Professional help for bottle training?
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Anonymous
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DC moms, I need your advice! I have been exclusively breastfeeding my baby since she was 1 month old, when she started refusing to take a bottle (whether it had expressed milk or formula). Now, at six months, I am very ready for this exclusivity to end! Plus, my daughter will start child-care in a group situation in about a month. I have had my husband attempt to give her a bottle, and the most we have succeeded in getting inside of her is about 1 1/2 oz. of juice when she was constipated. My husband is simply not home for enough hours in the day to continue to offer her a bottle everyday.
Can I hire a baby nurse to do bottle bootcamp with my baby for a few days in a row? I would like to continue to nurse in the morning and at night, and I'm willing to pump once during the day if necessary. Has anyone had any success with hiring a baby nurse to train a baby to take a bottle? Having my baby willing to take a bottle seems to be necessary for my overall health right now. |
Anonymous
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You can try, but to be honest it might be too late. She is 6 months old now and knows what she wants -- which is not a bottle! She will likely continue to refuse it until she goes to solids. For future reference (if you have more children), it is best to start on bottles within a few weeks of birth just so they are accustomed to it; it makes your life much, much easier!
Good luck |
Anonymous
| OP here - my mom started me on a bottle when I was past 6 months, and she says that it was no problem. (How I wish that she'd volunteer to come into town to help me with this one!) My baby did take a bottle in her first month, but then started to refuse. I figured that it would be easier to exclusively breastfeed for awhile since my maternity leave was long. |
Anonymous
| OP - my son was like this too and when I went back to work around six months, we had a hard time with it too. He did do a little reverse cycling at first and only ate a little from the bottles during the day while nursing a lot at night, but after a couple of weeks without me during the day, he just started to take the bottle. We started a straw cup early too (maybe around 9 months? I don't quite remember.) I think you'll be fine but maybe talk to your pediatrician for other suggestions (ours basically said, when he's hungry, he'll eat, which was true). |
nannydebsays
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I am sure that you could hire someone, but I think you may just need to tough it out and keep offering bottles. If you have a neighbor that could help you during the day (or if your DH was available any time he was needed) here's what I'd suggest:
Make sure you have an appropriately sized nipple. Too slow or fast and baby will give up trying. Wear a night gown or t-shirt the night before and have the bottle feeder drape the shirt over themselves so baby smells you. Offer the bottle in a different place than baby usually eats. Associations with BF can make baby refuse bottles. If necessary, have baby sit in a high chair or a "baby recliner seat" to drink. Again, not being held may help with accepting a different food source. Make sure your sub can stay calm, because as PP said, baby will eat if she is hungry enough. The transition may take a few days, which means you'll be feeding a lot at night, but it will happen. |
Anonymous
No, no, no, justnope. OP please don't listen to this poster. There is NO readon to give your baby a bottle if you are able to exclusively breastfeed. You especially shouldn't do it justfor the sake of maybe making your life easier down the road. |
Anonymous
| My 5 month old refused bottles when I went back to work and my husband had a miserable couple of weeks of his parental leave trying to get her to take one. What finally helped (other than maybe her just giving in, who knows) was that he visited the Breastfeeding Center. They gave him some good tips, including to hold her facing a window, sing to her, make sure the bottle was really warm, give up after a few minutes if she started freaking out rather than persisting. |
Anonymous
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OP here - Thank you for all of the helpful advice! I might have husband try a midnight feeding tonight - some people have told me that sleeping babies are not so picky!
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Anonymous
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You can.
I did this for a family who had to quit both breast milk and breastfeeding and move to a elemental (disgusting) formula & bottles. Took about a week and you have to be very consistent and best if you are not home until the caregiver feels it is going successfully during the day. |
Anonymous
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At our center we've had a few other babies I've known who are not fans of the bottle but we converted them through our teachers being consistent - and warming up the bottle really WARM (not hot, not burning, but warmer than you might do it) sometimes works, I find that walking back and forth fairly fast while feeding baby sometimes works - they are focusing on the movement and seem to forget what's in the mouth. So looking Also, try different bottles - different shapes nipples might work better. Just get 1 or 2 of a few different kinds so you don't pay megabucks.
Try the tommie tippie ones, those seem to be very popular with babies. Just go to a sippy cup that you hold for baby if all else fails. |
Anonymous
Actually, she stated that she really wants her baby to go on a bottle. So yes, if you want your baby to be on a bottle at some point, you should introduce it early in life so she can grow accustomed to it. I'm not saying she needs to put her baby exclusively on a bottle right after birth, but she should give a bottle or so a day just so the baby understands what it is. Read the OP's statement: she wants the baby on a bottle. |
Anonymous
Not either of these PP's but I agree, if you are putting your baby in a childcare situation where you are not there you obviously need to put the baby on a bottle so she can eat in your absence |