How do I ween if she won't drink the formula??

Tiffany - posted on 05/22/2010

so, funny thing, she will take the formula mixed with the breastmilk for the babysitter! We are adding formula little by little....I'm still going to breastfeed but at least she will have a few extra ounces and when we go to the beach this summer, i might be able to pack her formula instead of trying to pump a bottle. Thanks for all the tips!

Valerie - posted on 05/22/2010

feed her breastmilk until one year and then i would mix mostly breast milk and a bit of formula or milk...i would introduce cups of breastmilk...things to adjust her...pump lots of milk and freeze so the changeover can be gradual from breast milk to other milk..and this will be best on her bowels too...all the best

Brandy - posted on 05/22/2010

I also weaned my daughter at 9 months but was planning to breastfeed up to a year. Everyone told me to do it really slowly so I thought if I removed one feeding at 9 months then slowly took away another every few weeks, she would be done at about a year. Well, she wouldn't take her formula either, so I decided we would start with the feeding that landed between dinner and bed time so that her dad could give it to her after work because if I wasn't in the room, she would take it. If I was there, she wanted my breast so I would hide in the kitchen while her dad gave her the bottle with no problem. Well, after about 3 days, she wouldn't take my breast anymore. She would scream and push me away any time I offered! I was crushed not to mention sore because of the abrupt weaning and my milk supply still being so high and not letting down for the pump. I tried again every feeding but she wouldn't take it so after a few weeks, I gave up trying. So, try the whole getting somebody else to give it to her thing but if you plan on bf until a year anyways, you might want to hold off for a bit.

Sarah - posted on 05/21/2010

How are people handling early morning and late night feedings while weaning. I want to start weaning our little girl (15 months) but she is very stubborn. I might be able to work some cow's milk into our morning/late night feeding but we usually do that before getting up and heading downstairs. I usually feed her in bed, as we are co-sleeping. I can't see keeping a sippy cup of milk out all night. Any ideas?

Kathy - posted on 05/20/2010

Let's face it, would YOU drink that stuff? Can you put some breast milk into her cup? And while you're getting her used to the cup, maybe if you kept breastfeeding for a couple more months, you can bypass the formula altogether. I wouldn't even bother with a bottle - keep using a cup.
I definitely wouldn't be adding any flavourings at this young age.

Marissa - posted on 05/19/2010

goats milk is a great alternative to cows milk. The fats and protine's in it are easier for babies to digest and it doesn't have the lactose. also soy milk has a lot of estrogen in it and that is not very good for children. it can cause early puberty and raises the risk of cancer. I would say that wait until you are ready to wean and do it then, don't build up to it,. As long as you are willing to give her the best food possible, your breast milk, give it to her. She might suprose you to at 11 mohts and just stop, or plan a weekend away with some girlfriends when you are ready to wean and have daddy take care of her and that way she will have to take what she gets! The strawberry syrup or chocolate syrup is a good idea. My oldest son wouldn't take milk from a cup as well and we wanted to get rid of the bottle, so we put a tiny bit of chocolate syrup in it at he drinks it that way. i would encourage you to get to the year mark and THEN take action, like someone else said, 9 months is still pretty young. Good for you for nursing though!!

Alicia - posted on 05/19/2010

Some people might not agree with this but when I was trying to wean my daughter nothing would work. So one day we added a few drops of strawberry syrup to the formula bottle and she took right to it and drank it all. Eventually she took the bottle with out the flavoring.

Simone - posted on 05/19/2010

i'd not worry about it just yet., in a couple more months she will be older and understand more and you may find she will be more receptive to the bottle. i started cutting a feed out (lunch) around 12mths and substituted with rice milk (less alergins than soy and closer to the b-milk in sweetness)(try in a sippy cup instead of bottle and say how grown up she is and show her how to drink from it) thinking my son would be weaned in a couple of weeks, and sometimes the morning feed if he didn't ask. more my lazyness i kept going untill he self weaned at 15mths. now he drinks rice milk and cows milk on his cereal. breast feeding is one of the best gifts you can give your child as it is so nutricious for them and such a good start for their lives

Sara - posted on 05/17/2010

I ended up going straight from breastfeeding to cows milk around 11-12 months with my daughter. However, the cows milk always went into sippy cups, not bottles. I did start with mostly breastmilk and some cows milk, then gradually increasing 1/2 and 1/2, then 1/4 breastmilk and 3/4 cows milk, until eventually she just accepted the cows milk without problem. Hope you find something that works for you!

Becca - posted on 05/17/2010

My daughter wouldnt have anything but breast milk (17months) She was determinds to breastfeed. I took her to the baby shop one day and picked a few animated bottles that i thought she would like. I got her to choose one and through the day i would ocationally offer her a bottle of oat milk (lots got wasted to begin with) I would make a big thing of her bottle being really cool, it had a duck on it, and say things like wasnt that nice? Now a few months down the track, she is still breastfeeding but will also take a bottle so when we are both ready, we will continue to completely removing the bf's.

Celeste - posted on 05/17/2010

You can still nurse past 12 months, if you choose to, BTW.

Having said that, if you still want to wean, here is are some ideas on how to wean:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/index...

Tiffany - posted on 05/17/2010

I still plan on breastfeeding until 12 months but I'm afraid she isn't going to want to stop then...I thought I'd have to use formula to get her off of the breast. What are your suggestions for stopping at 12 months? I don't want to give her regular milk but might use soy milk instead.

Celeste - posted on 05/17/2010

9 months is still pretty young. Is there a way you can continue to breastfeed for another 3 months so that you can bypass formula all together?