How do I get him to take formula?

[PeanutBean]

At 2 months Byron had Aptamil cartons to top up BF during his spurt. At 3 months he had a bottle of expressed milk. He's not had formula or bottles since then and now he is waking earlier every day hungry so I want to top up his bedtime feed with formula. Four days now we've tried this. Before a feed, after a feed, in between feeds and during the day when he's less tired and grumpy. The before feed one he took two gulps then stopped. I'm sure the bottle is fine he just hates the formula. We're using Aptamil still but from the powder. Do the cartons and powder taste the same? Any suggestions?

I'm reluctant to buy in all different packets of formula as it'll be such a waste of money. I hoped if he got hungry enough and I held out on him he would succumb byr so far I just have a screaming wriggling baby on my knee!

 

[Serene123]

Caitlyn will only drink cartons so I assume they do taste different, although they smell the same.

 

[PeanutBean]

Ugh they all smell foul! Cartons are soooo much more expensive though!

Bah, I think it's a myth that your boobs rise to the challenge. Been about 2 weeks and we're not doing any better.

 

[alice&bump]

i just had to persevere with katie. and then eventually one day she just took it. i tried her with a sippy cup - it was more of a case of it was in her mouth so she ahdto swallow!! good luck with it xx

 

[Shri]

No advice but we ate going through similar. It's a blinkin ordeal trying to get him to take a bottle and even then so far of has made no difference to the waking at night and being wide awake at 4.30am.

 

[PeanutBean]

i just had to persevere with katie. and then eventually one day she just took it. i tried her with a sippy cup - it was more of a case of it was in her mouth so she ahdto swallow!! good luck with it xx

I thought about trying the cup as we've just introduced it on and off but I thought he'd be more familiar with the bottle. Oh and when it's in his mouth he just cries so it spills everywhere or even spits it out. There's no swallowing it.

Tried for 2 hours tonight but I think I have to accept he hates it! It does turn my stomach even when it splashes on my hands so I suppose that's fair enough. Will try cartons again and hope that works.

Thanks for the replies and any amazing ideas for making babies drink what they don't like let me know!

 

[PeanutBean]

No advice but we ate going through similar. It's a blinkin ordeal trying to get him to take a bottle and even then so far of has made no difference to the waking at night and being wide awake at 4.30am.

Hope the rice works.

 

[alio]

aptamil cartons and powdered milk definitely have a different consistency. i'd just try by carton and see how you go on. xxx

 

[lauzliddle]

My LO wouldn't take formula off me at first only other people I think he could smell mummy milk

 

[PeanutBean]

My LO wouldn't take formula off me at first only other people I think he could smell mummy milk

Yeah we had Dad give it him first off. He clearly just doesn't like it. Going to try the cartons and hopefully he will like them more.

 

[caggimedicine]

I'm having the same problem with Harry. He's quite good at taking a bottle, but I just don't think he likes Aptamil. We're persevering, but today we were having a little hunger strike situation going on. I still BFd Harry in the morning and last thing before bed, and tonight he went nuts for boob. He must have been starving! Serves him right for being so fussy though!! After this tub of Aptamil is finished, I think we'll be going back to SMA as he seemed to like that better.

 

[carries]

The cartons and powder do taste different. Oscar will have either although I think he takes the carton easier and with less fuss. Have you tried fenugreek? It helped with my supply, that and Oscar needing to feed every 5 mins!

 

[Helen]

Tom refused formula point blank. Here's what we tried:

1. Different bottles and different flows of teats
2. Daddy/Nana/Friends feeding him with me in a different room/not in the house
3. Lights on/off. TV on/off
4. Mixing formula and booby milk (various different ratios)
5. All different formulas - powdered and carton
6. Spooning it in
7. Cup
8. Starving him of booby milk (he went all day the first time I tried it. When I finally had to give up BF at 8 months, he never EVER took formula).
9. Mixing it in his cereal/food. He could tell.

You are right that stuff smells revolting. I compared the taste of booby milk and formula once (desperation does that to you) and there was no comparison. It was as disgusting to taste as it smelt.

In the end we gave up totally. It was making us all miserable. He went onto cows milk at 8 months old with vitamin drops and never looked back. I heard all the bad mother comments going about cows milk....well blah to that. He's fine and cows milk was better than nothing.

Are you having problems keeping up with his appetite? Tom started on baby rice at 4 1/2 months for that reason. I simply could not fill him and he'd want to latch on every 5 mins and tug and bite.

 

[Tiff]

How's it going, hun? Any luck?

 

[Brockie]

the cartons def look different to making up the powder Aptimal xx i started giving Freds last feed as formula a few weeks back and he would screw his face up and cry at first, i persevered though and after about a week he was fine and now he gulps the whole bottle down carton or powder xx

i felt really mean at first for some reason as he looked unhappy! i would just keep trying hon he will take it eventually xxx

 

[PeanutBean]

Thanks everyone! We tried 4 days running on the Aptamil and have given up on it and given it away to a friend! I was going to get the cartons in but then I discovered they all have bloody fish in!!! (We're veggie.) I am assuming it is the source of the omega 3, but WTF? Why is formula not as close to breastmilk as they can get it? Why does it have crapping omega 3 oils in it from fish? I feel really fed up about putting him on formula at all right now. I did assume that as SMA doesn't say contains fish on the label that it doesn't have fish derivatives in so we tried a carton of that today. It doesn't smell as bad and he didn't mind the taste as much but he's developed an aversion to bottles and cups so I'm going to express some tomorrow to overcome that.

I was talking with my Mum and she too suggested we don't bother with formula at all and go straight on to some baby rice at bedtime to see him through. She also pointed out that all of me and my siblings went on to cups (open cups) of cow's milk at 6 months in addition to BF to 1 year and that none of us have any dairy allergies or anything else.

So I'm not sure. Going to see how he goes with a cup of EBM tomorrow. Might try a little rice over the weekend and see how he likes it. It'll be as easy to express milk and pad it out with rice at bedtime as it is to piss about with bloody formula and I can't say feeding him has been a pleasure this way!

I'll let you know how we get on.

 

[Helen]

Good luck!

 

[sparkswillfly]

Aptamil stinks like farts and brussel sprouts.