How to Wean My 5 Month Old Son?

hey J.,
I do not have a personal experience with this since our oldest was always on the bottle and youngest loved to eat so he never cared where the milk was coming from:)
A friend of mine however has a daughter who whould not take a bottle as a baby. One day when I was watching her I tried giving her the bottle and she took it after couple of tries and was eating from it fine all day(they say baby will never starve her/himself:)),but refused it again when mom tried. I think it's a normal thing for some babies(you might find that your son will be head strong and particular with certain things when he gets older:))Do not worry, he will learn and I agree that laddies in the daycare has done it before planty of times, they will help you.
PS off the subject, i myself and many of my friends had put little cereal in the bottle to help babies sleep through the night. Our doc recommended it.Babies can have cereal after 4 months from the spoon,so I do not see how a little bit of it can be a choking hasard????They even sell special nipples for that.

Try feeding him pumped milk from a medicine dropper for several meals. As my lactation consultant said "he will want to suck so badly he will take anything". Introduce the bottle after several of these dropper feedings and see how he does. I would get him on the bottle first then try to switch to formula. Good luck!

Try several types of bottles with nipples to see which one he likes. I remember my little brother wouldn't take the regular bottles and my mom bought the playtex naturals (mind you this was back in the late 80s) with the collapsable nipple. It takes trial and error to figure out which ones he will take. If you've been exclusively feeding him with just the breast, then that's what he's accustomed to and he's confused as to why he's being given a bottle with different tasting milk in it (formula). There is a website that sells baby products; they have specailly designed bottles that are exactly like a breast; they are pricey, but I have a friend who used them and she swears they work. The website is Onestepahead.com. I hope this helps and good luck to you!

My daughter was the same way at 9 months when I was about to return to work and needed to wean her. It was the hardest thing I've been through. My other 3 children had weaned just fine, but she had made her mind up that she wasn't going to take the bottle or cup with formula. When it was time to go back to work-she still wasn't weaned but I had no choice. I sent her to daycare everyday with her bottles of formula. For almost 5 full days she basically refused the bottle at daycare or home. It was horrible. She cried a lot at daycare and I even considered quitting my job because I thought she'd never be weaned. I had to continue nursing her in the evening and night. She wanted to nurse from the time I got her until bedtime and woke up several times at night to nurse. I took her to the doctor because I was so afraid she'd get dehydrated or loose weight. Her pediatrician told me it would be better to wean her completely instead of nursing her in the evenings because she was purposely waiting all day to eat since she knew I'd nurse her all evening and night. She assured me that my daughter would be fine. She said she would eat when she was hungry enough and to keep offering her the bottle at home and daycare. She said if I was too worried about her getting dehydrated, I could offer her PediaLyte as well. Then I decided to try the ready-to-use liquid formula (Nestle Goodstart)in a can. For some reason she took that over the powder formula. (The doctor thought it might be the consistency that she preferred because it was thinner and more like breastmilk). It was much more expensive but after about 3 weeks of taking the liquid formula and getting used to the bottle, I switched her back to the powder formula and she took it with no problems. Also, in the beginning of the process, I had tried every kind of bottle and nipple I could find and at first she wouldn't take any kind. The doctor said to just pick one and stick with that kind so she wouldn't get confused. So I tried the Advent bottles because I heard from other moms that it was best for breastfed babies and that's what she finally ended up taking. After a month or so, when she was totally used to the bottle-she would pretty much use any bottle from that point on. In total, it took a good 3-4 weeks to completely wean her. But the combination of the ready-to-use liquid formula and the Advent bottles (and persistence)worked. Other things I tried that seemed to help was I would send my shirt or blanket with my scent on it to her daycare, and her teacher would hold it next to her cheek while she gave her the bottle (that was also suggested by her pediatrician). In addition, the first week or so I added a tiny little bit of Karo Syrup (a very tiny amount!) because the doctor said that breastmilk tastes sweeter than formula and that's why many breastfed babies refuse formula. The bottles also had to be warmed up-she wouldn't take it at room temperature. Anyways-a combination of all these things is what finally worked. I admit it was really hard for both of us (and the rest of the family). I thought we'd never get through it. I tried to give her extra love and attention. But once she made up her mind to take the bottle, she took it fine. She never got dehydrated or undernourished like I was so afraid of. She's 13 months and she's healthy and fine. Now, I have to wean her from the bottle-and I'm not looking forward to that! Anyways- best wishes for you and I hope I helped in some way!

