worried about "bottle bootcamp"

[kapearson]

Hi. 

I just spent a good hour or so reading all the postings about encouraging your breastfed baby to take a bottle.  Our daughter is 7 mos. and we've been trying a bottle of formula a day for about 3 months with very minimal success.  Mostly she rejects it and will skip that feed every time.  I know what Tracy would say if she could be with us still (bless her soul)...that we're not trying very hard...our fault, I know. 

At first, I didn't want to "waste" a good bottle of EBM, but now I'd like her take formula in daytime and nurse only night+morning when I return to work in one month.  My worry is about the two-day-bottle-"bootcamp" which we are considering per Tracy's advice in the current book. 

If she's never had more than a few ounces of formula, then how should I "start as I mean to go on?"  Has anyone else simultaneously done the bottle bootcamp and wean to (mostly) formula??  Should we do the bottles at night and morning with EBM and bottles of formula in the daytime for those days?  Will that be too confusing?  Should we just stick to all EBM for the bootcamp days and then switch to formula once she takes the bottle? 

Thanks for any suggestions for advice!

-Karen
Natalie's Mom (textbook, but with some spirited & touchy characteristics)

[GraceKellysmom]

Depending on how many hours you work, you may not need to mess with bottles at all. Does she take a sippy cup at all? There are some soft spouted sippies you could experiment with, with ebm to start. Both my babies skipped bottles and just went straight to sippy cups.

Or, do you have the option of taking your lunch break to go nurse her? She should get to a point, around 9-10 months, when she is only nursing/milk feeding 3 or 4 times per day. Then it gets very easy to let someone else care for them for day times.

If she is taking solids, you can also try to work her into a schedule where she takes her solid meals during the day and your absence, and nurses more at night when she is with you. For example, you could nurse her in the am, she could eat breakfast and lunch at day care solids, and then nurse her right when you pick her up, again for dinner, again at bedtime, and maybe once in the night.

It just depends on what you want to do, just know that you don't *have* to wean your baby to formula. Pumping is an option if she doesn't take to formula, or if you just decide to skip it all together.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

My lo never took a bottle.  I started trying her with different sippy cups around 6 months and we've finally found one she really likes.  It's a Nuby one - they're cheap at Walmart (about $1-2) and they have a really soft spout.  When dd sucks, the non-spill deactivates (no actual valve) and she can get liquid. We practiced several times a day with water (less mess and less waste!) - first with other sippy cups with the valve removed, so she'd understand there was liquid inside.  It took a while, but she got the hang of it.  You could probably get her drinking well in the one month you have left!  I'd suggest starting with water, then you could try small amounts of EBM (because she'd recognize the flavour) then see what you want to do - EBM or formula when she starts daycare.  Even if she never takes much, it would be helpful for her to be able to drink some fluids (even if just water) during the day.  But Stacy's really right - if necessary, she can manage without any milk during the day and make up for it outside daycare hours.

[kapearson]

Thanks for the comments!

I guess I am hesitant to skip the bottle and go to a sippy, but perhaps it is an option.  Natalie has shown some interest in the Avent soft sippy without the valve when I add water or apple juice.  Maybe we should practice more with that for a week with some EBM or formula and reevaluate the "bootcamp" option thereafter.  Should she be holding the sippy herself or did you guys hold it for them, like you would with a bottle, when introducing it?  I'm afraid she thinks it's a toy and not a meal.

I also did think about the possibility of her not having any fluids during the day and then making-up for it at night.  I'm afraid of how often she would nurse through the night!  I might be able to nurse her at lunch, but not sure about all the time.

The other issue that complicates things is that I'm planning on working just 3 days.  Therefore, she'll still have lots of days with me.  I probably should pick some approach and stick to it so it's the same as at daycare?

-Karen

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Megan still doesn't hold her own sippy cup, but some kids her age do! 

As for having some days with you and the routine...depends on your child.  Some are more adaptable to changes. I suppose you'd want to have it approximating what she gets on daycare days, but what about nursing her as regular on the days you have her?  That way, she'd at least be getting good milk those days.  She might be able to make the distinction to days-with-mummy-mean-nursing and daycare days. But I'm not totally sure....I guess see what mothers do on weekends!  I've been wondering that myself, as Megan's starting daycare next week... :?

One thing to remember is that nothing is written in stone and you can always change it if it doesn't work! 

[kq]

We did not do the 2 day boot camp...just a couple of feeds over a day. and once ds got the hang of it, we were away! I gave him formula not EBM so he takes a bottle of formula a day so he does not forget.. for details, I posted on the taking bottle website. HTH.