Need Help Weaning

Hi A.,
Try a straw with a cup with a lid. My son began to drink from a straw and cup very early because he didn't like to drink fluids any other way.

Good Luck,
J. in San Jose

I just recently weaned my daughter from formula to whole milk. The 1st week or so she wanted nothing to do with it, so I started doing 1/4 milk with 3/4 formula and she took it just fine. I then did half and half for another week and then after about 3 weeks she was fine. She now loves drinking cold whole milk, but hated it at first. She still primarily drinks the milk out of a bottle, and drinks water or juice out of a sippy cup. I will try to get rid of the bottle completely in a couple months. Also, she only needs between 10-20 ounces of milk, so she will have less milk than breastmilk. Trying put a little bit of juice in her water and see if that helps her drink more fluids.

Try a small regular cup, my daughter took to it right away. The fluid in foods contribute to keeping her hydrated, but if she's thirsy she will drink. She's not going to dry up and blow away like the h2o marketing would tell us. Remember that nursing is the only nutrition that babies need, but as kids grow they get their nutrition from the food they eat.

A.~ It is so hard not to go into your childs room at night, and not breast feed her since you know that it will calm her down, and put your mind at ease. Trust me when I say, "TOUGH LOVE" I know that might sound silly but I have been there. I have 2 kids, daughter (5) and a son (2 1/2). Stopping breast feeding really is harder on you as Mommy, than it is for your baby. Yes, that is what she wants, but I found there comes a time when you just have to say, enough and stop! I had to do it cold turkey, and they are upset for a bit, then they realize, okay that's done and they move on too. Just don't give in, or you will start the process all over again. Good luck! As far as being hydrated try fruit pops, electrolyte pops, childrens ensure. She will get thirsty and drink, just like if they don't eat for a while, they get hungry enough and eat.
M.

Hi A. My daughter is 19 months and just started likin milk I had to give it to her in a sippy cup with a straw its the only way I could get her to drink milk now water jucie and all other liquads in a sippy oh and her water I have to put ice in it or she wont drink it. Try a straw hope it works. A.

Keep trying the sippy cup. She is still young. I would give it some time if you are trying to ween her now. It is the first confort and food she has known since birth. She might not be a big milk fan if she has breastfed this long. I have found with all three of my children that they didnt like milk either until passed the again of two or so...and all three were breastfed...(still with my 17 mo old). The older she gets she will have other things to pick from instead of nursing...food wise and confort wise....

Hi, A.,

As long as your daughter will drink water, and eat dairy foods like yogurt and cheese, she will get enough nutrition to replace the milk. Good luck!

Have you tried putting breast milk in the cup? If possible, I would avoid trying to get her to take a bottle at all, since that will be another thing that you will eventually have to wean her from. If she will take breast milk in the cup, after a few days, try replacing about 1/4 of what she is taking by cup with milk (3/4 breast milk, 1/4 milk). Stick to that for a couple of days, then go to 1/2 Milk 1/2 breast milk, then eventually to 100% milk in the cup. I hope it all works out for you. Just remember that little ones tend to be creatures of habit, so once you can get her to budge a little on her habit, you should be good to go!

we're using goat milk during this whole process, and my 10 month old will drink it out of a bottle where my husband cut a bigger hole in the nipple...

Hi A.,
I don't understand why you want to wean your daughter yet, especially since your business is home based. I'm thinking and hoping that "homebased" means that you are at home so you can breastfeed her "at will". I breastfed all three of my sons for about a year each and never worried about bottles or cups until they were old enough to actually hold them. My thought is that you continue to nurse her until she shows interest in cups. By the way, check the color of her urine it needs to have the color of pale lemonade. This shows that she gets enough fluids.
Feel free to ask again if you have more questions or want to be reassured I'll love to talk with you.
S..

I'll be glad to send you contact info if you likr. S.

I had a hard time getting my stubborn daughter off the breast too. At 15 months I was worried because she wouldn't drink any cows milk at all. She did drink a little bit of water, but not a lot. The doctor said don't worry about the lack of milk intake, that as long as she eats other dairy she is fine. As far as fluid intake, I just pushed fruits and veggies with a high water content, such as watermelon or any melon for that matter, lettuce, oranges, etc. Anything that she would eat. Fortunately for us, she loved all those fruits and veggies. Also soups and broth based meals work well to get fluids in. As soon as I completely weaned her she stepped up the drinking from a cup, and now drinks at least 3 full glasses of water a day plus milk with her meals, so it does get better. You can also give her drinkable yogurt with a straw. We made our own since most of the kinds you buy are full of sugar. You can take regular yogurt and mix it with milk. We use the gravy mixer from tupperware and shake, but I think you could probably just do it in a regular cup if you don't have one of those. That is how we got her to drink milk at first, since she loves yogurt and thought she was getting a special treat being able to drink it out of a straw. (We called them shakes). We skipped the bottle all together with her since she had never had one, I didn't feel like getting her attached to that then taking it away. (We did out of desperation try it once, but since she didn't drink it anyways, that kind of made up our mind that we wouldn't go there). Also, it may sound silly, but try ice water instead of just water. My kids loved jingling the cup and listening to the ice move around. They also prefer it very cold so they drink more. If you are really desperate, popsicles are good at getting fluids in, and I think they sell some sugar free varieties and 100% juice pops. Good luck. Once we took the breast away our daughter did fine, and I was so worried for about a week and realized she wasn't showing any signs of dehydration and that she was completely fine. I would just monitor her wet diapers to make sure she is getting enough, but kids won't generally let themselves go thirsty unless they are all, so most likely she will be fine.

This is what my daughter's pediatrician told me - she's also a mother of 4. Don't worry about it. She gets enough fluids from the food she eats, so she won't get dehydrated. Just take it away and she'll learn to cope. Might take a couple of weeks, but it's okay. Seriously, the food she eats gives her enough fluids. If she gets truly thirsty, she'll drink.

Best of luck.

Hi A.!

WOW! It sounds like you're doing all you can to get her to wean from the breast. Congratulations on getting this far!

Have you tried Formula, yet? There is an older baby Formula. Formula seemed easier to transition to than milk. You may have to start with Formula, then transition to milk later. Plus, there are so many wonderful nutrients in Formula she can still benefit from at her age.

Keep up the good work! All you need now, is to wait for HER to adjust. She'll do it....

:o) N.

Hi A., I am going through the exact same thing right now with my boy who just turned one and have found that the best way to get him to drink liquids is out of a regular cup. Obviously at this stage I hold onto it, but I think he likes the novelty of it and the fact that it's just like mine. I figure this has two benefits a) he's getting more fluids and b) he's learning how to drink from a regular cup. The other thing that has worked is giving him smoothies in his sippy cup or letting him drink them with a straw (again supervised). This way he gets the sweet fruity taste, the fluids and some fruit. Hope his helps. Good luck. D.

Try Almond Milk diluted with milk or water...start out at 75/25, move up to 50/50 and then to 25/75 until you can get her to drink the milk straight. Almond milk is a little sweeter than soy milk, which may make it taste more like breast milk. Also, milk, especially Vitamin D is much creamier than breast milk; she may not like the consistency.

Another option is giving her VERY diluted white grape or apple juice. Just that hint of sweetness may get her to drink it. I know juice is seen as a new sugar "evil", but those of us who had kids during the "juice is great" era all have kids that survived and do not have a head full of cavities or severe weight problems. LOL!

Keep in mind...sometimes when children refuse milk, it is because they are allergic to it. It is amazing that their little bodies know and signal them!

Good luck!