Hi
I just went back to work so my almost 8 mo old is missing two milk feedings. If I feed her I have to give her the bottle from her high chair or her car seat but she drinks it very slowly, not very much, and most of it dribbles out. She seems more receptive to a cup but she wastes a lot of milk as again much of it dribbles out. She has been in daycare for 4 days now and she has not been drinking her milk from a bottle and very little water from a sippy so now she is having difficulty pooping. At least she is eating her solids very well.
is the nipple flow on the bottle fast enough? My son did better when I gave him a fast flow.
????
My daughter did the exact same thing at that age. My mom watched her when I went back to work, so I had the luxury having someone devoted 100% of the time to my daughter when I was not there. Even with that, she still would not drink from a bottle, from a tiny cup, from a straw, or from a spoon. It was direct from my breast or nothing. (She's 5 now & that stubbborn streak is ever present!) So my Mom used my pumped breast milk in her cereal, mixed it with her fruit & veggies, basically anything she ate had a little milk mixed in with it. She got the breast milk and we got to stop struggling to find different ways to get her to drink the milk.
Good luck!
Try teaching her to drink from a straw cup, then she won't dribble as much.
To begin "straw training", get a straw, dip it 1/4" into something she likes (breast milk, juice, etc.), put your finger over the other end of the straw to trap the liquid in it, put it into her mouth, then take your finger off the end of the straw. She will soon get the idea to suck on it. Continue with putting the straw deeper and deeper into the liquid as she gets used to straws. From there, transition into one of those straw cups with the rubbery silicon straws.
My daughter is the same way. I tried tons of bottles and the only one she will take from is the Dr. Browns. Try a faster flow nipple or a slower flow nipple to see what works better too. Size 2 was the magic one for us. 1 too slow and 3 was too fast.
Also, she is NOT too young for a sippy cup. In fact, my dentist told me to not give my daughter a bottle past 8 months!! It is a perfect time to start with a sippy cup. She can drink the breastmilk straight from it.
The one other thing that has helped is to make sure the breastmilk is warmed enough. My girl will not drink it unless it is VERY warm. Hope these ideas help!
Hi E.,
I am wondering why you feed your daughter from her high chair or her car seat? I'm thinking she might be more receptive to the bottle if she is held in your arms when you feed her. This is what she's used to when she nurses so might feel better for her. Just a thought.
S. in Bakersfield
From what I understand, babies will ration their own foods. However, if you want to get more breastmilk in him, which I totally support because he's still pretty young, then give him the breastmilk FIRST and then the solids. Let him fill more up on the milk and then whatever room he has left the solids can fill. You might try a different bottle or find another sippy cup for him. Just a suggestion... I'm not at that point yet.
She needs to be using a bottle with a sift nipple like Playtex with the bags. She is probably a bit to young for the sippy cups. Try giving her the bottle when you would be vreastfeeding holding her the same way.
I understand being worried about how much milk she is taking in. She may just be adjusting to the new enviorment. From her point of mommy gives her milk and no one else. She well not starve herself. When she is hungry she well eat. When she poops is it hard or soft. if it is hard she is constipated butif it is soft don't worry. James went through a period where he did not poop that much but it was soft he didn't seem to have any trouble but i was sure he was constipated and took him to the doctor. he told me to relaxe and he pooped just fine in a day or two. I would try a different bottle and sippy cup until she finds the one that she likes.
Hope this helps.
A.
Just one question: have you tasted the breast milk you are feeding her? The reason I ask is that some women have high levels of an enzyme called lipase in their milk. I do. If you have lots of lipase, milk that has been frozen or stored overnight in the refrigerator will taste soapy. It isn't bad for your baby, but it can taste really nasty. The way to stop that enzyme is to heat the scald the milk (heat it just until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan). You lose some of your other goodies that way, but the La Leche League says it's still superior to formula. My baby has been drinking breast milk from a bottle since he was 3 weeks old and he loves my nasty soapy tasting milk, but if yours isn't used to it, she may well reject it.
I agree, trying a straw cup will help, they actually have straw cups that will hold a small amount of liquid at the top of the straw so you don't have to go to all the effort of trying to train them and as an added bonus, less drips out when turned upside down.
Hi, My son did the same thing, and at 9 months he preferred a flip straw sip to a bottle. My mom had to try a couple a different things, but the travel flip tops with a straw worked the best. He loves to drink from a straw. Just look at the bright side, we won't have to try and break them of the habbit of drinking from a bottle.:)
Good luck,
Rae
at that age it is okay to slow down in the milk feedings area. as long as she is eating some solids she is fine. i wouldn't worry too much. my son who is about the same age cut down beratfeeding during the day on his own accord because he is eating now...
