still breast feeding at 11 months

Lakisha - posted on 01/31/2010

I'm in the same boat. My son is 11 months and hasn't had a bottle since May, when I stopped working. He will not take a bottle and struggled with the sippy cup. He did well with a straw so we let him drink out of those take and toss cups (they have some with a straw). Now he's beginning to get the hang of a sippy cup but he forgets to hold the cup up when it is running low.

Anne - posted on 01/26/2010

I'm in that boat too, just keep trying the sippy cups my son loves the munchkins and we started him on nubby,(the passi kind) [sorry about the spelling]. but my son actually feeds 4/5 times a day depending and if he wake up for my hubby's alarm.

Shelby - posted on 01/25/2010

Breastfeed your baby as long as she or he want's It is so healthy. There are moms out there that do it until they are 2 or 3 or even longer it really depends on what your baby wants. on thing that I have learnd is when you get ready to quit breastfeeding your baby give him or her a binkie It helps with the habbit of sucking................

Bethany - posted on 01/24/2010

Good on you Amber. That EASY routine is the best. I'm waiting until Charlotte is drinking milk either from her sippy or her cup in better volumes, then I'll cut out the day feed, and just BF first thing and last thing. I honestly think I could cut out all feeds and she wouldn't mikd much, as she never demands it, I just feed her when I want to. Though if I tried that, maybe she would start to demand it maybe, who knows.

I give her milk in a cup for lunch. She can pick up the cup and drink from it but then doesn't know what to do with the cup after. I made the holes in her sippy so big that she had to start tipping it up carefully or she would wear it and choke on it. So she knows how to carefully tip up a cup too now. Just with close supervision or it gets chucked or dropped after she drinks. I say "give it to mummy now" and sometimes she does, sometimes not.



She gets enough calcium from other foods like cheese, youghurt, lentils, veges, potatoes, etc to not need too much milk, just a little cup a day.

Amber - posted on 01/23/2010

My little one is 11 months and I am still b/feeding. He is now having 3 feeds a day, sleeping through the night, and like Bethany, I did the feed/play/sleep routine, but night time I leave it a little while so that I dont expect him to go so long at night. I am planning on weaning when I can get him to drink 'properly' out of a cup, so as to by-pass the whole bottle thing. He always just played with the sippy cup and wouldnt actually drink out of it, but gave him a straw,and drank like he'd been doing it for ages. Still not convinced enough to wean him though (and honestly, I think it's me delaying it, not him because I know once it's gone I'll miss it).

Good luck with it all - steady wins the race!

Bethany - posted on 01/22/2010

Charlotte has been 100% BF, she's nearly 1. She was on 6 feeds /24hrs for a long long time. I have been using Tracy Hogg's EASY routine since her birth, so feeding AFTER each sleep. That way she didn't associate breast with going to sleep. So as she got older, I would just feed her when ever she got up from a sleep or nap. As she napped less, she fed less.



She has 2 naps a day now, so she fed first thing in the morning, after her AM nap, after her PM nap and then before bed at night, and usually some time once through the night, so 5 times.



She needs solid food now to get enough Iron and Protien, etc, so too much milk at this stage stops her eating solids. So I now feed her first thing, then solid Bfast, snack, lunch, then after her afternoon nap another breastfeed, then snack, and dinner, then breastfeed before bed.



She's actually getting through the 24hrs with the 3 feeds now, and is eating up her veges and fish and pulses and lentils and fruit and yoghurt and cheese and meat and crackers, etc much better. She is sleeping from 7.30/8pm to around 4/5am, feeding and then sleeping in a little more. If she wakes like this, I give her Bfast straight after she wakes the second time, if she goes through to a decent hour, then I BF her before Bfast.



Nora, I assume you are using cloth nappies, and walking where-ever you go. It's great to have such enthusiasm for your lifestyle. There is alot of truth in what you say, but this is now the time to start letting the goodness of solid food take precedence over the goodness of breastmilk, not to the exclusion of either.

Katie - posted on 01/22/2010

yes and i plan on letting him self wean

Cindy - posted on 01/20/2010

I am still breast feeding but have cut it down to one feed at night - it is hard to let go but for me 1 year is when I stop. I just cut out one feed a week. I believe you stop when you are ready - it is really a personal choice. I love breastfeeding - it makes you feel close to baby. I find it hard to wean - I shed a few tears. One of my girls took a sippy cup the other wouldn't so I tried a cup with a straw - she loved it. It can take a while for them to get the hang of a sipper cup.

Christine - posted on 01/20/2010

I still breastfeed my daughter and she is 11 months. I introduced the sippy cup at 6 months and all she did was chew on it then but she is use to it now and is fine. I saw just keep offering.

Rebecca - posted on 01/19/2010

There are many different kinds of sippy cups. I like the Munchkin brand because they have different kinds and the parts can be interchangable. For example my 11 month old now doesnt need the handles on the cup so I can choose to use it or not as a lid. He also doesnt do well with the normal sippy lid yet, but does really well with the straw. It doesnt leak but he somehow can suck on it better than the regular sippy lids. They are silicone so they are soft. Yes he does still also chew on it because he is teething as well. I just went from 4 feedings to just a morning and night feeding. I struggle to get him to drink enough fluids to compensate for not nursing. I find that he actually likes water best and if the sippy cup is ALWAYS with him, then he sips through out the day. I fill the cup all the way and at the end of the day gauge how much he actually has taken. He wont take a bottle either, OR formula so I am waiting to ween the final 2 feedings until he is 1 year and I can try whole milk. Good luck. Just keep at it. Eventually they all get it.

Pamela - posted on 01/19/2010

It sounds like you are on the right track. I think consistency is key- keep offering offering offering. It can be frustrating, but we all know it will soon pay off... Since we don't see teenagers walking around asking for a sippy cup and pureed foods! :) Let your little angel be your guide for what is working at the moment, but continue to work towards finger foods! I did puffs for a while until my girl mastered them. Then I went to other cereals like Cheerios since they have fewer ingredients and less sugar. I would still try to offer pain water instead of juice though. Juice can lead to earlier tooth decay, but also they just don't need the extra sugar. We all need water to stay hydrated and function, it is probably a good idea to get our kids on that 'bandwagon' early. Good Luck! Oh yeah, I use the 'take and toss' sippy cups that are meant for of the go. I use them because for 1 thing they are easier to use than the expensive ones, and my daughter has an easier time holding them. They are pretty durable for being disposable too.

Melissa - posted on 01/19/2010

Right now the only thing I am offering her is juice in a sippy. I am not going to be giving her formula. So, if she starts drinking out of the sippy, I will probably pump. She's still on 2nd foods, she seems to gag, then throw up on anything with texture. I bought those yougert meltaways and the puffs. She does ok with those if I break them down into smaller pieces.

Pamela - posted on 01/18/2010

My daughter still nurses too, she'll be 11 months soon. I would say just like with foods- keep on offering a sippy cup, over and over. Do you plan to pump and give her that milk or are you trying to offer formula? I just ask since it is recommended kids get breastmilk/formula through 1 year of age for adequet nutrition. Is she eating solid food well? drinking water?

Tonya - posted on 01/18/2010

Hi, Melissa!

We have been working on sippy cups too. We found that Nuk makes a cheap one that is good. We took out the control valve and put watered down juice in it. He now knows to suck on it instead of biting on it. It can be messy though and I'd recommend a thick bib. We haven't done formula yet but at least he now knows how to use it. He's had a bad stomach virus so we haven't been able to introduce it all the time. I hope that helps though! Good luck!