When did you give LO their first bottle?

[m0mmyCool]

Of expressed milk? I know it's recommended to wait 6 weeks to avoid nipple confusion. But I'd like to start giving bottles sooner than that so I can work part time(weekends) but I want to keep breastfeeding too.

 

[sailing_girl]

I'd like to know the answer to this too...I've heard that if you wait TOO long, they won't take to the bottle.

 

[Pixiegirllily]

I started this week so just before she was 3 weeks xx

 

[Braven05]

3 weeks...and no problem going back and forth although sometimes she'll refuse the bottle in favor of the boobie

 

[tidyroom]

I waited till 6 weeks like what you are advised to do and My DH will not take it. I have been trying for 2 weeks now and i am slowly giving up. I would start now as I think it will be easier. I know if I was to turn the clock back I would have started sooner. But that is just my opinion. Good Luck

 

[lau86]

I waited till 6 weeks like what you are advised to do and My DH will not take it. I have been trying for 2 weeks now and i am slowly giving up. I would start now as I think it will be easier. I know if I was to turn the clock back I would have started sooner. But that is just my opinion. Good Luck

does your baby have a dummy? i'm just wondering if babies that have dummies are less likely to refuse a bottle as they are used to a teat of some sorts. my LO is only 2 weeks old but i just feel i would have more "options" if i could give an expressed bottle.

 

[heather1212]

I started this week when LO was just under 3 weeks old!

 

[T8ty]

We have been giving my DD Breast milk from a bottle since about 2 weeks and she didnt seem keen at first but i always express in the morning then give her a bottle before bed and she has gotten really used to it. The only problem we had was that she used to gag on the AVENT bottles so we bought a Tommee Tippee one and she loves it and takes it without really noticing she isnt being breast fed!!
However when she is really grumpy or tired she crys and refuses the bottle untill i give her breast again!

I guess it all takes time but i defo recommend the Tommee Tippee bottles they seem to have shorter teats than AVENT.

Good luck

 

[kerrie24]

When Owen was 2 weeks old my nanna passed away and a week later I expressed two bottles for him as I didnt feel it was appropriate to take a new baby to a funeral.He has taken it since then if ever I needed to give it (rarely).My daughter I waited till 8 weeks and she never ever took the bottle,as much as I tried.

 

[Kelly81]

Poppy was between 3-4 weeks, I was going to wait a bit longer but a midwife who visited us at 3 weeks said it was fine to start then with the odd bottle. I think 6 weeks is generally the recommended age but starting earlier worked well for us.

 

[SazzleR]

DS was spot on 4 weeks. I'm glad we did it then as he's never had any problems going back & forth between boob & bottle. I always pumped when DH gave him a bottle to keep my supply up. A few friends have left it much longer to introduce a bottle & have had real problems getting their LOs to take bottles.

 

[amygwen]

3 days old!

 

[cutie4evr01]

We started at 3 weeks

 

[popat]

3 weeks due to a filling at the dentist! He took it fine but then not again until he was 7 weeks old (took it fine then too).

 

[staceyp]

I waited till 6 weeks like what you are advised to do and My DH will not take it. I have been trying for 2 weeks now and i am slowly giving up. I would start now as I think it will be easier. I know if I was to turn the clock back I would have started sooner. But that is just my opinion. Good Luck

me too :/ im hoping if i keep trying her then itll all workout in the end lol

 

[nearlythere38]

i gave my lo a dummy just before 2 weeks because i felt he was just on me all the time using my for comfort. now when he is not hungry he gets a bit of comfort from the dummy and settles better. he never got nipple confusion. Then this weekend i had to go out for a meal for a hen party so i knew he would need a bottle. so gave him one at 3 weeks old, i bought a Medela Calma which is supposed to require the same sucking action as breastfeeding, he took it really well and no nipple confusion again. It has been recommended to me to give him a couple of bottles a week so he gets used to it, because sometimes if u leave it til they r older they can just refuse it x

 

[Lawhra]

I have yet to give a bottle and secretly hope he'll refuse if I try

 

[XJessicaX]

1.5 weeks. LO had no issue going in between bottle and boob.

 

[summer rain]

younger than a week old; I regretted it but LO had severe jaundice and I thought it was a way of getting additional milk into him and hopefully prevent needing hospital treatment (it didn't work). He also got bottles (one formula-not my decision, and two EBM) when he was readmitted to hospital though the teats were a 'dropper' type designed for preemies with a weak suck so perhaps not as bad as some others. Although its not generally advised; and I wouldn't advise it without medical reasons next time I think I will express from the get go just in case he (or she!) needs to go back into hospital again and they don't let me stay in (which happened last time), I may also give top ups of EBM via cup just to prevent a hospital readmission.

 

[cheese lover]

At 4 weeks. I had to go back to work at 8 weeks so she had to be able to take a bottle. We gave 1 bottle a day and I pumped while DH gave the bottle. She easily goes between the 2 but prefers her milk from the tap.