9mo BF'ed bub won't take bottle/cup/straw cup/sippy cup...

[belfie]

Tips please, pretty please?
We've been trying my 9mo DD with all kinds of bottles, cups etc since April, as she was meant to be starting 1 day a week at daycare. But we ended up delaying her daycare start because she just wouldn't take any of the cups/bottles well at all. But, she's due to start daycare finallynext month (1 day a week and then the following month 2 days/week) and I really can't delay it any longer, as my FDC provider has been so very patient with us and is holding the place open.

I've tried Mag Mag, Nuby, Tommee Tippee, Medela bottles. I've tried the bottles the least, as honestly I don't want to go onto bottles at her age. BUT after a few months of trying (to varying degrees), I'm starting to really want to get this to work! The most I've gotten into her is 50ml and that was ONCE. Mostly she'll play with it (bite/gulp/swallow/fling around/repeat ad infinitum) and have only 20-30ml (usually from the MagMag). I've tried fresh EBM & defrosted EBM, warm, room temp or slightly chilled. One day I went out & left DH to do the dirty work. Again, 30mls, but still had her sleep as normal. So then he tried to give the NEXT feed... and she cracked it big time. So one feed she'll just have less & not mind. But the second feed becomes an issue. I'm wondering whether I have to just withhold booby until she twigs & drinks "properly" (but I guess I've been trying to avoid getting really brutal!), or just persevere with offering? I just don't feel I'm gonna get there in the next 3-4 weeks doing what I'm currently doing, as the last 2 months has shown little progress. I feel like she just thinks it's quite a bit of fun, now I'll have the real feed, thanks ta!

She's a big girl & feeds 4 times a day - we've always tended to try giving the cup at feed 2 (late morning) or feed 3 (arvo) as they're the ones that will be daycare times anyway. Also we feed with nipple shields, so I guess I had thought that would be closer to a cup teat than nude nipple anyway! aaah go figure

Everyone tells me not to fret, and she'll get there.... but it's stressing me. And I really don't want her to be trying to learn how to cope with FDC AND not have booby at the same time - I think that's too much. Oh and FYI she drinks very little water too - tends to fling that cup around also, so I don't feel she could just skip her feeds (which is what my MHCN suggested might happen). Please tell me what worked for you and what I could try? TIA!

[Amaunet]

My ds was the same. He started at 7 months, 2/3 days per week and completely refused a bottle, cup etc of ebm or formula. He would drink water for his Carer though. We ended up giving up on bottles etc and just skipped those feeds and packed extra food. We continued to bf as normal on other days until he weaned at 15 months. it's so frustrating!

[HotI]

My DD also never took ebm. i think it will be much harder if you are trying to give it to her, i think my DD also thought it was a game after awhile. you need someone else to try.

i am having supply issues for the first time now, and my dd is also starting to drink cows milk when offered (she is over 12 months). maybe because she always knew that my milk was there if she waited long enough, she wasn't interested in ebm or other milk but now with my milk low she is willing to try.

also, she might only drink small amounts at day care and make up for it when you get home. my DD certainly did when i started work (and she was younger having less solids and i had more milk)

good luck

[DaintreeDream]

My DD2 was the same, she would not take anything but breast until 11 months then she decided with no prompting to pick up her sisters water bottle and drink from it, a simple cheap bottle from kmart with a screw up top (kind of like a pop top bottle). She is 18 months now and still she will only drink water from that drink bottle other than breast, no EBM, cows milk, nothing. Unfortunately I think baby has to decide when they are ready to do these things, having both my girls being difficult so far!

I agree with HotI though, having worked in child care many years ago, she will learn to take sips at child care, enough to sustain her and she will make up for it when she gets home.

Best of luck.

[Kmn]

I think that as long as you give them lots of 50 ml bottles or cups then all should be fine.
I went back to work full time when DS was 10 months old. He went from being an 8 feed a day baby to:
50 ml bottle and some EBM on his cereal (1 weetbix sops up about 80ml of ebm, it's magic).
avocado and whatever he could put in his hair
water from a cup, but usually 5 or 10 mls at a time
jars of baby food (which are around half water)
bits of Dad's lunch
lots of fruit
and one hell of a feeding frenzy when I got home.

I think that when it doesn't come with a mummy cuddle she will probably just have a bit much more often.

How far away from work is FDC - could you come and feed her in the first little bit for feed 2 if all hell breaks loose?

