[HubbysSweetheart]

Ok, my little girl REFUSES formula... will literally gag if it's given in any form... bottle, dropper, syringe or spoon..... even if it's mixed with rice/oatmeal cereal.

So my question is this, I did a search online to see if there was a 'best tasting' formula out there that I could try. It was suggested that the reason she is gagging is that breast milk is very sweet and formula is bitter.... so to sweeten it and see how that goes.

I'm not crazy about sticking straight sugar in her.... and was wondering if there was a more natural safe thing to use.... I know honey can't be given to them till after a yr.... what else isn't safe.

Molasses?? Aguava nectar? Or fructose?


Any ideas?


By the way I'm still gonna stick with breast feeding I just would like to get her so she Could take something else so hubby and I could get away a time or two.

[lovemylittlemiss]

I hear that the natural sweetener Stevia is supposed to be good. I've never tried it myself but I know that a lot of health conscious people use it.

Has she been taking a bottle ok? My daughter won't take a bottle, even with breast milk. My sister's baby is exclusively formula fed and will gag if the formula is too cold.

[Blue-Jay]

I think I would call the pedi before I sweetened her formula, just to be sure that it won't be problematic. I'm so sorry she's givng you trouble; she just knows what the good stuff is! Have you tried pumping so that you can go out? I'm bfing, and that's what I do -- I just pump one hour after a feeding for several feedings, and freeze it so I always have some on hand. Maybe she would like it better if you mixed them both, and then slowly started reducing the amount of breastmilk in it?

[Lsnmommy2011]

Could you pump and freeze some milk for when you and hubby want to get away?

[MissusF]

I pump and keep a stash in the freezer in case I need to be away. Not sure why I bother since she usually refuses a bottle

My MIL was telling me about the recipe she used to make baby formula for her oldest kids (who are 48 and 50 now). It was sweetened with kayro syrup and black strap molasses. I doubt sweetening it a bit would hurt but maybe ask her pedi first. Maybe even a bit of gerber baby juice mixed in would make it sweet enough that she will drink it.

[Spyctre]

My mom said I would throw up all formula so my only suggestion would be what she used: powdered milk. I think doctors frown on that, though.

She's getting close to 6 months. Have you thought about maybe just giving her some baby food if you needed to be away? Nurse and then half a jar of something thickened with rice cereal? It'll fills mine up for a long time.

[HubbysSweetheart]

Thanks everyone, you all gave some great ideas.

As far as pumping goes I meant to say in my first post that although I do have a pump and have pumped before...... I hardly get Anything.... like 30 min trying both sides for not even an ounce. (With her screaming in the background cause I'm 'ignoring' her. )

I can get a good amount if I pump when she would typically eat.... but then I have a mad baby cause someone stole her milk! (She is now at the stage where I can barely get her to stay on long enough to get a full feeding, she wants to eat... have the milk come Now!.... and be done eating. She doesn't want to work for it/i.e. suck until the next letdown. So most of the time she's all mad that she's not full yet, but doesn't want to eat longer.... I've said this before... DRAMA QUEEN!!!) :haha: The plan was to pump at night when she was STTN but she is still getting up 2 + times and I am greedy about what little sleep I can get!

I will ask the pedi and see what she says. Chloe does already eat baby food, but as stated above she's barely getting a full feeding so while I could leave food that might keep her busy while she eats it for Maybe 30 min..... that's all the extra time it would buy us.

She hasn't taken a bottle in a long time... I was worried about nipple confusion and bought the breastflow bottles. They were awesome in the beginning and she went back and forth great the first few days while I was supplementing with formula until my milk came in..... but then I got busy and didn't keep her used to the bottle and she refused them.

The other day I saw a 'normal' bottle someone had gotten us from Dollar Tree it was really small and I was curious.... put a bit of apple juice with alot of water in it and...... She thought it was awesome! She could hold it herself, and there wasn't any work to getting something... which since the breastflow are designed to be 'like' mom they do. Live and learn!

So I have hope if I can just find a formula that she'll eat.

[Spyctre]

Winter does that! She'll eat one side, get a fast letdown, then she'll suck for 10 seconds on the other and pop off. I guess I'm not fast enough for her. lol Drives me nuts cause it makes me nurse her about every 2 hours during the day, alternating sides. She feeds a long time at night because that reflex takes over when she sleeps. Ha! I win!