Any success stories re: cold turkey weaning?

[Richter015]

I am wondering if there are any success stories out there regarding cold turkey weaning.  We have been trying unsuccessfully to give our 10 month old daughter a bottle for a week.  I try every feed and have had her Auntie try as well.  The past two days, I have also tried using a regular cup and a straw sippy cup, but no go.   She is on a great EASY schedule for her age. Sleeps well, eats well, but has no desire to drink formula.  I have also tried to express breast milk, but this is also a no go and really even if it was, not sonethign I can sustain.  I think with my daughter's personality, we will need to go cold turkey if I want to have some success with this.  Everything I have read says not to do this unless I absolutely have to, but both our doctor and a friend's pediatrician said that cold turkey is the best way to go to lessen confusion.  I am feeling very selfish right now for wanting to stop breast feeding, but I just don't think I can do it any longer.  Anyone out there try cold turkey weaning and have some advice? 

[Lolly]

I'm going to move this over to the breast feeding board as I think you'll get better advice and more experience there.

Laura

[Shiv52]

A week is a tiny amount of time to be trying for given she's been BFing for 10 months.  I would just keep trying with the bottle and see how she goes over another week or two. 

You're right in that cold turkey weaning is not recommended unless it is for medical reasons as it can cause much distress for involved.

At 10 months she needs to be getting at least 20 oz of BM/formula in a day, usually more like 24-26oz so the issue i would see with cold turkey is she'll just refuse any formula in a bottle or a cup and you'll get a bit stuck. 

Does she drink water in a cup? 

I wonder if you did a few days of doing a BF am and bedtime and offering only formula in the day would you have more luck (and not let her fill up on solids so she's hungry for the milk?)    Have you tried offering her a bottle when she's waking from a nap and drowsy? 

[Richter015]

Yes, she does drink water in a cup and out of a sippy cup with a straw.  I have tried giving her milk this way as well, but she hasn't been interested so far. 

With regards to your idea re: only offering formula during the day, if she refuses then your idea woud be to not resort to breastfeeding as I have been?  I usually try formula for every feed and when it doesn't work, we remove ourselves from the situation, take a break and then I breastfeed.

I like the idea of trying a bottle after a nap...it would mean tweaking our EASY, however, but it might work.  Right now she BF at 7am and then again between 10am and 10:15 as she goes down for her first nap at 10:30 for usually 2 hours.  After this, she then BF at 3pm and usually goes down again around 3:30 for 45 minutes.

I know cold turkey weaning is not recommended and I am willing to continue to try to offer a bottle, but for how long?  And don't you think it is confusing to her to be refused breastfeeds during the day but get them in the mornign and at night?  What if she just doesn't eat during the day?

Thanks for your suggestions and support.     

[Roseii]

The other thing to think about is after 12m milk isn't their main source of nutrition anymore, so if you wanted to or could (and I understand if 2 months sounds like a long time) then you can get calcium into LO in lots of other ways, if no longer bf or having formula xx