Do I really need to use bottles?

Reenyree · Jul 29, 2010 7:44AM

I have been exclusively BFing from the boob since Elysia rejected the bottle at about 8 weeks old. She's 6 months now. Since we've done largely without bottles this far, I was aiming not to bother using them at all. My logic being that I intend to feed her until 12 months (when she can have cows milk), unless she weans herself from the breast before then. And thereafter I can use a doidy cup or sippy cup.

But some of my NCTgroup think this is crazy and I need to introduce bottles. Am I mental or has anyone done without bottles and did it work? And would the nursery I aim to send her to at 12 months refuse to feed her with a doidy or sippy cup?

I have nothiing against bottles, it's just I don't see the point of complicating things by intorducing a bottle for a short period of time when I can just go straight to a cup instead. Is this realistic or bonkers?!

Thanks.

Rx

ps weaning is doing my head in I have SO many questions!!!!

sarah-jb · Jul 22, 2010 8:55AM

Sasha is still ebf too and 99% from me. She has had a bottle on the few rare occasions when I've been out but its always been a bit hit and miss if she will take the bottle and a feed can take quite a while. Also I find expressing a bit of a chore so I'm quite happy to feed her myself and not bother with a bottle.

We got her a doidy cup and she has water from it at mealtimes. Obviously its still very messy and I have to help her. I would say get a doidy cup now so she can get plenty of practise with and then when she does go to nursery she'll be a dab hand.

At 12 months you should be weaning them off bottles and onto a sippy cup anyway so like you say there's no point in complicating matters, so I agree skip the bottles altogether.

sarahwill · Jul 22, 2010 9:14AM

Hey

I totally agree with Sarah Jb. My LO is almost nine months and has only been breastfed. Again she had a few expressed bottles while Ive been out a couple of times but hit and miss really. I never really got in the habit of expressping (i built up a milk bank around months 3 and 4 by catching the let down from the other boob while feeding) but the supply is not that abundant now so there is no leftover milk.

I started giving LO a cup when she was 4 months, just to play with really. She really couldnt get any water out of it. THen at 6 months she was able to drink at meal times.

Now I always offer her the cup at meal times and snack tims with water and she drinks what she wants. She doesnt drink loads but I guess she takes what she needs. I thought she wasnt capable of drinking loads and sometimes spits it out but the other morning she DOWNED a WHOLE cup by herself without spilling a drop. She must have felt dehydrated as she had vomited the night before after I gave her scrambled egg (another story) so she is obviously very capable and it just reassured me that she will take what she wants.

In my opinion for BF babies (esp those who have never regulary taken a bottle) just skip them. Itll make life much much easier in the long run and then they can drink cows milk out a cup should you desire after 1 year.

Hope that helps

Sarah

Sunflower81 · Jul 22, 2010 9:34AM

If you intend to breastfeed until she's a year old, then I think skipping bottles is realistic. I think the nursery would prefer her to use a sippy cup than a doidy cup tbh, as she'll need less help with it - but you might also prefer a sippy cup yourself for that reason. There is advice to switch from bottles to cups at a year anyway, so I think it's completely do-able. I presume she'll be drinking water from a sippy cup quite soon (if she isn't already) to get used to the cup. There's no need to introduce bottles just to have to wean her off them again later.

BTW, my ds did have bottles but not after 11 months, so if you bf til 12 months she should be fine having milk from a beaker after that.

Reenyree · Jul 22, 2010 9:57AM

Thanks ladies! It's amazing how much one person can knock your confidence by doubting you (or maybe I'm just a big pathetic hormone filled wuss!!!) so it's great to hear I'm not completely silly and that bottle free is a possibility.

I have a doidy, and a sippy, and have already started with a normal cup so will persevere and prove them wrong.

Thanks again!

xxx

Stripeysocks12 · Jul 22, 2010 2:29PM

Hiya

yepjust to add my support to skipping bottles as my sister ebf til 8 months then but introduced a sippy cup when weaning at 6 mnths. By 8 months he was taking two bf (morning & night) and two sippy cup milk feeds ( mid morning and mid afternoon) when she went back to work hence skipping bottles all together.
Totally doable! Don't doubt yourself! X

_Minnie09_ · Jul 23, 2010 1:25PM

Don't listen to them! There is no reason why you can't skip bottles altogether. And it's much better for her teeth anyway. There is every chance she'll go straight to using a sippy/Doidy cup and actually because she's BF she's more likely to pick up using these easily.

I don't know a lot about nurseries as I'm a SAHM but from my understanding if they're a decent nursery then they should follow your rules in how to feed your baby.

Good luck!

Love NN xx

EmLovingSandJ · Jul 23, 2010 4:10PM

Hi hun, just wanted to say when my sister and I were babys, my mum breastfed us both til 6 months old and our first cup was a tommee tippee cup with cows milk in it, never had bottles xxx

Reenyree · Jul 26, 2010 5:27AM

Thanks ladies you all rock!

clareabella · Jul 26, 2010 5:51AM

I completely agree with the other ladies.

My kiddies haven't had bottles after 1 year, I was always told you should try to have babies off bottles by a year as they aren't good for their teeth anyway $:\$ )

LadyTottington · Jul 26, 2010 5:59AM

I bypassed bottles completely - went from breast to cup with no problems. The only time mine ever had a bottle was on the rare occasion that I expressed for someone else to feed - v rare indeed as I didn;t like expressing too much!

Mine also never had any formula - breast up to and beyond a year, then straight onto cow's milk.

xx

pbob · Jul 26, 2010 11:02AM

My lo has never had a bottle, he's 16 months old, I stopped bfing a few weeks ago. He started nursery at 11 months-I'd give him a feed before work and one before bed. At 12 months he was down to 1 morning feed, he's only ever taken sips of cows milk from a beaker (he's stubborn !)

It's perfectly do-able and alot less hassle than getting lo onto a bottle only to get them off it again at 12 months. You can introduce a cup / beaker now to get a heads start x

Tubbs · Jul 29, 2010 7:44AM

Hi hun, I breastfed my lo for 13 months and she had the occasional bottle of ebm. At 6 months I started giving her water and ebm from a sippy cup and ditched the bottles. I plan to do the same with my son xx

Do I really need to use bottles?

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