[~* Liss *~]

Hi ladies,
I need help!!! Nikolas is still BFing. He won't take any BM from a bottle or a sippy cup. He will take a bit of water from a cup and a little from a bottle but that's all. I wanna start weaning... I'm going to be going back to work soon ( ) and he will have to be off the breast by then.
He nurses when he wants to nap, he nurses when it's bedtime and he nurses for comfort!

Any help will be appreciated!!

[jensma]

awww Liss I wish I could help. It's gonna be rough when we have to do this too!

[fromustobaby]

we are still going through it, but it isnt easy...first thing we did was establish a routine (at around 9 months or so)...specify when he would get boob (instead of just whenever he wanted it)...distract him or offer food or play toys or milk/formula in a sippy...I think I started at 6 (previously I had been doing 10 or more)...then went down from there...right now we are at 2 per day...

At 10 months I started offering him whole milk from a sippy whenever he wanted boob and when he was eating...I would heat the milk a bit cause he liked it better that way...it would always drool out of his mouth - for weeks...

last week, he FINALLY got it and can drink from a sippy by himself...but it took about 2 months to get that to happen...

Right now, he only gets boob before he goes to sleep (and nap)...to give you an idea of our schedule:

In the morning, Matt wakes up with him and gives him about 8 oz of milk and a banana and oatmeal...
Then when I get up, he is full and doesnt want boob (that one was big)...

We go out and do something and I bring milk with me and offer it whenever he wants (he usually has an easier time taking it when he is in the carseat), and then come home and give him lunch (offering milk as much as possible)...

then boob (and he doesnt eat as much since he is full) and nap...

Wakes up and I have the warmed milk ready for him, and then usually he gets yobaby and a snack - cheerios or something similar...

Then we will go till dinner, he eats a big dinner with a bit of milk, then boob right before bed...

[MarinaAndCharlie'sMommy]

Tonya's suggestions are great ones. What really helped us was that I only offered the boobie after she had eaten solid meals. Plus, I do work so she had to start drinking BM out of bottles while she was with the sitter. BM out of bottles seemed to be an easier transition for her than just formula or something. Once I did have to supplement with formula I did half pumped BM and half formula and that seemed a good way to transition to formula. At 11 months we started doing some organic whole milk and she like that immediately. Sometimes I do have to warm it up, but she's doing much better with cold drinks. Marina won't drink milk out of a sippy, just water or 1/2juice 1/2 water. Try having your DH give her some bottles while you go and take some time for your self and hopefully he will do better with a bottle. Good luck! I know how hard it is. I get teary eyed just thinking about no more BFing...

[Celry]

Tonya does have great suggestions.

One thing that works for me is to not sit where i would normally nurse. Which meant for a long time I didn't sit on the couch with them unless they were going to nurse. Sounds a bit ridiculous, but it worked. They still ask for milk anytime I sit and cuddle them on the couch, but now they don't throw a fit when I tell them it isn't time for milk. Offering other nutrition and distractions were the best things for us.

A&E are older, but something I do now is tell them that the milk went night night. THey don't bother me to nurse when I tell them it's asleep.

[~* Liss *~]

Ladies! You rock!!

Ok, my weaning has been put aside as Nikolas has a virus. Doc said to just do what he needs. He's had a fever off and on and was puking this morning. My poor boy!

So, here's his schedule now:
He gets up around 7am. I usually offer him a boob then. Then he has his breakfast of cereal and bananas (sometimes toast - depending on his mood)

He nurses for his morning nap. That's going to be a hard one to stop.

After nap, we play for a bit before lunch. He doesn't normally nurse until after his lunch - and even then I delay it.

The afternoons are hard.. cause sometimes he doesn't have an after lunch boob and he's good til his nap time.

Then he has dinner, bath and a double boob for bed.

He won't take BM out of anything other than my boob. Doc has ok'd us to start cows milk. He does drink a bit of water from a bottle and sippy cups.