breast to cup tip

[Vic]

Hi everyone,
just a quick tip from a mum who failed to get her 7mth old LO to drink from a bottle even after following all the babywhispering advice, but succeeded with a cup. this is what worked for me:
During the two days I stopped breastfeeding her and was trying to get her to take a bottle every hour, I found that she would take small amounts from the bottom of a small avent bottle used as a cup. this was a good intro as the diameter of the cup is very small so it's more manageable. I also put a little cereal in the milk to make it thicker (so also easier to drink) and added a small amount of pureed pear, as I noticed my breast milk was much sweeter than the formula (tho she wouldn't drink EBM!). i.e. at first it was almost like giving her her breakfast cereal with fruit, but runnier, so it didn't seem that foreign to her. Then gradually I moved to an avent cup, but took the filter out as she didn't like anything she had to suck on. I cut out the cereal but still put in a little pear or banana so it was more like a milkshake. Over a period of two weeks she has got used to drinking small amounts (with my help of course) and today she drank 7-8oz at breakfast instead of the breast. At lunch she took 3-4oz just straight formula, and I am very close to giving up BFing, just in time for me to be able to go back to work part time!
hope this helps some people, and gives hope to those who have gone through the hell of bottle hunger strike and still not got results!
xxxxx

[lilmonkey]

Thanks for the tip!  I found that ds is really keen on drinking from a cup as well.  It's a mess but I use a large shooter glass and it works well for his mouth.

[ryancsmom]

Hi Vic,
Thanks for posting your story.  It's nice to hear someone succeed with the cup.  I'm having the hardest time giving my LO the bottle too and gave up trying.  I want to give your method a shot but have a few questions.  First of all, what kind of formula are you using?  I find it hard to chose a good tasting formula. 

Also, i'm not sure if i understand correctly...at first did you use the avent bottle without the cap, like an open regular cup?  And the avent cup that you used afterwards, is it the white soft spout "magic" cup?  Did you eventually replace the valve back?

Thanks again!

[Vic]

Hi there,
I live in italy and use Coop follow on formula, which I find better tasting than some of the others I've tried, but I guess it's a very subjective thing. I used a normal small avent bottle without the top/teat as a cup, and then the coloured magic avent cup, the one labelled 6mth+. I'm thinking of trying to put the valve back but haven't done it yet and she is managing pretty well without it - she guzzles it down!
good luck with it,
vic x