breast to bottle advice

junior j · May 7, 2011 9:56AM

hey i was wondering how you all got your lo to switch from breast to bottle, or should i say breast to cup as ds has never had a bottle and is still figuring out the cup for drinking

what meal time did you try it at?

how long did you wait until giving up and offering the boob or did you offer the boob for less first and finish off etc.

any tips would be appreciated, thanks.

Lolopop · May 6, 2011 3:43PM

I started by offering a bottle at the time it would be of most benefit to me for others to feed her, so the 3pm one. I dropped slowly, one feed per week until I was just doing morning and night - my milk soon dried up though and she then had bottles at these time too. I only offered the breast when she started to get frustrated with the bottle as I didn't was her to get associated to the bottle meaning something bad. I experimented with the flow of the teats too. Number three had her choking whereas no one didn't flow fast enough. Now she's used to them she prefers the three.

eliza123 · May 6, 2011 4:05PM

I've been starting to give a cup rather than breast for some partial feeds. What I've been doing...Benjamin loves to watch me put water in a cup and drink from it. So, I started off sharing little sips with him from my cup. (We actually started that around 4 months). He started off biting the cup, and then moved to drinking. Some people use straws, too, I guess. He has never liked bottles...he squeezes the nipple to make it flow out really fast and then drinks from it like a fountain! So, I'm not even bothering with them. I now put a little bit of breast milk in a regular small unbreakable cup after I've fed him some solid foods (we do a little breakfast lunch and dinner starting around 6 months) and he drinks it right up. I treated it like the foods...just experimenting...and continued regular on-demand breastfeeding. My next step will be supplementing an entire feed with the cup. He actually loves it so I don't think it will be difficult. I find pumping to be the hardest part! Good luck!

Moomin-mama · May 6, 2011 5:08PM

Eliza that it such good news, a success story on here with breast to cup is a bit of a rarity - you have givin me hope!

Jemcol, we have been using a cheap TT free flow spout cup for water and Biba loves it and has taken to it really well, that might be a good place to start xx

angel100 · May 6, 2011 6:06PM

Hi hun, we use the same cup as moomin-mama. We started with water and she loved it so i then tried some ebm and let her have a play, then every morning with breakfast i offered the cup with milk (i still bf her after breakfast but have since stopped that feed) and she has been drinking more and more. This week i started offering sma follow on in the same cup and she is still drinking it. Then tonight i went out with dd1 for a couple of hours and she took 3ounces from the cup and went to sleep, so we are well pleased feel like we have turned a massive corner and feel as if i have a little freedom again, so i would just keep offering hun. we have gave up completly with the bottle as she now just refuses to have the teat in her mouth.xxx

junior j · May 7, 2011 6:36AM

everything just takes time i guess, its a good idea to go with which time would suit me best if i wanted to go out i guess, ie if i go for 3pm then thats means i could have grandparents feeding him and i could be out getting a haircut omg!! freedom he he

i have bought some tt cups that he has been taken water out of are these the ones you guys use? just clip on lids they either have 2 holes or 3 in the spout? as he has never taken a bottle there is no point starting with one.

Moomin-mama · May 7, 2011 6:48AM

Jemcol, that sounds like the cup i have, i think that i may get a different colour one for milk as she loves her pink one with water in so much that i dont want her to suddenly get upset by it if there is milk in!

angel100 · May 7, 2011 9:56AM

Yeah thats yhe one we have, C now takes her milk in this one but has her water in an avent cup i have they have the same kinda spout on them.xx

breast to bottle advice

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