introducing bottles?

wrote:
Linz wrote:
From 6 months on a cup is easier to use.

I'm not sure I'd agree with this. There was no way ds could have used
a cup at 6 months, he has only managed it from 9 mnths properly. At 6
months he was just sitting up. Perhaps for some it is easier to use,
but I wouldn't agree to it as a general statement.

I'm not talking about a proper cup, mind you, but a sippy. Held as you would
hold a bottle, I've known a number of babies get on better with that than a
bottle.

"KD" wrote in message
...
Greetings folks:

I'm mom to an eight week old boy who is exclusively breastfed. One of the
women in my parent/tot group told me this morning that she had read that
babies should be introduced to bottlefeeding by this time, to get them
used to it. Otherwise if you want to use bottles and expressed milk later
on, they might not take to it at all. She feeds her baby expressed
breastmilk a couple of times a week.

Fact or fiction? I'll be going back to work in February, will probably be
done breastfeeding by then, but it would be good to have the option to use
bottles. Is my baby doomed to never take a bottle if I don't offer one
now?

Thanks!

KD & G


I do want to have the option for someone else to care for the baby if my
husband and I ever manage to tear ourselves away from our son and spend some
time alone again. So bottles won't be the norm, but it would be good to know
if he'd take it.

So, I had pumped some milk to relieve some engorgement in the morning. I
hadn't tried pumping for awhile, and surprisingly I got over five ounces
from just the one side, using a manual pump for about ten minutes. Last time
I got maybe two, and it took a lot longer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but
isn't that a lot?

Anyhoo, instead of popping it into the freezer, we warmed up half of it for
my husband to give it to him that evening. At first he just sucked on the
nipple and got a taste, and looked confused. It was as though he was saying,
hey, this isn't the usual container! And where's my MOM? But he went back at
it, and soon polished off all three ounces. I topped him off myself, just to
ensure that there was no confusion between breast and bottle. No problem at
all. So I think we'll start offering a bottle once in a while, just to have
the option open.

Thanks for your responses everyone. My boy is now nine weeks old, and weighs
in at 16.5 pounds!

KD & G

Hi --

Many babies need to keep having the occasional bottle, otherwise they'll
start to reject it. (I've heard this from moms who had to go back to
work and their babies went completely on STRIKE while at daycare!) I
think if you offer a small bottle every 2-3 days you should be okay.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Beth Kevles wrote:

Hi --

Many babies need to keep having the occasional bottle, otherwise they'll
start to reject it. (I've heard this from moms who had to go back to
work and their babies went completely on STRIKE while at daycare!) I
think if you offer a small bottle every 2-3 days you should be okay.

Yeah, my son got quite a lot of bottles early on, but let it slide for a
while. Then we discovered over the holiday weekend, he has no idea what
to do with them anymore! [sigh]

Is there any chance he can be retrained? I've got some time consuming
dental work coming up, and I'd at least like my SIL to be able to
comfort him then...
--
Cheri Stryker

mom to DS1 - 7 yrs, and DS2 - 3.5 months

Check out my new breastfeeding T-shirts on CafePress!
http://www.cafepress.com/dancingbones

"Cheri Stryker" wrote in message
...
Is there any chance he can be retrained? I've got some time consuming
dental work coming up, and I'd at least like my SIL to be able to comfort
him then...

Try this:

Hold the bottle in an underhand grip and with your middle finger push their
jaw shut, ie. your hand in under the bottle, with only the index finger (and
maybe middle finger, depends on what's comfortable) and thumb holding it up.
Use either the middle or ring finger to prop the mouth closed so the baby
doesn't keep spitting out the teat. Baby will generally keep feeding from
the bottle when their mouth is propped closed even if they used to spit out
the teat in the past. Try gentle rocking and soothing words/sounds as well.
This is the method we used with Matt and it worked a treat. Can take more
than one go and a bit of patience.

Also, have hubby or SIL do this and not you. You are the mummy milk factory
with the soft warm conforting breasts and smell of milk. A third party
should (probably) have slightly more success in getting your son to accept a
bottle when you are not present.

Linz wrote:
wrote:
Linz wrote:
From 6 months on a cup is easier to use.

I'm not sure I'd agree with this. There was no way ds could have used
a cup at 6 months, he has only managed it from 9 mnths properly. At 6
months he was just sitting up. Perhaps for some it is easier to use,
but I wouldn't agree to it as a general statement.

I'm not talking about a proper cup, mind you, but a sippy. Held as you would
hold a bottle, I've known a number of babies get on better with that than a
bottle.

That's fair enough, but you said a cup *is* easier to use, which is the
bit I disagreed with as it wasn't preceded with *for some babies*.

My baby, even at 11 months, is too lazy to hold his own *sigh*. He will
try and shove a whole banana in his chops though

Jeni

On 10 Jun 2006 02:14:39 -0700, wrote:


Linz wrote:
wrote:
Linz wrote:
From 6 months on a cup is easier to use.

I'm not sure I'd agree with this. There was no way ds could have used
a cup at 6 months, he has only managed it from 9 mnths properly. At 6
months he was just sitting up. Perhaps for some it is easier to use,
but I wouldn't agree to it as a general statement.

I'm not talking about a proper cup, mind you, but a sippy. Held as you would
hold a bottle, I've known a number of babies get on better with that than a
bottle.

That's fair enough, but you said a cup *is* easier to use, which is the
bit I disagreed with as it wasn't preceded with *for some babies*.

If a baby hasn't had a bottle before, a cup is easier to use than
trying to teach bottle use. It is just as easy for the parent/carer to
use as a bottle would be, unless you're intending propping the baby
and bottle up and leaving baby to it.
--
Linz
YB: 2 years, 11.5kg, 83cm, still breastfed.