Bottle Survey

[wobblykate]

Okay, so I received some advice from a pretty experienced infant caretaker to go ahead and try to give Eden a bottle myself and see if she takes it. She said neither of her kids would take a bottle from anyone until she taught them herself, then once they were left with Grandma they took the bottle fine. I only have a week to get her to take a bottle. It won't be the end of the world for awhile if she doesn't in the next week, but I have some shows to play and I'd be more comfortable if I knew she had the option of eating while I was gone, kwim? So, here's a bottle survey, just to see what people are doing.

[wobblykate]

on second thought I would have added a few more choices about baby refusing bottle, but I can't figure out how to edit the poll section, so I'll go with this.

[IncaMama]

i think shes taken a bottle about 3-4 times maybe? teice from me, twice from someone else. she wont take a bottle from me if we're in our regular nursing spot or sitting on a couch somewhere, prob. bc she knows the real thing is right there. LOL but she did take it on a trolley car this weekend bc it was a weird space and i think she sensed that.

[dawncayden]

I don't do bottles but wait until they are old enough to do a sippy around 5 months or so.

[racie0417]

I voted that I don't offer bottle and don't plan to, but that isn't entirely correct. I tried a bottle once and LO wouldn't take it. For me, it is more stressful to try to get him to take it....we went through that with ODS and I don't see the benefit of fighting that battle when I am busy enough as it is.

I'll start a sippy cup at 4-5 months.

[Peony]

I had planned to return to work after DD1 was born so I tried giving her a bottle, she never took one despite trying everything, and I ended up quitting my job anyway. I never tried with DD2, I didn't see the need. Now after 6+ years of never being able to leave a child until they are 2 or 3 years of age because they nurse so much, I need the option of leaving once in a while. Especially with my oldest child, she requires therapies, appointments where a baby wouldn't always be welcome. A newborn probably, but a crawling, babbling 9 month old, not so much. I did introduce a bottle and gave it myself. I had planned on DH doing it but then the first day I had hand expressed he had to dash out of the house for something, so I thought I'd try. Julian doesn't have a problem taking it from me, but I know that isn't always the case with some babies.

[smartycat]

We first offered a bottle when Ray was only about a week old. We were having to supplement with formula due to supply issues and the little cup thing was such a headache... so we broke down one day and gave him a bottle and he took to it with no problems. Luckily he didn't develop nipple confusion.

Right now, he will go days or a week or more without a bottle, but takes it easily when we need to use one (with baby-sitters, when we are out, when I just want to give quasar a break like this morning). He'll take the bottle as easily as the breast from quasar. We were fortunate that it has never been an issue and it sure is convenient.

I should also say that we know only bottle feed stored breast milk. We only gave the formula for about 3 days.

[Azreial]

I have DH give the bottle, I don't really want to bottlefeed kwim?

We introduced the bottle to Eden early and she's done fine with it. I wouldn't have introduced so early except I have to get iron transfusions 2x/wk at the hospital and taking her with isn't really an option.
I think she actually did better than dd1 who we waited until 6wks? maybe more. She had trouble figuring out how to take the bottle and then for the first month if she didn't get one for more than 3 days it was like starting all over. With her I'd actually have to go upstairs in the beginning, just leaving the room wansn't enough

[goodmomma76]

I knew I was going back to work, and I was a little sore, so I gave her BM in a bottle a few times, she took it without problem. DH tried to give her a bottle the other day, she didn't want anything to do with it...could have been a fluke as she went to sleep not long after, but who knows! She hasn't taken one in a while, but I put the gripe water in a nipple and let her suck it out, so she doesn't choke on it, and she can do that just fine...

[2lilsweetfoxes]

DH has given the baby a few bottles (of EBM). I try to avoid giving her bottles myself. Also, I want to avoid giving DH that excuse to not NIP, but just take a bottle (which would entail making sure I had enough for the outing and dragging my pump in order to pump the missed feed).

[momtokimari]

I didn't vote.... Mathias took some bottles in the NICU. And I don't offer one at home. But my parents watched him so I could see a movie once and gave him one. I never gave Kimari one after coming home from the NICU. Period. But when I left her for the first time, she took a bottle just fine.

[Murph12334]

i've offered, he wouldn't take it. I think dh offered as well, and he wouldn't take it.

the goal is one day to get him to take one so i can be away for a time without him and also for dh and dd to be able to feed him sometime

[MissyLissa]

I have to supplement due to low supply so sometimes if I'm in a hurry or going somewhere where it would be a hassle to nurse for a long time (DD is a S L O W eater) I'll give her her supplement in a bottle instead of using the SNS. Sadly, she's not that much faster on a bottle! LOL I have the laziest, sleepiest babies!!

[wobblykate]

well, we got another bottle, a glass born free. dd took almost an ounce from dh in it. i'm not calling it success, but it's better than in the past. Plus, she drank nearly all i pumped, so no wasted boob juice!:

[Gnatty]

We tried a bottle at 4 months with DS, with no luck at all. He had no clue what that plastic thing was all about. We went to a sippy cup at about six months and it worked better. We needed to supplement when he was about seven months, and we used the sippy cup for that. We'll probably do something similar this round... hopefully minus the need for it.

[beaner0620]

Were about to introduce the bottle at 8 weeks. I'm going to pump. Up until now, I couldn't go more than an hour away from ds. He nurses a lot.

[Jennbee]

We haven't introduced a bottle yet, but I was originally thinking that I was going to around 4 weeks old. I don't think I've ever given my older two a bottle, DH or one of our moms were the only ones to bottle feed our girls. It would just feel weird to me. I'll be doing some volunteer work this summer and might be going to work or to university in the fall, so it would be a good idea to get baby used to accepting the bottle with breastmilk.

[EdnaMarie]

I've been meaning to but I haven't even gotten around to pumping. I was waiting until we were totally free of green poops. Maybe now is a good time!

[nancy11]

As I've mentioned, Mr. Mouth will take food from any container.
He is only on the bottle, now, and anyone can feed him.
When the bib appears, he's nothing but smiles.
I never felt guilty about this, as he has been so happy and is so intense about food.
We bond in other ways and he knows who his mother is, for sure.
I still pump, but it's only about 25% of his intake.
I'm happy with Avent bottles.