WEANING thread...Come and share your experiences and offer support.

[Shellha]

My DS will be 1 a week from today and I am very proud of the both of us for getting to this stage with breastfeeding, however for a number of reasons it is time for us to stop. From day 1 BF has been a dream, I am definitely one of the lucky one's without nipple soreness or any other issues.

DS will not take a bottle, and at this stage I would prefer him to go straight to a cup. We can get him to take a small amount of water from a cup but not much milk/formula from a cup.

Today for the first time DH took DS downstairs without seeing me and offered him a sippy cup of formula (he wouldn;t take it) and then a bottle (wouldn;t take it and kept saying 'Mum, Mum, Mummmmmm') Dh brought him to be after he had had breakfast and he wanted to nurse, so we did.

I tried to give him a sippy of cow's milk (which he doesn't mind the taste of) for his 2nd feed and he didn't want it. He was crying and crying, pulling at my shirt. When he stopped nursing I had teeth indentations (he has 7) on both nipples!

I guess what I am asking is, am I best to keep trying the sippy cup first, and if he refuses give him a BF? Or does this just teach him that if he says no to the cup he will get boob anyway. I am also concerned about forming negative associations with the sippy cup as we have only just started to get the hang of it.

He will be without me for 24 hrs in 2 weeks so I need a way of dealing with this for the ILs who will be minding him. I guess they can just fill him with yoghurt and give him cereal twice a day for dairy intake?

Like us all on this thread wanting advice, this is starting to consume me. I almost wish I had introduced a bottle of formula earlier on (he did have one for DF but as he was asleep he wouldn't take it when awake).

TIA for any suggestions

[lisi's mum]

It sounds like he sure wants those boobies!  I'd say if you're wanting to wean and introduce the sippy you're going to have to be consistent, meaning if you offer the sippy you offer the sippy and that's that. You could try seperating the bfs and the times you give a sippy, say the second feed of the day is not going to come out of you. If he doesn't take the sippy or bottle give him an extra dose of yougurt or so at the next meal time. If you're still on 4 feeds a day he'll probably make up his milk intake at the next bf if things didn't go to plan with the sippy cup.

As far as 24 hours with the inlaws goes, it's great to prepare him (and yourself) as much as you can. You'll probably find he's much more adaptable for them than for you - he'll gather that it's this or nothing and play along.

[connismum]

Thank you samuel'smum for all your help. I am pleased to report that the strike is over it is such a relief i don't think I'm ready to stop nursing yet, eventhough i had thought i would be it is such a lovely experience.
                                  Thank you for all your advice
                                      Kind Regards Simone

[Shellha]

Katie - thanks for your reply! We are down to 3 feeds a day, usually around 7am/2.30pm/6.30pm. I was just saying to DH that we might drop the midday feed to begin with and see how we go. Tried doing it today and it was like he heard what we were saying - for the first time ever he came and pulled at my shirt and cried after I gave him the sippy cup. I am such a strong person usually - just not with my boy!!! :-)

I really hope that he is OK with the ILs, he will just have to be. I tried to get MIL to help with getting him on to a bottle, but I warned her it would be a struggle and she said she wasn't willing to do it. I think she thinks DS will look on her badly if she has to 'force' him to do something!!! Great help seeing I live O/S with no family or friends around to help otherwise!!!!!

Has anyone else dropped the midday feed this way and then had luck dropping the other 2 feeds shortly after?

Also, which feed usually goes first, the morning or night one?

TIA

[lisi's mum]

It's a terrible worry, I know having to leave your LO with somebody knowing they may have problems getting him to take a bottle. All you can do is reassure yourself that he won't purposefully do himself any harm. You can tell your MIL that if she REALLY has no luck from a bottle she could try a plastic beaker (not sippy, a normal cup), hold it to his lips and let him sip, or drink from a spoon. They're both a bit messy, but work suprizingly well. He won't be mad at your MIL (well, no longer than 5 minutes  ).

