Getting baby to take bottle ?'s

Mrs.Greeko

Lucy preferred the bottle which caused BFing issues.  Lexi hated the bottle which caused other issues.  I obviously suck at introducing a bottle...  I know the magic window is at 3 weeks, and we are almost there so I need help.  There is no easy way to do a bottle every day and frankly I have very little desire to do a bottle every day.  Is 1-2 times a week good enough?  Can it just be a very small amount (1 oz) and then I can BF the rest of the feed?  What bottles to use?  We used Avent with Lucy, but they leak too often for my liking.  We used Adiri with Lexi, but they don't seem to sell them any more.  I have a cupboard full of different kinds of bottles from Lex's hating days, but I don't really like most of them and some are probably not ideal for BFing.  Help I want to get this right this time (DH and my DCP also really want me to get it right!).

ELCJet

We introduced with Breastflow.  He took it just fine while I went out to lunch and my parents babysat.....and I can't really remember what happened after that, but I think I realized that pumping and feeding via bottle = happy boobs, so eventually he switched over completely to bottle, which you don't want.    I will say that very quickly he grew to hate Breastflow, but that was when he took a bottle several times a day.  Dr. Brown's made it very easy for him to love bottles infinitely more than boob and at the 3 month mark he absolutely refused to nurse ever again, even with an LC helping.  So my vote is don't start with Dr. Brown's, but they are my favorite bottles. 

daisies0406

DD used the playtex  ventair and didn't have any issues.  DS hated bottles, but when he HAD to have a bottle (after trying a ton)  we used Breastflow.  He still hated it, but at least he used it.  I think if you offer a bottle once a day (I think I did that with DD to prepare her for me going back to work).  I would probably do a full feeding once a day just so he won't get confused.  If you have enough of the Aldiri I would use that to help with breastfeeding too....if you liked them of course.

Kmac-06

I don't think there really is a "magic window" because I think every baby is different. We gave DD a bottle once a day from 4 weeks old and she still refused it right up until I returned to work when she was 3 months. She is a stubborn kid. She had kind of a bottle strike for two weeks after I returned to work and would just drink a couple oz. from the bottle all day long, but at the third week she started drinking them no problem. We have had a lot of battles of the wills with her at different transitions in her life.

I would do the bottle once a day for a whole feeding, preferably at the same time each day for your little guy, and just hope for the best this time around!

In terms of bottles, we just tried a few different ones but ended up using Nuk because that was the type of paci DD would take. I would just go with what you prefer first and see if he likes it.

A&AHutch

My opinion is if you want your DS to take the bottle you have to starting giving him one every day for a whole feeding.

My DD1 was like Lucy and preferred the bottle which messed up BF so with DD2 I was determined not to make the same mistake, but it also excluded DH which he didn't love. The one bottle a day worked really well to not have DH feel left out and get her used to a bottle. During the day I would nurse DD2 on one side and pump on the other. One of those pumped bottles would be used when DH feed her later that night and during that feeding I would pump both sides.

We used the green to grow glass bottles, but DD2 is a very chill kid and will take just about anything.

schoolsoutbride

I tried to do like 3x a week.  1-2 times isn't enough, I don't think.  I think an oz or two is fine, but I'd try to do a full feeding on occasion so he gets the idea that it makes him full.

We never had a bottle preference with the twins (rather they didn't.)  Evenflo cheapie glass bottles worked fine.  We had some Born frees that someone gave us that worked well b/c M was kind of gassy.

schoolsoutbride

Kmac-06:

I don't think there really is a "magic window" because I think every baby is different.

Ditto this, btw.  G would happily switch bottle to boob when ever where ever from whoever.  M, who had the exact same exposure, fought it tooth and nail and still doesn't drink it as well.  He'd take it, it just took a lot more work and a lot more experimentation and practice.

smilelari

We, as you know, also had bottle issues w/ gavin and ended up doing bottles way earlier than I planned w/ gwyn, but right now we're doing 1 bottle per day of just 1 oz using Platex drop ins or born free (she is ok w/ either)