My boy-girl twins will be 10 months next week and are happy and healthy. Since they started solids, I've continued to nurse them four times a day (upon waking up, after morning and afternoon naps, and at bedtime). Now that I'm back at work full-time and have lots of pumped milk in the freezer, I am slowly cutting back on nursing and substituting sippy cups of pumped milk (given not by me but by their dad or babysitter. We're using cups because they both seem to be "over" bottles)). My daughter does fine with this, but my son (who would happily nurse) won't touch his sippy cup. This means he's going up to 4-5 hours without eating (say, from lunch at 12:30 til dinner around 5:15). This makes me nervous, although he seems fine, energetic and not ravenous. Has anyone else dealt with this situation? I am trying to read his cues and not worry--if he's hungry, he'll eat--but it seems like too long for such a little one to go without food. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Many thanks to all you other busy moms who took the time to respond to me. I tried substituting a sippy cup with a bottle nipple today, and will experiment again with bottles. He still doesn't seem too interested, but I'll keep trying. I did contact our pediatrician, just for peace of mind, and she said to just keep at it and eventually he'll get used to it and start drinking. I will probably add in a little snack, too, just so he's not going to long without calories. I appreciate the opportunity to learn from your experiences.
I would suggest giving it to him in a bottle again. He might not really be over it. Or try a cup with a more nipple like top.
Try giving it to him from a regular cup. You can hold it for him and he'll probably drink from that instead. My kids did the same thing until they got used to the sippy cup. Good luck!
In child care we are required to offer food at least every 3 hours, it may be a snack or a meal but it's about every 3 hours. If he is eating other foods during the time he is not going without eating. Since you have introduced solids it is natural they are not going to want milk anymore. He may just want the milk more than food right now. You are doing what you need to do and it sounds okay. If he starts acting oddly or differently then talk to the pediatrician.
Some babies will just wait for Mommy to get back and then make up for that lost nutrition with lots of nursing. He still craves that one to one bonding.
My kids self weaned from the bottle between 11 and 13 months, but maybe he isn't really over it? I know at 10 months I couldn't get my daughter to touch a sippy for anything, she just wasn't ready. Try having your husband or sitter give him a bottle again, he should be getting breast milk before solids at this age.
Will he drink other liquids form his sippy cup? Maybe he does nto likethe sippy cup. Try the sofy Nubby brand kind, they are the only kind my 12 month old likes. THe material for the spout is the same as for a bottle nipple, just shaped differently. Or you could have your caregivers try giving him the milk in other ways, mixing it with rice cereal and feeding by spoon, or using a medicine syringe. I think it is really important for him to get the nutrition from the breastmilk. Other foods just aren't enough, at this age breastmilk should still be the staple of his diet. Good luck!
That sounds about right. My twins were also breastfed (kudos to you!). Right around 10 months they dropped the midday feeding. They would nurse in the morning and not again until 4:00. They would have lunch in between, but they were eating around 12:00. Then, shortly after, they dropped the 4:00 feeding. So, they would go from 12:00 to 6:00. They seemed fine, but I added in a snack at 4:00 to ease my mind. It was always small and a fruit, but they never seemed overly hungry.
Some babies, do not drink milk from a sippy, because it has no nipple on it. Instinctively, babies know milk comes from a nipple.
Also, is he really 'over' bottles????? Like your daughter?
Then again, some babies will NOT EVER take a sippy or bottle of milk. My daughter was like that.
So she would only nurse.
My son though, would drink out of anything.
Feed from breast or drinking apparatus, BEFORE solids. Always.
That is per our Pediatrician.
For the 1st year of life, breastmilk/Formula is a baby's primary source of nutrition... not solids and not other liquids.
And to nurse/give bottles, before solids. Otherwise, baby is too full, to nurse, if given solids, first.
or sometimes when teething babies suckle less.