I dropped the evening feed before the morning one - she would wake at 5.30 and it was my way of knocking her out again and getting a bit more sleep   

[saree's mom]

Dont know if im on the right thread but I am having alot of trouble getting my 11 mo old to drink cows milk, she just refuses. After 1 sip and realizing what it is she wont take another sip.

I was told not to add chocolate which i agree is not a solution, however i really really am ready to stop BFing, what do i do??

[Mommy to Paige]

Hey girls...
I am having the same concerns and issues.. she will take the sippy cup but she doesn't drink enough to make u p for more than one feed.. so we are doing alot of yogurt and cheese.. but i am feeling bad.
Shell-- we stopped the mid day feed and she didn't seem to mind it.. after a day or two it was easy we did this for about a week or two and then i stopped the morning feed 3 days ago and she seems to be ok. we just do yogurt and cereal first thing in the morning. now i am not sure what to do.. she is also teething and grumpy i think because of her teeth and clingy but then maybe it is the weaning. I don't know..
then how when do i start the night one and how do i do that one.. she sleep through the night right now and what is the night feed missing for her going tobe like..
it is working so far but i am worried that she is not getting enough milk... but i guess that  i will have to ask my DR again..
last time he said that if she will take the milk great.. and just give her lots of solids all day and that is what we are doing..

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Do your lo's take any fluid out of either a bottle or a sippy?  Have you tried different types of sippy cups?  What about toddler formula or EBM?  Some moms start with mixing EBM and cow's milk until they get used to the taste. You could also try soy milk or rice milk, if you want, but you'd have to supplement with Vitamin D...

[Shellha]

Erin - thanks for your questions/concern.

My DS takes very little liquid out of a sippy cup. We have been trying to get him on to it for at least 4 months now (solidly) and he has only just got the hang of it. We went thru loads of different sippy cups/straw cups etc and we are back with the one we started on! If he is in the mood (which is rare) he will take it from me and take a few sips but that is it.

I have tried formula, water, cow's milk and diluted baby juice - the only thing he has been remotely interested in is the juice, but I don;t really want to go down that route. He does take a bit of water too occasionally.

He will NOT take a bottle!!!!! If only ....

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Well....there is a fair bit of liquid in food if you work on it....I let my lo basically snack on liquids whenever she'd be willing when I was concerned about her fluid intake.  Things got much better for her once she started daycare - peer pressure I guess!

[saree's mom]

Anyone having any luck dropping morning and nite feeds? Those are the last 2 we have. And im so scared to drop them. I feel like she doesnt take enuf liquids at all
My dr said just drop it, try to give liquidy foods  like yogurt, fruit, soup... and eventually she will drink more. She is great with dairy products but wont touch cows milk...
Does anyone think thats a good idea to just stop the BFing and assume they will just drink more after a few days???

[lisi's mum]

What about trying to drop just one of those feeds or is it important to you to get rid of both?

[saree's mom]

No i can do one, Im just nervous about her liquid intake. Its not that much as it is. My dr doesnt seem nervous but I am.
Especially with the summer here. She doesnt guzzle her sippy cup, she sips.(actually guzzled once, and i was stunned) If she drinks a full 6 oz. water thats good. And doesnt BF too long either.

[lisi's mum]

I just make sure there's a sippy of water around all the time as my dd only sips too. Every time I notice it I ask if she wants some, sometimes she drinks, sometimes she says no. You have to rely on the fact that if she has access to fluids she'll drink if she's thirsty.

You know the old saying about leading a horse to water...

I also try to make water "fun" Saree's maybe still a little too young, but you can still try and work towards letting her drink from a normal cup. Mine cracked this (holding the cup herself) by about 14 mo and drinks alot more that way. Or from a mineral water bottle with a sports lid, or even just a straw in the bottle. Turns things into a game.

[saree's mom]

thats a good idea, thank you!!