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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Will weaning be a magic solution to my bottle refusing baby

36 replies

123456kent · 26/03/2018 16:51

My baby is 5 months 1 week.
She is breast fed, but I’ve attempted to combi feed, unsuccesssfully. She has varied between taking small amounts of formula in a bottle to point blank refusing and hysterically screaming the place down.
Today was the latter, trying to be given a bottle from her grandparents while I had a few hours away.
I’m thinking about starting weaning shortly in the next week or so. Will this offer me any more freedom than the situation I’m currently in? Does anyone have any experiences of this?
My parents tried to give her in 2 different types of bottle and a sippy cup but she got very upset.
I just want to start having the odd couple of hours away here and there to get her used to it. She’s very very clingy to me and i want her to be able to cope without me when I go back to work at a year.
Thanks

OP posts:
ChikiTIKI · 26/03/2018 16:56

I can't help but I'm in the exact same situation with same age baby. I will wean her soon, thinking a week or 2 before 6 months will be ok since she was born 2 weeks late and is showing lots of signs that she is ready.

Won't drink from a bottle though. I've expressed milk a few times to try but haven't for a while as I don't want to waste it!

Hoping someone will come with advice for us!

user1488622199 · 26/03/2018 17:14

My baby was ebf and point blank refused a bottle or cup. He took to weaning really well though and when he was up and running with it all I felt more comfortable in leaving him. I made up his porridge every morning with formula and he ate lots of natural yoghurt as well as other foods so I was comfortable he was getting what he needed if I wasn’t there. He loves milk in a cup now that I’ve stopped bfing.

Take heart ladies, the end is in sight!

JiltedJohnsJulie · 26/03/2018 18:47

A year is a long way away and your DD will be fine. I left my 9 month old, committed bottle refuser, to go back to work and she seems to have survived.

Your LO might be ready for solids before 6 months anyway. Can she sit up, pick food up and put it in her mouth?

Original poster
123456kent · 26/03/2018 19:39

Thank you.
Sorry, I meant going back to work when she’s a year - so in 7months time. Which I know is a long time in baby world.
She can sit up with no issues at all on my lap, or in a highchair. Basically, with support, but not just sitting on the floor unaided. She easily lifts things and puts them to her mouth.
I’m thinking of trying this weekend, so she will be 2 weeks off 6 months.
But it’s not going to make a huge difference with my freedom is it? She can’t be having carrot puree instead of milk!!
She just loves the boob and hates the bottle

OP posts:
Wakeuptortoise · 26/03/2018 19:44

Not for a while. My two both took until they were 14/15months old to be fully weaned off breast and to eat solids reliably. However, I could leave for several hours between breast feeds once there was a spoon fed alternative.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 26/03/2018 19:45

To be honest, I wouldn’t bother with purees at this age. If she can lift food up and put it in her mouth, I’d just offer some lightly steamed veg like brocolli or carrot. Once she’s past 6 months you can offer more than just fruit or veg.

I can’t see any reason why you can’t feed her before you leave her. Let them give her a sandwich or sone cheese on toast and a drink of water and feed her when you pick her up. Should be enough time for some shopping or whatever you fancy Smile

RedPandaMama · 26/03/2018 19:46

My DD refuses bottles and expressed milk too. Will only have it from the source (boob).

She's 7.5m now and has taken to weaning really well. Started her at 5m as she was ready by far and doctor recommended it. Her day looks like this;

7am wake up and BF
9am breakfast - crumpet & fruit
12pm - BF
12.30pm - lunch - sandwich, veggies, rusk, cheese (finger foods)
4pm - BF
5.30pm - dinner - blended meal e.g. pasta, cheese and tomato and some snacky foods
7pm - BF and bed
3am - BF

And she's showing signs of wanting to drop one of the middle feeds as she just isn't interested. Going to keep her at it til 8m then move the 4pm feed earlier and drop the lunch time one.

The end is in sight and if your baby really won't take a bottle it's not the end of the world as when they get into a meal routine they drop feeds quickly.

Lilmisspink81 · 26/03/2018 19:47

My DD is 6 months and exactly the same until now.
We started off with purée twice a day followed by a play with the sippee cups as refused a bottle or screamed!
I bought the Tommee Tippee weaning cups and rotated them all. She'll now take a couple ounces at most from the straw one and just chews the others.
She also has to be sitting in high chair or little chair to take it otherwise she just reaches for the boob.
Try a practice with water and leave her to it so doesn't matter if a mess is made. We persevered for a good month with the bottles until my sister sugggested the cups.
You may be different but I'm getting no more rest as she's growing like a weed and BFs more! There just aren't enough hours in the day to express!!

Original poster
123456kent · 27/03/2018 10:47

Thank you everyone.
Another question, sorry. I havent personally tried a sippy cup, but my parents have with milk and she point blank refused.
What happens if she takes food (not that I am very hopeful of this tbh) but refuses water? Is this going to hinder weaning if she won’t drink water?

OP posts:
JiltedJohnsJulie · 27/03/2018 19:12

It won’t hinder Weaning at all. She will have more than enough fluids from you. If it’s really hot, you’re not there and she is point blank refusing water they can always give her an ice lcelolly. It would be unusual for her to refuse to that extent though. They can usually be tempted with the novelty of a straw or from drinking from a sports bottle.

