Help!! Away from baby for the night

[Cjobow85]

I’m a first time mum and I have a 4.5 month old little boy who is EBF. Does not take the bottle or a dummy!!
Until a few weeks ago he was fed to sleep for every nap and at bedtime. Day time naps were on me and he would be put in his co sleeper next to me for bed. He has never been a great sleeper, wakes every 1.5 for a feed or just to be held. I have had some longer stretches (3+) I have now implemented a loose routine, he naps every 1.5-2hrs and I have started rocking/patting him to sleep as opposed to feeding him as I’m hoping rocking is an easier sleep association to break. It’s working well, I now take him into the bedroom, lights off, white noise and swaddle and rock/pat for a few minutes and he is asleep, I then transfer asleep Into the chicco and his average nap is about 35-50 minutes (longer if In sling or buggy) I’m doing all of this because in a couple of months time me and my husband are going away for a night and the grandparents will be looking after him.
I’m so anxious about it, yes it’ll be difficult to leave him but I’m terrified he’ll still not be on a bottle and will just scream. I’m worried what will happen when he wakes in the night and I’m not there.
Does anyone have any advice on getting baby to take a bottle (tried different, teats and different people feeding him)
Thank you!!

If he wont take bottle or dummy would he drink from a cup (premmie babies in nicu are cup fed sometimes, he's definitely not too young obviously he can't hold the cup) if he won't take bottle or dummy by the date you go then you can't really go.
The nap routi e with the white noise and patting sounds a right faff tbh. I put mine down awake or asleep without all this fussing.

Thanks for replying! Hadn’t even thought of a cup! I’ll look into it! When you put your baby down awake do they just go to sleep on their own?
Yeah, I’m thinking there’s a likelihood I’ll not being going away for the night, I’m not that fussed to be fair. Would just like to know he will take a bottle if ever there’s was an emergency etc

Ime, the way they behave when one or both parents are available is totally different to how they behave when with alternative care givers. For example, DH and I went away overnight when DD was under a year. She took a full bottle and slept 7-7. Didn't do that for us till she was over 2.

I had twins so there just wasn't time to do white noise, patting etc. There was barely time to eat or shower! . At nap time/bed time I put them in their moses baskets be they awake or already asleep. Sometimes they might grizzle for a couple mins. They could sleep through any noise due to being in nicu. They were in a good routine at 4.5 months with one of them sleeping through the night at that stage but not the other.

Really!? That’s unbelievable! Maybe I could try out a practise night before the real event!

Actually a practice is a really good idea.

I think I’ll try and put him down awake and see how it goes! I’ve never even tried that before so should be interesting. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

Try it - I always put my baby down when he was awake, never heard of cuddling/feeding a baby to sleep - until I came on Mumsnet .

Hahaha!! I understand that! I read so much while pregnant and then so much for the first 3 months about what I should and shouldn’t do that I was just overwhelmed. Need to just relax and trust my instinct a bit more probably!