(asl) wrote in message . com...
Hi, I've been reading this group for a while, and I have a question
I'm sure someone out there can answer. DS will be 5 months old on the
1st of January. I stay-at-home and don't have much reason (so far) to
give a bottle. At some point I would like to go to the movies, shop,
etc without DS along. I did go on a big shopping day a few hours from
my home and left DS with his dad. He hated the bottle of EBM. It
would take an hour of him crying before he would take the bottle. He
didn't eat much all day, he waited for me to get home. A friend
suggested pumping at least one bottle a week for dad to give DS. That
way he gets used to it and if I want to go somewhere it won't be a
traumatic event. Will this work, or did I wait to long to introduce
the bottle?

It's worth a try, but you probably waited too long. But don't beat
yourself up too badly; my DD had bottles for every other feeding when
she was just weeks old (due to BFing problems), but when the problems
resolved and I cut the bottles back to once a week, she started
refusing them.
My other DD had never accepted a bottle despite a lot of trying at the
"right time" (5-6 weeks old), though, so I was already used to the
idea of a baby who won't take bottles.

How I have coped is to (1) introduce a cup early. You could/should
start now. I had to take the no-spill inserts out for my babies, FYI.
I used cold water. (2) Schedule outings for between feedings or after
his bedtime. (3) Be patient. (Don't you hate that advice?) He will go
longer and longer between feedings as he gets older, and he'll start
eating food and being more efficient with the cup soon, which will
both help him spread his feedings out and give him another feeding
option if you are not home.

Good luck!