Help to wean my 6 month old to a bottle

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-02-2006
Help to wean my 6 month old to a bottle
5
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 1:20pm
Hi, I have been exclusivily breastfeeding my son avery for the past 6 months. I love it. and so does he. But I am getting married in may and we are going on a honey moon for 4 nights and 5 days. So i need him to be able to take a bottle. Plus i would like to be able to go places without him at times. Its been a couple of days now, with trying the bottle at every feeding. so far no luck just lots of screaming and crying on both of our parts. im very weak and keep giving in to him. Ive been trying different bottles on and off for about a month. and i just dont know what to do. Plus my fiance is just like dont offer your boob, only offer the bottle and if he doesnt take it , he will eventually. im really distraught here. please help.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2003
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 1:29pm
hi Its hard I understand. Here is vwhat has worked for me and friends
first pick one feeding to give a bottle and have someone else do it. you stay out of sight and ear shot.
Are you going to formula or breast milk in a bottle? If you are doing breast milk in the bottle you could go pump in the other room.
if you are going formula go very slow with this transition so you do not get ingorged the slower the better. One bottle a week two the next three ext. so your body can slowly adjust.
hope this helps best of luck
also try two or three different bottles some babys don't like some bottles. only buy one at a time if this is the case other wise it can get very costly.
"Don't let school get in the way of your education"

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-03-2004
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 1:45pm

Hey YOu might want to pop over to the iVillage breastfeeding/lactation consultant board http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/listsf.asp?webtag=iv-ppbreastfeed&nav=start&&redirCnt=1
for more ideas, but I will give you a few here.

Actually baby does not NEED to take a bottle at this age you can go straight to a cup (neither of my boys ever took bottles). SOme babies prefer a sippy, some prefer a cup with a straw. Here are a couple links here:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/cups-older.htm

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html#older

You are not doing the wrong thing by BF your baby. You can not starve baby into taking a bottle. Baby just does not understand that kind of thing. And forcing the bottle may onky make baby resist more.

I am assumiing you are giving baby expressed breastmilk, because if you are giving formula the taste may be an issue in addition to the foreign bottle.

Don't forget you need to pump while you are away on your honeymoon too keep up your supply as well as for your comfort. You can freeze the milk and bring it home with you for your freezer.

Please do email me through my profile or pop in on the breastfeeding/lactation consultant board if you have any other questions or concerns.

Carol
SAHM to nursling Phillip (16 months)
and Jacob (8 years)


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2006
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 1:45pm
i just weaned my dd, last week she is 3. So good luck, i don't know how to do it to a six month old. Are you pumping and giving him breastmilk? Or is it formula? I think his reaction is natural. I don't know what to say, other than good luck.
arie
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-19-2006
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 1:58pm

Hi there. I know it's hard. My daughter Layla was really difficult in transitioning to a bottle when I went back to work. If you are trying formula, the taste is probably a big problem -- if it is breastmilk that you are offering, maybe it is the type of bottle. The bottle that worked for us was the Avent brand. It took a few days and many tries, but eventually they catch on. It's natural for the baby to nurse from the breast and that is what your baby is used to, not the silicone nipple, so just try to have patience. I agree that refusing your baby the breast and just offering the bottle won't speed things up any, just leave you both frustrated and your baby hungry! It might also help if you have someone else offer your baby the bottle -- he knows that you have what he wants, so he may refuse

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-02-2006
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 2:14pm
thank you so much for your reply. yeah i think im going to try the soothie bottle, because thats the type of binky he takes. and if that doesnt work, im just going to stick with the avent. ive tried breast milk and formula. ughhh its awful. hopefully he will just take a bottle for my friend who is watching him, and the be on the bottle from there. or just nurse when i get home, i just want to survive happily while im away. thanks agagin