Cup feeding on EBM for young infant (eg~5mo)

I've been trying to introduce DD to the bottle (with EBM) so there's another option in case I'm unavail and in preparation to go back to work.

She won't have a bar of the bottle until very recently with a specific teat. Even then she's having only tiny amounts. I ended up giving her the boobs anyway. Do they normally start with a bit & gradually increase their intake? Or because I keep giving her the boob anyways (coz she's clearly not had enough & still wanted more) will she ever try to take more because she knows the 'real thing' is coming?

Also since I started the introduction, I've learnt abt giving young ones milk straight from the cup. (like doidy cup) I cant seem to find a lot of arguments for or against this. Has anyone had experience with introducing a young infant (~5mo) to cup straight from breast? Does anyone see any concerns with this? Or the advantages?

I'm kinda thinking should I just bypass the bottle? What abt childcare centres?

Thoughts/comments most welcomed.


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Veus, I think it's actually very common for breastfed babies to go straight from breast to sippy or straw cup. Many mums find that their bf baby is not fan of bottles (and you can count me in that number, with both my boys). This can be very stressful, especially for those of us who need to go back to work or study. Luckily most bf babies take to a sippy cup very easily and often from 3 months or age or earlier. This was what I did and it worked with both boys. I know of many others who have done the same. In actual fact it can be easier because then you don't have the added complication of needing to move your child away from drinking from a bottle, something that can be very challenging.

If you little one is reluctant to drink from a sippy cup, you can try different types - sometimes ones with no-spill valves are more liked, for other babies it's the other way around. Some mums have also had success with putting a facewasher over the spout and showing baby how to suck through that first, then trying the cup without the cloth. Also, all babies can drink from a cup held to their mouth from birth. This is slower than a sippy cup but a great fallback if all else fails.

Thanks Mantaray for sharing. I'm looking at the different sippy cups now.


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i had trouble when she could see me but not when i was away from her

I found the same thing with DD, she hates bottles (although we did only try her on the one that came with my pump). However she loves straw cups.

We use Nuby ones, they have a spout with a different type of no spill, she kind of has to chew it a bit and then suck, with the others she had to suck really hard to get anything past the valve. So this way, she kind of uses her tongue a bit the same way as when she's breastfeeding.

For daycare, we have the small straw cups for water (they give a cup of water with snacks and lunch) and the bigger bottle type ones for milk, as then they can hold her and help her get to sleep.

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TripleJ: I've been doing that now to see if that helps. It's not consistent. She might sip a teeny bit and then just chew on it. ;)

Thanks Kaytee!! I'll look at the nuby.

Like MantraRay said I'm just worried when it's time for me to go back to work she won't take anything so thought I'd try earlier than later. :)

No worries veus :) I think it's really just a matter of trial and error to see what they prefer. I agree finding something she'll take now is a good idea, so you won't stress when you go back to work.

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