitely hungry when I got back. He never drinks a full, sufficient feed.

When he's 10 months, I'm planning to go to a wedding abroad for 4 days without baby. We'll be back in the UK so he will be babysat by my mum. My fear is that he will continue hardly drinking any milk and I won't be able to go. Nurse has reassured me that baby will be on 3 solid meals a day by then and milk will just be supplementary.

I would really love some freedom soon and want to leave him overnight with my mum when we visit the UK, for practice runs before the wedding. At this moment, I'm unable to leave him as he's not drinking enough.

Please share your tips for encouraging baby to drink more from a sippy cup or other device. Will he ever get there?! I really want him to drink a substantial amount. I would love for mum to be able to babysit him overnight without any worry that he won't drink. I want to let my hair down a bit.

Thank you!

My first was sounds very similar so you have my sympathy ! We spent a fortune trying every different kind of bottle and cup but then accidentally discovered she would and could drink through a straw so got her one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Munchkin-Toddler-Weighted-Childrens-Trainer/dp/B0CD1XYMVT/ref=asc_df_B0CD1XYMVT?mcid=6e13f6f3c7f2349f8895e889499855e2&th=1&psc=1&hvocijid=6047729852122769530-B0CD1XYMVT-&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6047729852122769530&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045879&hvtargid=pla-2281435176858&psc=1&gad_source=1 which worked brilliantly - good luck - they will eventually crack it x

Sympathies because my DC is boob obsessed and has never taken a bottle but I'm afraid I disagree that your DS will definitely be fine at 10 months because of being on three meals a day and milk being supplementary. To start with, milk should be main nutrition until one and secondly, my DC didn't take that well to solids for some time and definitely wasn't on three meals a day at ten months. It might be totally fine of course, but I wouldn't rely on it.

As for actually getting him to drink from a bottle or similar, it's so frustrating isn't it! Have you tried an open cup?

Thank you for your response! He drinks a bit of water from an open cup but again, nothing substantial. I just pour it in and he swallows a bit.

He will have changed a LOT by ten months.

I got mine used to drinking water with a Nuby sip and grip https://www.boots.com/nuby-mini-grip-n-sip-cup-10323374

And milk from a Munchkin 360 (gradually- I found mine needed teeth to really be able to drink from it).

But by 10.5 months my baby was definitely on 3 meals a day, the milk as main nutrition until 1 thing is VERY variable by baby, if weaning has gone well they will be down to three milk feeds a day by then (BF babies might feed more often but smaller feeds or they might be on a similar pattern). We also found at 10.5 months that we could give the baby warm cows milk when out and about (a small babyccino - we needed to improvise!) from a paper cup. Some would go down LOs chin, so you need decent bibs, but they WOULD happily drink whole milk.

It's good that you are thinking about this now, don't lose heart, keep practicing and you will find something that works.

My youngest never took a bottle, tried everything as you did. Went for a weekend away when she was 10mo, a wedding like you, and she drank nothing, but was eating solids, plenty of fruit, yogurts, and she was fine. I stopped bf at 1 and she went straight onto a staw!