Tips for getting your breastfeeding LO to take a bottle

[LŠuren]

You can post anywhere, but the ladies on the support thread have all gone through what you are now. 

[erinsmum36]

not sure if it will help, but my LO would also not take a bottle and at 7 months I have decided to bf first and last thing. I am using tommee tippee 'breast to bottle; wideneck bottles which seem better than the rest ive tried, as they dont let in air and dont free flow either.
I have struggled the last 4 days since i started so i have got tough. I have cut right back on solids to only 1/2 the amount she was getting and if she refuses the bottle I put it down, feign indifference (she normally wants to play with it at that point) and then bring it back out in 1/2 hours time. She used to eat every 4 hours, but yesterday went from 7am to 1:30 before she was hungry enough to take the bottle but then she downed 5 ounces. I know it would be easier to give her a bottle first thing when she is most hungry but I want to keep wake ups to a happy personal thing so still bf. I really think the key is not getting stressed and be willing to put the bottle away again until she is starving and then try again. A hungry baby is not stupid and will eventually give in! she i now on 2 bottles of formula a day and 2 bfs.
Its so hard when you have exclusively bf for a long time, but I think a time comes for every mum when they need  to have a bit of time away from bf whether it is formula or ebm from a bottle so believe in what you are trying to do and dont be afraid to wait till LO is really hungry if he/she refuses at first.

[jacq1101]

Hi,  I'm going back to work in 5 weeks and have been trying to get my DS to take a bottle.  He is 15 weeks on Tues.  He did take the occasional bottle but now that I have set my mind to partially wean him, he is not really taking to the bottle.  He usually refuses intially and if he does start sucking on it will take only about 50-75 mls (I think thats about 2-2.5 oz).  So what do I do?  Is it a taste thing?  I'm so confused about what to do.  SHould I ...
1) give him a break of a week to two weeks
2) try another teat?  I am using the NUK teats which worked well with my other son.  Will it be confusing to keep swapping teats around.
3) if its a taste thing, what do I do here?  I've tried to express using a handheld electronic pump but can't get much out ....is there anything I else I can use?
4) Should I keep trying, see how much he takes and offer the breast after?  Will this build up a negative association with the bottle (which is why I was wondering if maybe we should have a break).

Confused and stressed,
Jacqui

[LŠuren]

Hi Jacqui

Have you seen this post;

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=67768.0  - I succesfully went from breast to bottle

It has Tracys plan and a success story of it working.

You may have to try and experience with teat sizes and shapes until you find one that is a close shapre to yours (the one he is used to). What whats for one is not for another LO.

HTH

[pipofski]

I am currently going cold turkey from the breast with my a 9-month-old son.  Similar story; due to problems with bf at beginning, topped him up with bottles and he had a bedtime bottle with expressed milk every night time for a few months, took it fine.  Then he was exclusively breastfed.  Over the last couple of months, have been attempting to wean him off the breast part time with not much luck.  Tried every day to no avail.  Then almost a week ago I have gone down the "cold turkey" route, planning to return to 2 breast feeds a day when he is happy taking a bottle (or cup, but that looks unlikely too).  He went on milk strike last week for 2 whole days (so we put milk in his food as much as possible), then took a 7oz bottle....but since has been very touch and go.  Took 2oz from an open cup.  Doesn't seem to be a pattern to when/what/how he will drink.  Don't want him to miss out on the milk he is meant to be getting for a prolonged period. Is it worth giving up and give him the breast again now (before my milk disappears as expressing is not as efficient) and try again at a later date, or stick with this? 

[LŠuren]

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=67768.0

Hiya

Here is Tracys guide from breast to bottle, to be honest you sound like your on the right lines. 

Have you also tried a straw cup? DS likes the 12month+ Boots own straw cup - I bought this when he was about 9months.

[M2W]

I started giving my son the bottle at 4 days old...mostly breast fed, but definitely gave at least a few bottles of breast milk everyday. And gave formula as well on occasion. I also gave him a large variety of bottles/nipples. avent, playtex, gerber, nuk, dr. brown wide and standard, etc...He never seemed to mind which bottle or content it was he was getting, but when he was 10/11 months old, he started to walk and discovered that the breast was not mobile and he weaned me at that point from breast feeding (which was sooner then I was ready for...easy wean process on him because he did it himself, but sad for momma)

So I'm not convinced about nipple confusion, etc... however, each child is very different and soon we will be having baby #2, so we'll see if this baby is as flexible when it comes to bottles, breast, etc...I hope to BF this one longer, so I might keep the bottle down to 1 or 2 max per 24 hour period, just so on those rare nights that I'm a COMPLETE ZOMBIE Daddy can take on a feeding. Otherwise I'm a captive prisioner and no one can give me a break ever. 

I think part of the problem is people don't introduce it soon enough because they are concerned about nipple confusion...they wait until 5 weeks or so and at that point the baby (IMHO) is used to a steady nipple and isn't as open to change as they might be in the very begining...hence the reason I opted to spice it up with various nipple sizes, bottles, breast, etc...

[jules_is_cute]

I agree.  I didn't start offering a bottle to Jules until 4 months (the recommended time to offer according to many) and my Lo never took a bottle, or at least not EBM from a bottle.  She took water from a bottle the first time I offered it, but not EBM and certainly not formula.  I gave up on the bottle after 2.5 months of trying everyday.  She went straight from booby to sippy.  She's still nursing and isn't showing any signs that she might be ready to wean (which is totally fine with me), but it's been a tough year not having any sort of freedom.  I recommend 1 bottle/week given by daddy or other care taker from week one or 2 on. 

