How late can nipple confusion occur?

[Jodie]

Is it most likely when baby and mom are learning, in the very beginning?

I ask because (as posted about a while back) DH and I are going on a
getaway courtesy of his employer in early August. We are considering
letting my parents keep the kids, DD will be 6 months then. I have
plenty of frozen EBM for her to get while we are away, and I will pump
while away from her, too.

Just wondering if nipple confusion would be a possibility this late in
the game. (FWIW - she does take bottles of EBM every now and then,
maybe once a week, just fine)

TIA,
Jodie

[Iuil]

"Jodie" wrote
> Is it most likely when baby and mom are learning, in the very beginning?
>

Usually. Nipple confusion is actually a latching problem which occurs when
a baby is given an artificial teat before learning how to latch on the
breast with success every time.

There's also a gateway at around 4-6 months where a baby can decide that
he/she prefers bottles over the breast because of the faster rate of flow.
However, this is more properly referred to as bottle preference.

> I ask because (as posted about a while back) DH and I are going on a
> getaway courtesy of his employer in early August. We are considering
> letting my parents keep the kids, DD will be 6 months then. I have
> plenty of frozen EBM for her to get while we are away, and I will pump
> while away from her, too.
>

How long will you be gone for?

> Just wondering if nipple confusion would be a possibility this late in
> the game. (FWIW - she does take bottles of EBM every now and then,
> maybe once a week, just fine)
>

If she's already taking bottles then you don't have to worry about nipple
confusion. However, I would wonder about the possibility of bottle
preference at this stage.

Jean




--
"And he said:
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of
Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and
though they are with you, yet they belong not to you." Khalil Gibran


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[Jodie]

Thanks for the reply, Jean.

I did forget to mention that we will be gone from Friday evening to
Sunday, around noon (so about 34 - 40 hours)

Jodie

[Larry McMahan]

Jodie > writes:
: Thanks for the reply, Jean.

: I did forget to mention that we will be gone from Friday evening to
: Sunday, around noon (so about 34 - 40 hours)

: Jodie

IMHO, this is not long enough for him to "forget how" (or decide he
doesn't want to) nurse.

Good luck,
Larry

[Cheryl M. \(ChatBrat\)]

"Jodie" > wrote in message
...
> Is it most likely when baby and mom are learning, in the very beginning?
>
> I ask because (as posted about a while back) DH and I are going on a
> getaway courtesy of his employer in early August. We are considering
> letting my parents keep the kids, DD will be 6 months then. I have
> plenty of frozen EBM for her to get while we are away, and I will pump
> while away from her, too.
>
> Just wondering if nipple confusion would be a possibility this late in
> the game. (FWIW - she does take bottles of EBM every now and then,
> maybe once a week, just fine)
>
> TIA,
> Jodie
>

Make sure you use a low flow nipple (those designed for newborns). That
way, there's less likely a chance of the baby growing a preference for the
faster bottle. They have to work hard to get the milk from these nipples so
it's closer to the real thing.

theother Cheryl

[Beth]

"Jodie" > wrote in message
...
> Is it most likely when baby and mom are learning, in the very beginning?

That is my understanding, though giving a pacifier to my 6 mo. old for a
single day caused him to start biting me! Taking it away solved that
problem.


--
Beth
John & Theodor's mother
b.&d. 12/25/99 & b. 12/3/02

[Clare L]

DS had to have bottles at 5 months for a few days when I was in hospital and
as soon as I was back he latched straight back on. He'd been having the
occasional bottle in the run up to get him used to the idea.
So in my case there was no problem and we're still going strong at 10
months.

HTH
Clare

--
------------------
Clare Lauwerys
www.blunder.demon.co.uk
www.lamaction.org
"Jodie" > wrote in message
...
> Is it most likely when baby and mom are learning, in the very beginning?
>
> I ask because (as posted about a while back) DH and I are going on a
> getaway courtesy of his employer in early August. We are considering
> letting my parents keep the kids, DD will be 6 months then. I have
> plenty of frozen EBM for her to get while we are away, and I will pump
> while away from her, too.
>
> Just wondering if nipple confusion would be a possibility this late in
> the game. (FWIW - she does take bottles of EBM every now and then,
> maybe once a week, just fine)
>
> TIA,
> Jodie
>

[Iuil]

"Jodie" wrote
> Thanks for the reply, Jean.
>
> I did forget to mention that we will be gone from Friday evening to
> Sunday, around noon (so about 34 - 40 hours)
>
> Jodie

Should be fine. If you'd said a week or longer I'd have to yell at you ;-)
but less than two days? I doubt he'll either forget how or why - he'll
probably launch himself at you as soon as you walk in the door :-).

Jean


--
"And he said:
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of
Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and
though they are with you, yet they belong not to you." Khalil Gibran

Return address is unread. Replies to <firstnamelastname> @eircom.net.

[Jenrose]

"Jodie" > wrote in message
...
> Is it most likely when baby and mom are learning, in the very beginning?
>
> I ask because (as posted about a while back) DH and I are going on a
> getaway courtesy of his employer in early August. We are considering
> letting my parents keep the kids, DD will be 6 months then. I have
> plenty of frozen EBM for her to get while we are away, and I will pump
> while away from her, too.
>

Nipple confusion is not what I'd be worried about. Then again, I didn't
leave my daughter for longer than a couple hours until she was closer to a
year old, and then it was never longer than 6 hours until she was nearly
two.

I'd worry more about baby being willing to come back to nursing at all at
that age. At that age, it's less about confusion in "how to nurse" as a
whole complex range of emotional separation issues.

IMHO, 6 months is FAR too young for a child to be away from parents
overnight, particularly a nursing baby.

Jenrose

[DGoree]

"Jenrose" wrote,

<<IMHO, 6 months is FAR too young for a child to be away from parents
overnight, particularly a nursing baby.>>

ITA. If it were me, I'd either find a way to bring the baby on the trip or
else politely decline (maybe try for a raincheck?).

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of little babies being left
while the parents are travelling is British royalty, and look how they turned
out. ;-)

Mary Ellen
William (8)
Matthew (6)
Margaret (1)