Weaning LO to bottles/formula.... HELP!!

[sandilion]

Okay so when LO was first born he was happily taking bottles from me of my breast milk until he got to about 4 months old and started to flat out refuse them.

The thing is though, he did happily take the bottle when my mum babysat him a couple weeks ago .. she even sent me video footage to my phone of the little bugger drinking away all happily.

But today when i tried to give him a bottle of formula, he refused it and in no time became distressed and hysterical. I transferred the milk to his 'no spills' sippy cup and he literally threw the cup to the floor angrily and started clawing at my breast DH gave it a try and he refused to take the formula from him as well.

How do i go about this? I really need to get this weaning on the go now as i want him to be fully established with taking formula by the time i return to work in January. I know i have some time still up my sleeve, but i can't help but feel a little stressed about this... This is going to be harder than i thought, and more distressing on him than i thought.

I ended up giving in and offered him my boob and he latched on and drank for dear life!

Any tips on how i can do this as stress free as possible??

I have introduced him to the taste already for the past few days by mixing it with his cereal and he has been ok with it.. I really feel it's a refusing bottle issue rather than the taste. But then again, it could be both.

 

[babyfromgod]

Could you maybe try giving him some expressed milk in a bottle and gradually start adding more and more formula to the bottle? Also what bottles are you using? My bfing friend found Nuk wide neck latex teats the best. Also maybe you need to let your OH feed him from the start and you leave the room before he starts feeding him, just so he knows you and your breasts aren't there.

 

[Bumblebee117]

I had that problem too and started mixing my milk with formula. First it was 1oz of formula and 4oz of bm, then the next day one more and so on!

It might be a booby thing though and LO doesn't take a bottle if he knows you have the breast ready for him!

It is very hard but try not to give in and persevere. Don't force him and just stop trying to feed him the bottle altogether. just let him play and try again after 10 mins and if it is the same over again and you really want him to take the bottle, maybe let him play with it. Also, try to give him water in the bottle when he is not hungry, that might get him used to it!?

Good luck,