Baby not taking bottle anymore - what about a cup?

[beckyogini]

My 6mo old has started getting very fussy about drinking from a bottle at daycare. He is a bit better about it in other environments, so I think it may have something to do with all the distractions going on in the infant room. But since this is where he spends most of his time where he needs a bottle, I need to figure out something else as I am concerned he is not getting enough during the day anymore... (he nurses fine at home, btw).

I was thinking about introducing a cup and the girl that takes care of him brought it up as well. I'm really not sure what kind of cup would be right for his age. Any suggestions?

TIA,
Becky

[Ruthla]

You also might want to try switching him to a faster-flow bottle nipple.

The reason they suggest using infant slow-flow nipples for ALL breastfed babies is because you don't want the baby to start preferring the bottle and have trouble nursing. But that's not a significant risk with a baby who's hesitant to take bottles in the first place.

I would definitely switch to a faster flow bottle nipple first, and if that doesnt' help (or if you've already done that and it's not helping), then try a sippy cup. I'm not really familiar with the current styles of sippy cups.

I think that learning to drink from an open cup is a good skill for babies to have, and it would be fine to give him a cup of water with any "meals" of solids at this age (being prepared for big messes!), but I don't think it's reliable enough for ebm during the entire workday. I'd hate for the cupful of milk to spill and be wasted! So I'd defiintely suggest something with a lid for ebm at daycare.

[beckyogini]

Yea, I switched from slow-flow to medium somewhere around 4mos I think. I guess I could try fast and see if that makes a difference. Off to research sippy cups now

[Heba]

Lots of bf babies go straight to a cup or a sippy cup when drinks are introduced, so I'd certainly consider either as an option.

That said, reverse cycling, or taking less milk during the day and making up for it when babe is with mama, is pretty common, so if he's nursing fine at home it's possible that your son is getting all the milk intake that he needs - particularly if he is taking complementary foods.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

[Lil'Momma]

My baby only took a bottle once a week or so from about 9 weeks on... at around four months she started refusing the bottle. I really didn't know what to do, so I bought a playtex 4-6mo beginner soft spout sippy cup and she took right to it. She loves it, so at four and a half months, the bottles went bye bye. If she needs EBM, then she gets it in the cup! I found mine at Walgreens, but I think any store with a baby section would probably carry it.