Marty

My son never took a bottle or a soother despite trying several types. I breastfed him exclusively for 5 1/2 months which was posibly a contributing factor. He did not like the feel and seemed to have a delayed gag reflex and difficulty co-ordinating sucking, breathing and swallowing. That's my Speech & Language Therapy background talking. They have to re-learn to do the same action using different means. I am not sure if a 'magic' bottle does exist but one is bound to work. Too bad I did not come across the MAM ones. At 11 months he was happy with a sipping cup and even a straw - prior to that it was small tea cups and spoons that were getting liquids in him. He is still brestfeeding at 1 1/2 yrs. We skipped the bottle all together and now it is the comforting aspect that keeps us going. It is also really convenient as we travel a lot and it is one of the few things he manages to keep down when ill. Starting early, using different kinds of bottles and disappearing while someone else offers the bottle (they know they can get something else form you and they smell you) seems to be the formula. Still every baby is different. I have kept some glass feeding bottles and have several unused teats if anyone will like them. And a barely used bottle steriliser. Best of luck, M

My son never took a bottle or a soother despite trying several types. I breastfed him exclusively for 5 1/2 months which was posibly a contributing factor. He did not like the feel and seemed to have a delayed gag reflex and difficulty co-ordinating sucking, breathing and swallowing. That's my Speech & Language Therapy background talking. They have to re-learn to do the same action using different means. I am not sure if a 'magic' bottle does exist but one is bound to work. Too bad I did not come across the MAM ones. At 11 months he was happy with a sipping cup and even a straw - prior to that it was small tea cups and spoons that were getting liquids in him. He is still brestfeeding at 1 1/2 yrs. We skipped the bottle all together and now it is the comforting aspect that keeps us going. It is also really convenient as we travel a lot and it is one of the few things he manages to keep down when ill. Starting early, using different kinds of bottles and disappearing while someone else offers the bottle (they know they can get something else form you and they smell you) seems to be the formula. Still every baby is different. I have kept some glass feeding bottles and have several unused teats if anyone will like them. And a barely used bottle steriliser. Best of luck, M

When I was pregnant I heard everything you can possibly imagine but as my bump was mostly baby other people hardly took notice I was actually pregnant under the winter layers. I don't know which was actually worse. I stopped paying attention and enjoyed every last minute of the pregnancy, which was smooth. If you have absolutely nothing to worry about there is no need to take on other people's neuroses. Sleep, eat, relax. Oh! The last bit of advice for making the last month a little more comfortable - a really cushy matress pad and bigger shoes. Best of luck with wellcoming your baby! Marty