Starting nursery and she won't drink formula

[Loops81]

My girl will be starting nursery 4 days a week in a month (she'll be 9.5 months). I'm planning to continue breastfeeding morning and bedtime, but want her to drink formula during the day. I'm trying to introduce it gently but she refuses to drink it - she must not like the taste as she chews the bottle and actually spits it out if any gets into her mouth. I tried the cold turkey approach last week but she patiently waited 7 hours till I gave in - she wasn't even upset or anything. She is eating three small meals a day so how important is it that she drinks milk during the day? She'll be away from me for 9 hours during the day which seems like a long time to go without milk, and she only has small sips of water. Should I think about expressing milk at work and hope she'll take that from a bottle? (I was hoping to avoid doing that). Am I stressing over nothing? Any advice/similar experiences welcome.

It's not a problem My EBF, bottle- and cup-refusing DS1 had no EBM or formula during the day from the time I went back to work FT when he was eight months old because he wouldn't consider it. Nursery just gave him extra yoghurt and cow's milk on porridge or cereal. He's now 2.7yo and fine.

It'll be fine.

Chat to nursery, ask them to give her extra dairy when they'd normally give milk, yogurt, cheese, or from a cup.

You'll find she may just take an extra feed in the evening instead.

DC1 stopped daytime bottles at 9m, just had morning and evening.

Dc2 never took a bottle, expressed or formula, and was fine at nursery from 7 months, just added a 10 pm feed back in.

You can always send formula in anyway, she might drink it if there's nothing else!

Mine wouldn't drink from a bottle so when he was too young to use a cup he just had porridge made with formula and yoghurt and meals. Even once he mastered the cup he's never drunk milk at nursery. He was/is totally fine.

I had similar with dd at 10 months. I expressed but she wouldn't take that either. Nursery wouldn't give her cows milk as she was under 1 and she wouldn't take formula. Unfortunately, she just had to go without on nursery days - she was bf on demand the other days (but didn't feed loads during the day at that age). Sorry, not helpful at all, as I never had a solution for it, but dd managed ok without, if that's any comfort! x

I had this with DS2. As others said, it will be fine. Get them to offer water to drink, and you can also try cows milk - as long as that is not the main thing he is drinking it's fine to introduce some before 12 months.

FWIW my DD1 was already off all day bottles by that point. She went to nursery full time from 7mo and have a tiny bottle. (Less than one premade carton during the day). I'm sure by 9mo she's no longer drinking it and have solid snacks instead. You will be fine.

My DD1 is bf by the way. Refused bottle from me from around 3-4mo, but will self feed one at nursery at 7mo. They behave really differently at nursery. And by 10mo she's switched totally to a free flow cup. How are you giving the bottle? Have you tried giving it to her sitting in a high chair or floor? Have you tried a tommee tippee free flow cup too?