Think what I’m trying to say is that you offer water with the solids, but it’s entireky upto her if she drinks or eats and there’s no worry if she doesn’t do either for a bit Smile

Orangedaisy · 27/03/2018 19:16

HAvent read the full thread but my dd went to Nursery from 11 months 2 long days a week and the other days fed up to 4 times a day during Nursery hours iyswim. She was absolutely fine at Nursery on sippy cups and/or open cups and a small extra pot of yoghurt, although desperate for a bf when we got home. I wasn’t engorged or anything on those days, just felt ready to feed once we were reunited.

Original poster
123456kent · 27/03/2018 20:55

Ok thats interesting thanks - both response.
Its not the end of the world if she won’t take water and if I do end ul still bfeeding when I go back to work it is possible for her and my boobs to survive! Thanks

OP posts:
JiltedJohnsJulie · 28/03/2018 07:30

I did exactly the same as Orange. If you want to continue Bfing you don’t hsve to stop just because you go back to work Smile

BakedBeeeen · 28/03/2018 07:36

Re bottles, I would stick to one type of bottle, and keep trying with the same one. I think trying different bottles and cups is too confusing. My DD took a bottle eventually, I kept trying every day and she protested less each time.

FartnissEverbeans · 31/03/2018 20:16

In a few months you'll be able to get a few hours' respite at least - you'll be able to leave her with some snacks/a solid meal when she's with her grandparents and have some time to yourself.

Creatureofthenight · 03/04/2018 14:49

My baby has always been a bottle refuser. We started weaning at 6 months and began offering water in a sippy cup. After about a month we tried expressed milk in a sippy cup - success! She doesn’t take as much as when she breastfeeds, but she will take a couple of oz, so I feel ok to leave her.

lambdroid · 11/04/2018 22:35

My nearly 10 month old pretty much refused a bottle (did manage one every now and then but not reliably and it was very stressful!) until we started solids at 6 months.

I had some thawed expressed milk to add to porridge while we were out and there was some left over so I tried him with it just on a whim (having all but given up on bottles) and he drank it with no problem. This was with a soft trainer bottle-to-cup (MAM) spout but I think the key for us was not heating the milk. He’s weird.

He’ll now reliably drink from a bottle and I’ve just introduced formula with no problem. I still don’t heat anything and he’s fine with room or fridge cold milk. He’s also fine with water, but I rarely offer it as have been assured it’s not necessary at this stage.

He was always a ‘little and often’ kind of feeder and was on 8-12 short feeds in 24 hours until really recently. It’s probably only the last 6 weeks max that he’s cut down to 5-8 milk feeds plus 2 or 3 solid meals. The last 2 weeks, 1 or 2 of the milk feeds have been formula and I haven’t struggled or been uncomfortable.

I honestly felt like he was never going to drink from a bottle or cut his feeds down but it’s finally getting less demanding and relentless!!

lambdroid · 11/04/2018 22:37

Eek. That looks really long. Sorry! I just find detailed info helpful personally so try to provide it!

Original poster
123456kent · 12/04/2018 07:08

No that’screally interesting thanks.
She’s taking to weaning well, and is taking sips of water from a sippy cup. I need to try a bottle now to see if maybe weaning has maybe made her ‘grow up’ a bit, and accept something other than breast. If not, then milk in the cup.
What i won’t/can’t be doing though is giving expressed milk - since weaning i am constantly preparing/feeding/cleaning/washing up/changing nappies - there arent enough hours in the day to also incorporate expressing!!

OP posts:
betterbemoreorganised · 12/04/2018 07:28

I have a bf bottle refuser with cmpa and it took 15days of tasting the prescription milk (it’s foul) before he’d drink any and then it was only 30 ml. It took another fortnight to get the quantity up to 90ml and I only wanted to replace one feed a day.
Try different cups we ended up using the ikea sippy cup ds can hold himself. We tried bottles and four different cups.
When he wants a sip of drink now I just give him weak squash and don’t worry or he’ll have a sip of mine
It’s a difficult stage 6 months for bf as they’re taking so much from you it’s exhausting. It takes persistence and the amount they take builds up gradually

lambdroid · 12/04/2018 09:52

This was the type of trainer teat I had success with. Never managed with a normal one!

Will weaning be a magic solution to my bottle refusing baby
Original poster
123456kent · 12/04/2018 10:18

Oh yes, that came with a Mam starter pack I bought - I will dig that out and try it. They feed themselves with that do they? Interesting!!

OP posts:
lambdroid · 12/04/2018 10:38

I just use that with a normal MAM bottle as easy to sterilise etc. When I give him water, I try him with the handle so he can get used to feeding himself.

Original poster
123456kent · 12/04/2018 22:09

Ok, I used that Mam trainer teet thing. Made a 4oz bottle of formula. She drank from it, I though, oh wow - success!! No crying, she was definitely going for it, swallowing a lot. But when she stopped, I checked and there was.... 4oz left??!!! So not really a success. But no screaming at least?!

OP posts:
lambdroid · 13/04/2018 06:33

It might take her a while to figure out how to suck properly? I found I had to put it a lot further into his mouth than expected.

We used to have that with normal teats, but he seemed to figure it out with the trainer.

Good luck!