Wean from nursing, won't take bottle or sippy cup

Angie - posted on 03/25/2009

Quoting Tamara:

Wean from nursing, won't take bottle or sippy cup

I am trying to wean my 1 year old. The problem is that at 6 months she went on a bottle strike. She will bite/chew on a bottle or sippy cup but will not drink. We are on a 8/12/4/8 routine. I have already stopped nursing at 4 and am giving her a bottle but she is not getting more than an ounce. Any suggestions?

I know this may sound kinda yuck but we had lots of issues with my oldest daughter in getting her to drink milk from a sippy.  She would drink juice so I started mixing her cups half juice and half milk (think of it like a smoothie).  She drank it and now will drink the two seperate!  She was on a bottle until just before age 2 and to get her off completely we had to just stop giving her one and it took days to week or so until she finally used the sippy.  My other two girls have been much easier.  If you are looking for bottle to use I have found the playtex (brown latex because they are softer) nipples work the best for my breastfed babies and for my breastfed day care babies.The ones that look like a bulb and is rounded.  We bought every kind of sippy and straw cup to get our oldest off the bottle.  I don't think that there is a magic type of sippy cup - it's just a developmental thing and they will drink when that is the only option.

Caranna - posted on 03/25/2009

The best thing to do is kind of work on her time table - maybe she's just not ready. I know as a Mom you're probably ready to move on to the next stage but she might not be there yet.
My first was done nursing at 6 months, and I wasn't, my second kept nursing to 13 months, and that was fine with me, but my third just wouldn't let it go until 15 months (Which seemed like FOREVER!)
BUT, one thing you can do, is offer solids or a bottle or cup, let her try that first and then offer the breast. If she's already had some other nourishment she won't nurse as much - it will decrease your milk supply and begin the weaning process.
Another thing is to distract her. Get her doing other things: at the time you usually nurse play a game, sing a song, or read a story. If you keep her busy long enough she'll forget to nurse and you'll eliminate a feeding.
Be sure to watch for her cues though, if she simply finds weaning too upsetting - back off for a while. It will end eventually (she won't nurse forever! even though it feels that way sometimes.)
Good Luck!

Stephanie - posted on 03/25/2009

The best advice that I ever got was to just offer the cup to my son at every meal and snack, don't keep forcing the issue...just have it there next to him...and he will drink it eventually. So my advice to you is to do the same. She will not starve herself. Her instincts will kick in and she will drink from the cup. Just don't push it. I would not give her a bottle at this age, however, because then you'll just have to battle to get her over the bottle. She'll make up for it. I understand what you're going through because I was very stressed when my son had to switch to the cups...and yes, the straw was his preference too...and I was afraid he would lose a lot of nutrition. It all worked out fine. The less you can intervene, the better...just have the cup there and filled with milk or whatever it is you offer. She will do it eventually. She gets liquids from the foods she eats, too. Applesauce has lots of liquids...and yogurt can be good for the extra fat. Good luck!

Sara - posted on 03/25/2009

I am having the same issues with my one year old.  Seems like she just doesnt want to let go.  I did find recently a sippy cup made by Nuby..Its a sportster cup..its nipple is long and soft and they have grippers on the side...I just started her on it this past weekend with regular whole milk and she actually is liking it...try it out. it might just work http://www.nuby.com/products/cups/1214.a...

Angela - posted on 03/25/2009

At one year it isn;t that pressing that she have breastmilk. Have you tried water or cows milk or juice. She probably doesn't have the hang of a sippy. Most babies bite sippies till they suck one day and realize they will get something. Once she gets that mastered you can put brestmilk in it if that is what you wish. It took a good 2 to 3 months for my kids to "get" sippies. And even once they did they didn't drink all that much from them at first not till closer to 6 months use.

Monique - posted on 03/25/2009

What I did with my son was mix the milk half breast and half regular milk and eventually we had him switched, it did take a little bit though but this was the easiest solution we came up with :) Hang in there she will eventually take other milk, the breast milk is just sweeter so it tastes better :)

Kate - posted on 03/25/2009

they will drink when they are thursty but I gave my daughter yogert and cheese. she still dosent drink milk but water and juice. and she still gets what she needs and she drinks out of a cup or a straw.

Jennifer - posted on 03/25/2009

i have never breast fed as a mother but have cared for breast fed babies. The key to having your baby take the bottle is to warm the nipple under water. Your breast nipple is warm to their touch and she will more than likely latch on to the bottle. Good luck

Ellen - posted on 03/25/2009

One of my friends had the same problem, what about trying a regular cup, try with water first, and see if she will drink out of it. Just start with a little liquid in case she just dumps it on herself.

Anastasia - posted on 03/25/2009

at 1yr old she might not want as much now with being on solids try 2 a day. my little girl would not either so i gave her fromage frais so i knew she was getting some dairy HTH

Sharon - posted on 03/25/2009

Have you tried straw cups? My son woudn't take a bottle and I didn't want him to use sippies (possible connection to speech issues). He took a straw cup from about 10 months on.