~Patty

[M2W]

I agree.  I didn't start offering a bottle to Jules until 4 months (the recommended time to offer according to many) and my Lo never took a bottle, or at least not EBM from a bottle.  She took water from a bottle the first time I offered it, but not EBM and certainly not formula.  I gave up on the bottle after 2.5 months of trying everyday.  She went straight from booby to sippy.  She's still nursing and isn't showing any signs that she might be ready to wean (which is totally fine with me), but it's been a tough year not having any sort of freedom.  I recommend 1 bottle/week given by daddy or other care taker from week one or 2 on. 

~Patty

Yeah everyone (100%) of the people I know that waited for the bottle intro until after the first 5 or 6 weeks...had problems...the only one friend I have besides myself that had no problems also introduced it very early...for me it was in the first week and for her it was in the second week of life.

[SarahandZack]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this site but have been reading all of the advice for weaning to a bottle and have found it very helpful.  My baby is 6 1/2 mos old and he is bf but has taken a bottle since about 5 weeks.  Unfortunately in the last couple months we haven't given it as much because he has been sleeping through the night more-I'll know for next time to keep it up!.  Anyways, now I would like to wean to the bottle with formula and he is having none of it!  I have been trying to replace a few feedings at a time and am still bf in the night but will now try the cold turkey method for 48hrs like Tracy suggests.  My question is since he is not eating as much during the day he is waking at night more to eat.  Should I be feeding him every time he wakes at night?  What if he gets into the habit of eating at night again after we have worked so hard to eliminate night feeds?  Does anyone have any advice about the night wakings?  I worry that he is not eating enough during the day because will only take about 2oz at a time from the bottle.  It doesn't seem to matter if I give him ebm or formula or a mixture-he reacts the same way.
Thanks for your help.

[M2W]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this site but have been reading all of the advice for weaning to a bottle and have found it very helpful.  My baby is 6 1/2 mos old and he is bf but has taken a bottle since about 5 weeks.  Unfortunately in the last couple months we haven't given it as much because he has been sleeping through the night more-I'll know for next time to keep it up!.  Anyways, now I would like to wean to the bottle with formula and he is having none of it!  I have been trying to replace a few feedings at a time and am still bf in the night but will now try the cold turkey method for 48hrs like Tracy suggests.  My question is since he is not eating as much during the day he is waking at night more to eat.  Should I be feeding him every time he wakes at night?  What if he gets into the habit of eating at night again after we have worked so hard to eliminate night feeds?  Does anyone have any advice about the night wakings?  I worry that he is not eating enough during the day because will only take about 2oz at a time from the bottle.  It doesn't seem to matter if I give him ebm or formula or a mixture-he reacts the same way.
Thanks for your help.

6 months is a grow spurt time frame...I personally wouldn't restrict any feedings, he might be growing so much he needs the extra fuel. As for the cold turkey approach...I never personally liked that option...so I can't comment there...sorry

[jules_is_cute]

Hi SarahandZack, I have to agree with M2W, the cold turkey approach is one I would never consider with my babe.  You should feed a hungry boy, no matter the time.  Most sources I've read say no cutting the night feeds until 9 months, others say when they double their birth weight.  Either way this is a hard transition for your boy and you can do away with the night feeds once you get him taking a bottle.  Is there a reason you want to wean to formula right away?  Maybe getting him used to the idea that he won't be nursing anymore should be your first goal.  Offer EBM only in the bottle for all feeds at first.  Then add the formula in small amounts after he's acclimated to that.   

It sounds like you are changing too much too fast for your little guy, IMHO.  The fact that he is even taking 2 oz at a time from the bottle is  a great start, my little stinker wouldn't even take more than 1 suck and still won't take EBM or cow's milk from a bottle, water only.  And now that she's on a sippy it's the same deal.  I've never been apart from her for more than 5 hours!  I'll know next time around too!

The moderators should be a lot of help on this, but I thought I'd offer a little help.  Good luck to you, and welcome aboard!

~Patty

[tinam]

Thank you so much for the advice of warming the nipple and making the milk very warm.  I also used the avent bottle.  I couldn't believe that it worked.  I was about to give up after about 3 weeks of frustration. My little one is 6 and a half months and very high spirited.

[noah's mama]

Just wanted to share what finally worked for me, after a month of trying a couple of times every day.
  A few days ago I got him used to the idea of drinking formula first by giving him a little from an oral syringe (since he takes medicine from syringes anyway).
  The next day I used a few drops of my lo's vitamin d supplement on the nipple to encourage him to suck on it (he seems to love the taste). Since he needs 1 ml everyday anyway, I just used part of his daily allotment to make the nipple taste better.

  I hope this helps somebody...I know I sure was desperate to get Simon to take that first bottle - he's 5 months now!

[debetha]

dd was a fussy bottle-taker, even though we tried from a couple of weeks, cometimes she would take 70ml, other times we would struggle with 20ml. I went back to work last week and I think we have cracked it!! She will fuss if it is not warm enough. when my MIL and next day dh heated it a bit more, she wolfed down 180ml, a PB!! She is 4months today. So try changing the temperature.