# Too late to introduce a bottle?



## peainthepod (Jul 16, 2008)

The baby is 8 weeks old this Tuesday. I pumped and bottled some milk two weeks ago and had DH try to feed the baby. He wasn't really into it and the baby didn't seem interested, so he gave up. This weekend I have an appointment and will be gone for a few hours, so I was planning to build up a freezer stash as well as store some milk in the refrigerator during this week. But a friend just informed me that it's probably too late.

Is that true? I need to be able to leave the baby alone with DH for more than an hour or so...









If it's not too late, is there anything special I need to do? I'm pretty worried now.


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## Devaskyla (Oct 5, 2003)

8 weeks is definitely not too late, since the reccomendation is to not even try until at least 6 weeks.

Babies are more likely to take a bottle from someone other than mom, especially if you're not in the room at the time.


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## Carita (Mar 3, 2008)

try a wide mouth bottle or a different nipple. There are some bottles that look and act more breast-like, so I might invest in one of those. DS would only take a wide mouth Dr. Brown's at first - and that was at 3 weeks! He hated the orthodontic nipples, and only took the cheap gerber latex ones. Also save small quantities in each bottle/bag so that you waste as little as possible.

If it is just occasional though, you might try a syringe or something?


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

It's never too late! If they are hungry enough they will take it. We didn't really introduce a bottle until the 6 month mark and he wouldn't really take one until 12 months. Now he thinks it's fun to get a "baba".


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## peainthepod (Jul 16, 2008)

Thanks for the reassurance, ladies! I just pumped some milk and DH is in the other room trying to feed the baby with a bottle. I know he's hungry but it sounds like he won't take the bottle and is just crying inconsolably. This is so hard to listen to.


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## inhomecare (Dec 17, 2008)

Don't worry too much. My DD is 12 weeks and we introduced a bottle at around 8 weeks. She wanted nothing to do with it. We got a few different types and she finally took one last week. She much prefers me, but I feel assurred that she will at least take a bit if I need to be away.


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## Emily's Mama (Apr 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Carita* 
try a wide mouth bottle or a different nipple. There are some bottles that look and act more breast-like, so I might invest in one of those. DS would only take a wide mouth Dr. Brown's at first - and that was at 3 weeks!

It is interesting how different babies are, as mine would NOT take a wide mouth bottle at all. The only one she would take (at about 8 weeks) was a Lindam "anti-colic" bottle, which has a really tiny nipple. She screamed with all others, and took this one with minimal fuss, every time. That was successful about 2 days before I actually left her for a full day, so I was most relieved.

The other idea is to have your sitter walk around with baby while feeding. It's a bit tiring but this seems to work for several people I've known.

Try to feed her just before you go. Hopefully she will sleep some of the time you are gone too. If your baby doesn't take the bottle for a few hours she will not starve or dehydrate (aand as someone else said, your sitter could always syringe or cup some milk into her mouth) but it could be somewhat sad/stressful for all concerned.


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## zonapellucida (Jul 16, 2004)

Just buy a bunch of botttles mama! baby will pick ONE of them


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## LaurenAnanas (Feb 26, 2008)

My daughter got her first bottle of EBM at 5 weeks, and has had one more since. Both times, my husband had to hold the bottle in her mouth for 2-3 minutes before she started eating. He also did things to stimulate rooting (rubbed bottle nipple around her mouth and the like), but it really did take her a few minutes to figure out that there's food in there!

So, in addition to trying different bottle and nipple shapes, I suggest some patience. Have dad give baby the bottle when there's plenty of time and baby's not starving or too tired.

And this may not be typical, but baby didn't really get going on that first bottle until I held her when DH had to use the bathroom. She seemed to connect me with food, not just my boob. The second bottle was all-dad, and she chugged away once she got through those first few minutes.


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## mushka3000 (Aug 25, 2008)

We introduced our babe to a bottle at 11 weeks. She had also taken a bottle at 6 weeks (with none offered in between 6 and 11 weeks). At 6 weeks there were no issues. At 11 weeks there were tears and protests.

We tried several different bottles/nipples but honestly I think any bottle would have worked if we had persisted with it. She will now drink from any bottle.

What worked for us was also atypical; she took her first bottle from me first thing in the morning when she was very hungry but well-rested.

I hope you quickly find something that works for you. I did not enjoy the protests!


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## boogiebearlove (Jul 10, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Devaskyla* 
8 weeks is definitely not too late, since the reccomendation is to not even try until at least 6 weeks.

Babies are more likely to take a bottle from someone other than mom, especially if you're not in the room at the time.

I second this. 8 weeks is not too late! That's a strange assumption! He may not be crazy about it - but work with different bottle and nipple types to see which he likes the most.


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## milkybean (Mar 19, 2008)

I would quit the practicing. Baby knows you're there, knows there's no need.

When you're gone for your appointment, if baby wants milk that badly, baby will take it. And if baby won't, you'll only be gone for awhile.

I have a half sister who is 25 years younger than me, and my stepmom didn't pump at all. Had a part time job, and once while I was visiting, she was late in getting home. Sis was hungry and very upset, but once her mom got home all was well and sis nursed like crazy. I'm the only one who remembers the episode, LOL, b/c I think I still have hearing loss from her explanations of how annoyed she was at this unexpected empty tummy (she was 3 months old). (remember this wasn't MY baby, this was my sister, and I had no part in the decision of my stepmom, who is now a NICU nurse, to work part time and not pump)

The only time a bottle was helpful for DS was the FIRST time he used one. He was in a teething emergency, was very very hungry, and was chomping. We were both in agony, him from his gums me from what his gums were doing to me. In desperation I grabbed one of the frozen bags of milk in the freezer, that I had pumped "just in case". Cut a small hole, like a pastry bag, in the corner and gave that to him. He LOVED it.

But breastmilk thaws FAST, and it was getting messy so I grabbed one of the bottles I'd gotten with my "just in case" pump, dumped the thawing milk in there, and he went to town on it.

He was 6 months old.

Something you could take from that is the frozen bag thing. Maybe he won't like a bottle, but he might like gnawing on a slightly open bag of frozen milk.


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

I'm going to throw in some totally different advice. Everyone told me to stay away while dh tried to get dd to take the bottle, but nothing was working. We had a really hard time with it. We tried all different nipples, bottles, times of day, etc, and dd was having none of it. Finally a friend suggested *I* try giving her the bottle, and it worked! The first time she drank some, and the next day she drank it all. It seemed like a new delivery AND a new person was just too much at once. Once she got the hang of it with me, then we worked on transitioning her to dh's lap with the bottle.

This took weeks. We started trying to introduce the bottle at about 2 months. We were getting really nervous--I had to go back to work part time and dd would be home with dh, and she resisted! Not to discourage you, but if you just can't get the bottle figured out before your meeting this weekend, don't be surprised or too upset. Some babies just need time to adjust!


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Ds started a bottle at about 3 months (I had to go back to work at 6 months). He always hated it, but eventual took some from others, but mostly started on a cup at 6 months. He would not take one from me ever or even if he knew I was in the house.


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## wendypf (Aug 23, 2008)

We tried introducing a bottle several times between 6 weeks and 3 months. She's 4.5 months now and still not a fan. I only work out of my house 1 day a month and that day, she'll drink from the bottle with the nanny. She won't take a bottle from DH.

She'll drink out of the doidy cup regardless of whose around, though it makes a mess


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