Hi J.,
My son started daycare when he was 4 months old and we were in the same situation. I was breastfeeding but could not get him to take a bottle from me or my husband (with pumped milk or formula). We tried and tried, and I was getting so stressed out with daycare looming on the horizon. I tried different bottles and different nipples. I tried leaving the house so my husband would offer a bottle without me being around. We tried waiting until he was pretty hungry, but that usually just pissed him off and that didn't help. I eventually decided that I would just keep offering a bottle to him, when he was in a good mood. Usually he would chew on the nipple more than anything. Sometimes he might suck a little. I figured I woud at least expose him to a bottle and then when he was offered it at daycare it wouldn't be totally foreign.

Going to daycare was the trick. I think him being with other women who had done this before and were confident really helped. They would offer him the bottle, never letting him get upset. They just kept trying and trying. If he became real upset they would stop and walk around, calm him down, and then they would try again. It took them about an hour and a half. I guess he was hungry enough and they were persistent enough that he took it. And we've never looked back since. It still took a while for him to take a bottle from me thought(a month or so). It did turn out that he wouldn't take breast-milk from the bottle. They found he would get really upset if you offered him a bottle with breast-milk, but would be just fine if it was formula. I think it just had to be totally different for him.

We ended up using playtex drop-ins with natural latch, slow flow, latex nipples. On a side note, at that age, he still slept while being swaddled, and the daycare ladies actually decided to swaddle him up when they first fed him. I guess it helped him feel cozy while eating.

I hope this helps. All I can say is that he'll be ok and he will figure it out. It might take a little time, but the ladies at daycare have usually done this before, and are usually confident and persistent enough. Sometimes being in a different environment and not having you around can help.

Good luck!

K.

I think someone else said it already, but I'll throw it out there anyway...

Mine will (still!) only take a bottle if it's body temp and he's being held almost laying down in a nursing-type position. It works even better if the give-ee sets a few fingers against his cheek (just gotta have that skin-to-skin). So it's pretty much a matter of mimicing the nursing experience as close as possible.

The easiest way to introduce bottles for me has been to replace one feeding a day with a bottle (either formula or expressed milk) and be consistent with that each day. If you are short on time now, consider being very insistent with the bottle. If the baby refuses, put the bottle away and wait for him to get hungry again. Then give him the bottle again. If he refuses, put it away again, etc.... For one of my four breast fed babies, this was the only thing that worked. He was already used to a bottle when I went back to work, but for more than a week, he refused the bottle from the sitter. So, I came home early one day and refused to feed him anything else until he took that bottle. It only took a couple of hours, but he ended his bottle strike that day. Best of luck!

I had the same issue with my son. I know this is against what I ever heard or read in books but it worked for me. I put my son in his bouncy seat, and I got really close to him and fed him from the bottle. Each time I would talk to him in a calm voice or sing to him but move a little further away. Then I introduced my husband into the mix, then his grandmother who would be caring for him. This took about a week of being consistant and having resolve because I knew he needed to do this when I returned to work. Do what you feel is right. Remember that your son doesn't know what is best for him but he can sense it from you. Good Luck

I would try to have someone else give him the bottle. My daughter would not take a bottle from me just her Nanna and my husband.

This may sound weird, but my daughter would only take a bottle if it were at 98 degrees (body temperature). It didn't matter what was in the bottle, if it wasn't warm enough she wasn't going to take it.

With my other daughter we went through a number of different kinds of bottles before we found one that she liked.

