I am trying to get my baby to drink from a bottle/cup rather than from my breast in the day but its not working. I haven’t had a break since her birth nearly 6 months ago and I am shattered and losing my sense of 'me'. She won’t take a bottle and just chews the spout of the baby cup. Any suggestions most welcome.


A Thank you for your question. It might be a good idea to introduce the doidy cup. It is a new cup on the market designed to teach babies to drink from a rim and can be used from four months. The key to introducing something new is to do it gradually. I know that you are exhausted but making changes can take from one week to a month and trying not to expect too much too soon is the best approach however difficult.

• Introduce the cup with a little breast milk in it at the same time each day for a week.
• Once your baby is happy with that incorporate it into the other meal times
• When she learns to drink from the cup you can offer an increased the amount of milk
• Offering a the bottle when she is really hungry may work
• Make sure that there is some breast milk on the teat so that she tastes that first.
• Try to be positive and calm
• Sit her in a chair away from you and allow her the chance to learn something different, show pleasure even if she allows the teat to touch her lips
• Try not to get into a battle with your baby and it is best to take it away when the screaming starts and try again before the next feed.
• Sometimes offering water from a bottle to begin with will work. I usually suggest offering water at the same time each day to help the baby learn how to suck from a teat. If you are consistent and it becomes part of the routine your baby will soon co-operate
• Ask your husband/partner or any other member of the family for help. Accepting the bottle is sometimes easier from someone else especially when mother is well out of smelling distance
  

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