Here’s a demonstration on how to get a baby to drink from an open cup

Using BottlesSee note I just added at the bottom about the baby's tongue tie.As I read my emails every day, I am surprised by questions I receive from breastfeeding mothers about how to get their babies to take a bottle. In Canada, where mothers get 52 weeks maternity leave, the panicked questions often arrive when the baby is almost a year old and the mother is soon returning to work outside the home (all mothers work, some also get paid for work). In this circumstance, getting the baby to take a bottle is so unnecessary. By 7 months of age most babies are able to drink from an open cup (a sippy cup is, essentially, a bottle). See the attached video of a four month old baby drinking from a cup the first time he ever tried. Or the baby can have liquids mixed in with his solids. I realize that in some daycares, the staff may insist that babies be fed by bottle. This is absurd and makes one wonder what sort of training daycare workers get if they don’t know that babies of a year can drink from an open cup or that the liquids can be mixed with the solids. As an aside one wonders about some daycare centres where they also insist that babies drink cow’s milk. I cannot even begin to understand what that is all about. Why would they insist a baby who is breastfeeding and eating solids and has never had cow’s milk be started on it?A note to USA women. 2016 is an election year in the US. It’s time to push those who are looking for your vote to do something about legislating decent maternity leave. Anything less than 7 months is not decent, but longer is better. When a mother has at least 7 months maternity leave, she never has to start bottles or formula. Get those politicians that never stop talking about “family values” to actually do something about supporting the family.On the other hand some mothers are already using bottles. I think that bottles are not a good idea for breastfeeding babies if they can be avoided. I know that some babies go back and forth from breast to bottle without trouble, but in general, bottles are a problem particularly when the mother already has a breastfeeding problem. The bottle teaches the baby a poor latch, and that interferes with the baby getting enough milk, can cause or aggravate sore nipples and decreases the response to domperidone. In such cases, it is better to use a lactation aid at the breast than a bottle.I forgot to mention, this baby has a severe tongue tie. This is why he is not lapping up the milk as most babies would usually. Posted by Dr.Jack Newman on Wednesday, 25 November 2015

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Written by

Brenda Loo

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