I am where you are right now, except that my son is 15 weeks old. I just tried different types of bottles/nipples until I found one he would take (but not without a minute or two of struggles). I found the bottle brand Thinkbaby online. The nipples are softer and he seems to prefer it. Also you want to go with a medium flow nipple or fast flow. It is not good to cut or enlarge the hole on any nipple so I would not recommend that method. Also, have someone else feed your son from the bottle at all his feedings for two days. A weekend works great because then hubby can help.
Also, just to let you know...once you start bottle feeding he might not want to nurse at night anymore, or he might not nurse efficiently (bottles are easier to drink from). Your milk supply could drop. I just wanted to prepare you for this. Good luck with it!!

Don,t know if you have tried the breastflow bottle or not. It is the only one my 5 month old will take and she just started taking it with juice. I tried about 4-5 other bottles before this one.

A.

I would SO NOT recommend what was previously suggested...cutting the nipple and adding cereal. This can be quite dangerous for the baby. A baby is used to drinking thin liquids and isn't used to applying the same suck/swallow reflux to a thickened bottle. It is quite possible that the baby could choke. There is a reason the AAP doesn't recommend doing this anymore, and a reason that nipples have the size holes they do.

Have you tried having someone else give her a bottle/sippy when you are not in the room? Best of luck to you, I know how hard this can be!

Have someone else try when you are out of the house. If your son can smell the breast milk on you he will hold out for that. Let him see you leave and thens see if Dad can feed him. Good luck.

Try to let someone feed him without you around-not even in the house (go shopping or something) If he knows you are around you are going to give in and feed him. The daycares are use to it, they will know what to do-and shame on the daycare worker who kept calling them Mom! The baby is not going to starve to death, after a few battles, he will learn to nurse from a bottle! I wasn't able to bottle feed my daughter but she took the bottle from everyone else! I would go ahead and give him a sippy cup not a bottle. Makes less of a struggle for transition later! Get one that has a soft spout and handles!

Don't Give Up!!! Breastmilk is by far the best you can give to you son. I know it is hard for him to adjust to a bottle, my daughter was the same way. I got so frustrated that I went out and bought every bottle and nipple that Target had on their shelves. Thankfully I chose the right one when we started out and eventually she got adjusted. Keep leaving him with others to help give him bottles, keep pumping. Remember supply and demand, if you don't pump and he gets nutrients another way, your supply will eventually go down. Keep trying, don't give up. Nurse him when you can, but also try different bottles/nipples. Good luck!

A.

You might not have to. He might change his eating habits. My eldest would wait for me to come back from work. I would feed her right before going out the door and she would eat Baby cereal and veggies while I was at work. As soon as I came through the door she would make the sounds that she came up with to let me know she wanted me.

Just a thought. If he's that picky he'll adjust. They are survivors. Plus the will eat when they are really hungry.

There are cathedures that you can attach to a finger and feed that way.

H.

I have nursed 3 babies and have pumped and given them milk from a playtex bottle. I have never had any problems from this type of bottle but none of them would drink from the other kinds. If you have not tried this kind I would highly recomend them

I hate to hear you have to wean, breastmilk is so, so much better than formula. But congratulations on making it 5 months. You've already made a big impact on his health. Plus the night nursing is still beneficial. For you both. Just don't be surprised if he decides to increase night nursing once you return to work. It's more than just nutrition to him, it's reconnecting with mommy at the end of each day.

Here are some links on weaning you may find helpful:

Mother-led weaning
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/how_weaning_happens.ht...

Frequent Weaning Questions
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning_faqs.html

Weaning Techniques
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning_techniques.html

Comfort Measures for mom during weaning
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning_mom.html

It's completely normal for a breastfed baby, especially at 5 months, to have a hard time with the transition. What worked best for some moms I know was to have someone else give the bottle. I know my baby never took a bottle from me. You may also need to try several different types of formula before finding the right one. Here are some great links with tips. Note too, that each of these links contains yet more links with even more tips.

What to Feed the Baby when the Mother is Working outside the Home
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/17feed_baby_working_moms.html

How to bottle feed the breastfeeding baby
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

Partial Weaning & Combination Feeding
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning-partial.html

Alternative Feeding Methods
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html

I also DO NOT suggest adding cereal to a bottle. Ever. Outdated advice. Choking hazzard. The list goes on.
Good luck and best wishes to you!!!