When to introduce a bottle?

[eva026]

DD is 2.5 months old and BF well. At what point do I introduce a bottle? I'm very wary of it as we had huge issues with DD1 and nursing strikes and I don't want to go through that again. That's why I'm so hesitant 😕
Do we do it now or wait till before I start work in a few months? I read on a few websites that you should not wait too long or they don't want the bottle at all.
Really I'd like DH to do a DF with a bottle st some point and from December I'd love to be able to go out for a beer with my girlfriends! All these things are not essential though. It would just be nice if that could happen.
I only go back to work part time in February and by then she'll be 8mo and will have to take a bottle.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

With DD3 we did not try a bottle until around 5 months - we tried 3 different kinds before finding what she liked but she was fine to take it from everyone else (after a few weeks she let me bottle feed too).

[eva026]

And you never had issues with bottle preferences?
I'll wait a while longer then, just in case. Maybe when she's 6months old around Christmas. I was wondering if I'd missed some window or sth.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

No, none of my 3 developed bottle preference. DD1 &  DD2 used bottles within the first few weeks for the bedtime feed so DH could do it.

[eva026]

Hey, I’m popping on again with a quick question.
We started trying with a bottle over a week ago - used the models calma. No milk comes unless you suck. But dd kept spluttering and choking. After a week we tried a traditional bottle, newborn nipple (she is almost 4mo so maybe should go one up??) and she took to it like a champ.
My question it, how often should she get a bottle to not forget? Will 2 a week be ok or should we be doing it more often? Id rather not do every day. I considered doing a df but seeing as she’s in our room and I’m a super light sleeper, there doesn’t seem to be a point as I’d wake anyway.

She bf during the day 5 times and night 2-3 times. Was thinking 100ml bm should be enough for a feed?

[*Ali*]

Have you looked up paced feeding? That will help her tell you when she's had enough. I'd stick with the slow teat of she seems happy with it. You don't want the bottle to be too easy so she develops a bottle preference.

DD was my only baby to take a bottle really. We did it at BT every night.

[eva026]

I just took a look. Didn’t know about taking breAks. Would you do it for a NF too?
I’m really hoping to get her to take the calma bottle at some point to avoid bottle preference. DD1 was such a nightmare, that I don’t want it happening again.
I was thinking DH can do one feed a week or maybe two. Otherwise we just need it from time to time so I can have a break. I don’t go back to work till she’s 8 months old, so hopefully by then she’ll be ok with a sippy cup of milk instead.

[*Ali*]

Ideally you'd do it for all bottle feeds.

Don't forget night feeds are very important for supply especially between midnight and 4am when hormones are at their highest.  And in place of any bottles you give you need to pump to protect your supply.