My 1 year old will not drink out of ANY type of bottle or sippy cup. The closest we get is the straw sippy cup, she will now sometime sip out of it. Otherwise she uses everything as a teething toy and just chews on it. She has been exclusively breastfed and prefers the breast. I have been trying since she has been 6 moths old. I have tried pumped breast milk as well--no luck. I have had other people try to give it to her--no luck. Anyways, anyone have any tips?? Thanks.
Don't let others try to SABOTAGE the breastfeeding relationship you have established with your baby. Baby's intuitively know how to suck on the breast to quench their thirst, as well as the awesome nutritional value you are supplying to your baby. Be patient, and I have seen other breast fed babies accept cups, water bottles over time. The time they are babies is so brief.....
Did u try the straw cup?
Hi! My son was exclusively breastfed also. I got him to start drinking just water from a straw cup(I tried every type of cup out there and that's the one he went with), he was still breastfeeding. As he got better at drinking with the cup and he started increasing his solids, he gradually started nursing less and less and eventually weaned himself. He wouldn't drink cow milk because of course mommy milk tastes so much better, so I slowly added cow milk to his water little more each day until it was all just milk. Be patient, it'll take a few months for complete weaning, when she's down to just nursing once a day, you'll have to use distraction so she'll "forget" to nurse, then one day she actually will. Also, during his weaning period, I fed him his meal first, then let him nurse after, and would start skipping the nursing after some meals.
well she probably knows that you will give in to her. A baby will not starve themselves. I would keep giving her a cup. My daughter just turned 3 and she was would not drink out of a sippy cup, but she would drink a straw. It worked great for me. You just need to continue to give her a cup and cut her off the breast, cold turkey
Hi,
My suggestion is that when she is ready, she will use a cup. Sometimes when we get really set on wanting our babies to move to a particular stage, or do something that we think they should do - like cups or bottles, we create a negative energy around that thing. It's almost as if we start to cause the problem ourselves. My suggestion is for you to completely give up on the cups or bottles for awhile - there must be a reason that your baby doesn't want to use them. If it's because she wants to nurse, she is just very smart! :) (it's so good for her!) It may be because she feels like she has to give up the nursing in order to use the cup. If you simply have a cup of water around, and not put any energy into it, I think she'll begin to experiment and eventually she'll realize that she can nurse AND use a cup sometimes. If what I wrote doesn't seem to fit, sorry! :) it's just what pops up for me. good luck & enjoy this precious time... my youngest is turning 7 soon... so I miss babies! One last comment - good for you for nursing for a year - it's such a gift to you and your baby. There is no reason to stop soon. The World Health Organization and the American Pediatric Association both recommend nursing for at least a year and then for as long as mom and baby are happy. Many nursing moms & babies continue long after the first year. :)
Don't fret ... when she is thirsty, she'll drink. It's as simple as that. Truly.
And remember, she gets plenty of water/hydration from your breastmilk.
I found that when I got really anxious about something I thought my daughter was "supposed" to be doing, it didn't happen. I've come to realize she'll do all things in her own sweet time. (And she is right on track.)
You don't have to stop nursing yet if you're not ready -- just do what feels right for you & baby in that regard. The rest will come.
Good luck.
Hi S.:
Good for you to still be nursing your baby at 1 year old (& in my opinion, she is still a baby). Bonding with mommy has not stopped because she turned 1 and in fact, the longer you breastfeed your baby the better it is for her (18 months, 2 years...)
I agree with some of the other mommy's here to let her nurse on her own schedule, have the cup available for her to experiment with on her own and she will make the transition smoothly when she is ready!
K.
she need to be cut out of the breast completly. other wise she will be beging & beging for more you shut need to be strong and do not give up. by doing this you are giving her a clear massage that she is not a baby anymore and she needs to learn to get milk that dosent come from you. she will be ok good luck and hope this help.
