Moving from breast to bottle

[emmab23]

Thanks for your reply. He is having solids and doing really well with them, one around lunch and the other at tea, then bath, bf and then bed at around 6:30 and he needs it by then. But wakes again around 9 for bf and throughout the night every few hours. But more for comfort than actually needing feeding.

At night once i have bf, i put him down awake put on his mobile and leave the room and he will happliy go to sleep, but thats the only time!

I have tried so many times witha dummy, everyday and he goes mad everytime i try and put it near his mouth, dont get as far as sucking it. Which one do you use. I've tried the avent, mam and tommee tippee but he wont have any. So when he wakes nothing i can do to settle him other than bf - rod for my own back!!!!

Thats why i'm trying to get him on bottles as i hope it will help with his sleeping aswell as he wont be getting the comfort and may then want a dummy.

[Debbiemeep]

It's avent ones Philip likes, although it's such a pain getting up to find it for him that I'm considering trying to get him off them in the new year as he'll be in the same room then as the other 2, and I don't want him waking them up everytime he loses his dummy.

Has he ever slept for longer stretches at night? Could it be teeth? Philip has started waking at 10ish, 1am and 4am again, after sleeping from 7-3, so I'm wondering if he has another tooth coming through. He was really grumpy today and didn't feed much at all, kept turning away, yet was quite happy to take a spoonfeed. I'm sort of expecting him to make up for the lack of feeding tonight, Hannah did this at 5 months too but at least she would take a bottle.

Would you try letting him cry it out and just patting him instead of feeding when he is a bit older, if you thought he didn't really need the feed? Supposedly at 7 months they shouldn't need a feed at night so I might try this with Philip if he is still waking at night in January.

[Debbiemeep]

Just a thought, have you tried giving him a bottle when he is lying in a bouncy seat or pram? Hannah never took a bottle if anyone was holding her but she took it ok if I sat on the floor beside her bouncy seat and gave her a bottle.

I got Philip to take 2 ounces one night last week trying this so I must give it a go again and see if it makes a difference.

Has your oh tried to settle him at night instead of you? Or is he like mine and pretends to be asleep! (Sometimes I "accidently" kick him when I'm getting back into bed lol)

[sarahdavid]

Hiya, just wondering when you are trying to give a bottle, if its at a time when your LO is starving and waiting for a feed it may make him fussy with a bottle as he just wants breast as he knows what he'll be getting. Have you tried a bottle when he'll be hungry but not really needing it yet, he may be more accepting to try it then and may gradually get used to it.

Hope that makes sense, goodluck! x

[cole]

Originally Posted by Debbiemeep

Has your oh tried to settle him at night instead of you? Or is he like mine and pretends to be asleep! (Sometimes I "accidently" kick him when I'm getting back into bed lol)

I always do this when I know he is 'sleeping'

[nuuckie]

Hi Emma,

I also decided to do the same thing, breastfeed for six months then move to bottle. Logan is 5 1/2 months old and I started a couple of weeks ago introducing the bottle. I had similar trouble where he had trouble managing the teat of the bottle, followed by lots of tears and frustration (his). After trying a few types I found a teat that was similar to his dummy and after a few attempts he was able to take it and finish a bottle. I am using NUK classic teats, but only because they are shaped like his dummy.
Now introducing solids...that's a whole different nightmare for us!!!
Good luck x

[emmab23]

Might try the idea of his bouncy chair - thanks. Tried all bottles and dummies none have worked. Been giving him water in a sippy cup which he tries to drink. Doesnt help really that because he hasnt ever had a dummy he never need to suck in the ways he does to drink from bottle and at night he has nothing to settle himself with apart from boobie - rod for my own back . Now he's getting older he feeds are spreading out anyway so i am feeding less, just putting more milk in his solid food to make sure he defo getting enough.

[caz_86]

hi
have you had any luck yet? my lg is nearly 8 months and wont take bottle ive tried sooo many different bottles wanted to of stopped bf at 6 months she wont even spoon feed she is doin the baby led weaning instead she dont like any puree food at all dont even like yogurt please give advice if got any xx

[DrP]

Have you tried any sort of sippy cup or beaker instead of a bottle. It can be quite difficult to introduce a bottle to a bf baby if you don't do it early on, but some people have a lot of success with cups when bottles don't work.

[loupugh29]

ive struggled with this and ended going straight to cup though im still breast feeding my nine month old, she will only have milk feeds before naps from breast, i did want to stop at 6 months.