HELP! Babysitting a nursing baby

[PrincessV]

and he wants the one thing I can't give him!!! Any suggestions to help the poor little guy out???

 

[Microcell]

Does he have a pacifier? If the mom does not want that habit started then don't do that. I have let my kids suck on my finger after washing of course, and if you don't have long nails! I did that and it soothed my kids when I was not in a position to feed them. That is a whole other thread!

If he is a real little guy your pinkie should do in a pinch!

 

[brymolmom]

Did the parents leave any formula or breast milk? If so - a bottle would probably do the trick. OR - if they don't want to introduce a bottle, a small amount in a cup offered a tiny bit at a time will fill the void.

Other than that - I can't imagine that the parents would leave him/her without food if he's really going to be hungry while they're gone (unless its unavoidable) - so maybe the baby isn't really hungry, just fussy. Try turning on the shower really loud...turning on the dryer and put the baby in a bouncy seat (if old enough for that) on top of it (while holding it so it doesn't fall off)...take out the vaccuum cleaner - the noise might soothe the baby and you'd be helping out the parents with a clean floor too.

Good luck.

 

[tanyaandallie]

If he is hungry but won't take the bottle, try feeding him some from a syringe or a cup. If he is just unhappy, swaddle him up, let him suck on your finger, do the normal baby comforting things.

 

[disneyde]

My youngest would not take a bottle even with breastmilk she would act offended if a bottle were offered to her when I wasn't with her and others cared for her. But one girl friend of mine did manage to console her by using a blanket with my scent and hold her close her own breast and feeding her breast milk from a bottle. It might help if you have the Mom show you feeding postions the baby is used to.

 

[PrincessV]

How funny is it that when crisis struck, I immediately thought to turn to my DIS friends for advice?!

He's 4 months old and does eat from a bottle about 50% of the time, but he kept pushing it away and, well, made it abundantly clear what he really wanted! Pacifier wasn't cutting it, nor did my finger. The poor little guy eventually cried himself to sleep on my shoulder. He'd already had 7 ounces, so I think he was just tired and wanting some comfort and familiarity to fall asleep.

I never thought of the dryer, vacuum, etc.! My DS was so ridiculously easy to please and comfort, I think I missed out on a lot of parenting tricks of the trade.

Thanks again for your suggestions - I'll be caring for him again in the near future, so I'm happy to be armed with ideas!

 

[Bev J]

I have been a home daycare provider for 27 years, so you can imagine I have had lots of BF babies..sometimes it is just the type of bottle. I have found that most nipples just don't flow fast enough for the BF baby and usually I get a large carpet needle heat it with my candle lighter and widen out the hole in the nipple, then boil the nipples to sterilize them. This usually works for me, I also hold the baby in a 'nursing' position while feeding.
The bottle I have the most problem with is the playtex nurser type, funny they are supposed to be 'just like mom'. Most seem to just want a regular nipple.

Hope it is easier for you next time. Do you have a swing to soothe? Course some babies love it, others hate it...

Good luck!!

Bev

 

[3littleHalls]

I used to babysit a baby that wouldn't take a bottle either, but she did do a little better if I ran the vaccum cleaner while trying to give her the bottle. Also, her mother would sleep on top of a baby blanket and bring it with her to my house. Then I would put the blanket around her, turn on the vaccum and then give the bottle....and yes she is still a strong willed child to this day! LOL!

 

[ilovejack02]

How funny is it that when crisis struck, I immediately thought to turn to my DIS friends for advice?!

He's 4 months old and does eat from a bottle about 50% of the time, but he kept pushing it away and, well, made it abundantly clear what he really wanted! Pacifier wasn't cutting it, nor did my finger. The poor little guy eventually cried himself to sleep on my shoulder. He'd already had 7 ounces, so I think he was just tired and wanting some comfort and familiarity to fall asleep.

I never thought of the dryer, vacuum, etc.! My DS was so ridiculously easy to please and comfort, I think I missed out on a lot of parenting tricks of the trade.

Thanks again for your suggestions - I'll be caring for him again in the near future, so I'm happy to be armed with ideas!

Poor tiny baby.. Mine is 4 and i have friends with new babies and sometimes im like what the heck do i do with these kids lol.

 

[sskem96]

I babysit a 12 mo. old breast fed baby, and have been watching him since he was 3 mos. I found that he does better if I put a blanket over my shoulder and over him since that is what he is used to when mom is nursing.

I had a lot of trouble getting him to eat for me in the beginning, and a friend of mine said her son would only take a bottle if the sitter sat him up in her lap facing away from her. Sounds a little awkward, but as long as he wasn't near her breast at all, he did fine.

My only other suggestion would be if he had already taken oz., maybe he was full and had a tummy ache and was just looking to nurse for comfort. Do you burp him after every couple ounces? Try putting a receiving blanket in the dryer for a few minutes to warm it up, then fold in and put it on his stomach and swaddle him in another blanket, or just put it inside his outfit if there's room.

It takes some trial and error to see what works for each baby. Good luck!

 

[glass slipper girl]

My aunt watches my cousins DD who is breastfed and does not appreciate being held and bottle fed. She swears by using the Podee hands free bottles. She puts a blanket that smells like Mom across her chest, holds the nipple up against her and then holds baby in a nursing hold basically. Doing that the baby never sees the bottle. Somehow that seems to help.