[belfie]

Thanks for the replies... guess I'm gonna have to learn to go with the flow huh. She isn't far away (10 mins) if all hell does break loose. I'd just really like it not to. Funny that. And yes, maybe she'll just have some EBM, then a bit more, then a bit more (if we're lucky) and then make it through the day that way. I think the pressure will be on Daddy this weekend to give it another go. Cheeky blighter got out of it last weekend by having a kidney stone. The lengths some men go to in order to get out of chores they don't like!

Plus I think I'll just leave lots & lots of different cups around for her - and maybe she'll be like Daintree's LO & just surprise me one day !

[HotI]

my dd's fav cups for water are the toss'n'go cheapies.

[kiwimummy]

My DS wouldn't drink from a cup or bottle until he was 16 months old!
We tried quite a few but I didn't bother too much as he wasn't going anywhere away from me. Is she starting there because you are working? Or going somewhere else? I guess I'm just thinking if you have options, you can always change your mind. I know we (women/mothers) often feel we have to follow through on something like this, but sometimes changing your mind is ok too (if that's an option for you)
Anyway - the cup that finally worked was a simple cheap one with a straw! Much better than any of the fancy no spill ones.

[*Beema*]

We have just been going through this ourselves, I had a first aid course on Tuesday and DD2 (almost 9 months) was going to come with me, but as she is sick with RSV it wasn't an option.

So we took a gamble and DH stayed at home with her and we had a sipper bottle which has a teat that looks like a straw, but she can bite/suck chew on it to get milk out. I was gone for 9 hours and she had a BF before I left and as soon as I got home, but over the day she drank about 180mls from the bottle, it short small bursts (50ml or so at a time). So it was enough to sustain her during the day and she filled up when I got home. We also had Neurofen syringes ready as we know she will take gaviscon from those, so we thought worse case DH can syringe it into her, but in the end he didn't need to. But it had to be DH do it any other time I have offered it she has lost the plot, because of course the boob is right there.

DD2 isn't eating solids atm as she can't cope with them and being sick, so we were heavily relying on her taking something from the cup. I think it works better if you aren't there as they know they should be having the boob

[peanutter]

DS also flatly refused any sort of sippy cup ... until he saw all the other kids at playgroup having them! then it was a matter of (like you) trying different ones, to see which he'd use.

It took a little while, but now (at 12 months) he's fine with most types.

hopefully your DD will start too, in her own time

[belfie]

well I bought two more cups today (geez I have a fine collection now!) and I'm trying it tough between 9am & 5pm today - no booby. She just took ~30ml (very slowly) for the first feed relatively happily (and seemed to quite like one of the new cups). And the biggest test will be the second feed this arvo.

Thanks Beema - I agree it's better if you're not there... but going out for all day on the weekend isn't an option at the moment... so I'll try it this way & we'll see.

Kiwimummy - I wrote a long sentence about what i'm doing and why... but I think i'll make it simple. It's complicated. Suffice to say that I'm keen to keep this FDC spot as she'll be there with her bigger brother which is awesome... and I do think she's old enough to either manage without booby during the day or learn to cope with a sippy cup - after all, I don't thinK i've ever seen a primary school kid who hadn't learned to drink! It's just getting there & not stressing myself out in the process!!! I guess the fact that she's always been a "big" feeder for a BF'ed bub was why I thought (for some stupid reason) that she'd guzzle it down quite happily!

Fingers crossed for this afternoon! Am just pumping now

[*Beema*]

Oooh ooo one other thing I forgot

We tried her on the bottle after a BF, about 15 min after, so that she was content/full from that as it was the first time she was going to be having EBM I thought that by offering when she wasn't actually due for a feed, ravishing and getting upset wanting boob. She took about 20-30ml, but it made it a little less stressful for her

And good luck, I hope you find something that works, and she will get there, in her own way and time

[belfie]

And good luck, I hope you find something that works, and she will get there, in her own way and time

You mean she won't do things JUST the way I want it done? my goodness why did I not realise this before now?
I have tried giving her the EBM when she's not so hungry, but then she just plays . And then when she is hungry she cracks it.

Lol well we've had an itneresting day. She's proved to me that her limit is actually 40ml. 30ml this morning, 40ml this afternoon. I think my DH had money on the fact she's more stubborn than I am. And I have 40 minutes left to get through to prove to myself that:
yes, she can go a day without BF'ing, and
no, she won't drink more than the magic 30-40ml, and
no, it's really not fun for anyone.

So from now on, I'll just offer lots of water sippy cups and see if she makes some progress in the next month.

[*Beema*]

The best DH got DD2 to take on Tuesday was 50ml at a time, so only a bit more that your DD, and he said that took a quite a while.....