5 m - no bottle - what to do?

sky

Wed, Apr 14 2010, 1:24 pm

dd is 5 months. I need to start sending her to a babysitter. She is giving me a very hard time to take a bottle. She refuses the formula. Drinks watered down juice happily (It may have not been a good idea but I wanted to see if she could suck a bottle) and fights a pumped bottle and drinks very little of it after a lot of fighting. She doesn't take a pacifier if that makes a difference.
My babysitter is willing to work with me, but I can't send her like this.

What do I do?

Do I start her on solids? Is there a way to keep on trying? I really need to do something so I appreciate any ideas.

GetReal

Wed, Apr 14 2010, 1:33 pm

Have you had someone else (Dh) give her pumped milk? Many kids fight it from mommy because why should they accept pumped when the source is right there? I got my kids used to a bottle only with dh's help.

sky

Wed, Apr 14 2010, 2:25 pm

Maybe I was too fast to write the post. I just gave her a pumped bottle when she was half asleep and she drank about 2 oz but refused it once fully awake. I think that is a start.

I was thinking about giving her mashed fruit and veggies but had really wanted to hold off on solids until later if possible. Also, would it fill her up like a bottle and last her as long.

I have until next week (or longer if I need, but that is when she is scheduled to start for 4 1/2 hours, and I can feed her right before she leaves). I'm hoping that I can reallly get the bottle to work by then.

skcomputer

Wed, Apr 14 2010, 4:19 pm

5 months may be a bit too young for this, but it worked for my daughter at age 7 months. See if she can suck from a small, thin straw or a sippy cup with tiny holes. I also tried various nipples and ended up cutting more holes in a Playtex nipple so the milk comes out faster (more like breastfeeding). Are you using expressed milk or formula - formula smells A LOT different than breastmilk.

If all else fails, either she will get hungry enough that she'll take the bottle from the babysitter or will be able to get enough other food to eat while you're away and will nurse like crazy at night. Don't forget you can incorporate some milk into baby food cereal or mix the milk into mushed fruit or veggies.

sarahmalka

Wed, Apr 14 2010, 7:05 pm

Just like others have said, someone else has to give her the bottle. I also was not clear on if you are using pumped breastmilk (best) or formula. If it's formula, try switching brands if she rejects it even from another caregiver.

About starting solids, it's best to go not just by age but also by readiness signs. Is she sitting up at all on her own? Is she doing palmar grasp still or starting to experiment with pincher grasp? Any teeth yet? These are all signs of readiness, as well as being actually really interested in the food you are eating. When you give her solid food, does she push it out with her tongue? That is a signal that she is not ready. I'm sure there are more readiness signs that you could find by googling.

Personally I think 5 months is a tad early for solids. If you do it though, I agree to start with veggies, like sweet potato or carrots, or a mild fruit like bananas or apples. And you could certainly try different cups too, like sippy cup instead of a bottle. I have a solid food intro schedule that is very detailed so you can PM me if you want a copy of that. If I have time later I can try to post it on here if anyone's interested... no promises though, I'm fighting a stomach bug and may have an early bedtime!