Need Help Weaning 8Mth Old to Bottle

If you really need to wean her try using a sippy cup with breastmilk but take the spout out. That way she'll get the hang of what it's for. Don't put alot in to begin with but it will help her get the idea. I started mine on the sippy at about 6 months and it took her a bit to get it but now she's a champ. In the mean time you will still need to offer the breast often to make sure she's getting enough fluids. And she could be waking more because she is going thru a growth spurt and is trying to get you to make more milk. What you are able to pump and what you actually produce are wildly different things for most moms. Baby is far better at getting milk than a pump. And she may be teething is another reason for her fussiness at the breast.

Please stop torturing your self and your little angel! She loves the breast, and she should! she is a human baby and has no business drinking the cow's milk or formula (my husband says is is very similat to a cheap bad tasting protein shake)--would you have that as your main sourse of nutrition? I bet no!
In terms of milk production, it works on supply demand-babsis. The more she will nurse the more milk you will produce, and it is a proven fact, you WILL! Try to nurse her on demand, as often as possible ( even every 30 min if possible at times) for a few days-a week and you will drammatically increase you milk supply. There is no reason to introduce a bottle to a breast fed 8 MO. especiallyu at that age the do know what they want and what they dont-and she seems like a strong willed lady!

Do offer her watter in a sippy cup every day, but do not make a big deal out if it, Just let her hold it whenever she wants to and show how to use it.
My son never took a bottle. He is 18 months old now, still breastfeeding, eating healthy foods and drikning water from the cup. He has great immune system, no allergies and is a big strong boy - all thanks to breastfeeding.

If you do deside to stop at 12 mo., there is still no nessesity for her to drink milk form any mammal (if the eats nutritious diet). she can get all she needs form fruits, veggies, cheese, yogurt, meats and water-as a means of hydration. Cow milk is for baby cows anyways, and if your child still needs milk in her diet---it should be yours!

You did such a great job breastfeeding for so long! Do not quit now! this is the easiest time to breastfeed. Enjoy your baby and the closeness you have with her.

I would also get a doctor who would be more sensitive and child oriented and not push you to withhold breastfeeding form your baby! 24 hours ( even 8) can cause her serios emotional trauma, not talking about dehydration. she trusts you to respond to her and take care of her day and night. Please do not break that presious bond and trust that she will value for the rest of her life! Our children need to be loved and appretiated---not TRAINED TO FIT OUR LIFE MORE CONVENIENTLY. Your little angel is a humam being, and you are her whole world. Just love her, trust your body and your baby and everything will work out!

good luck!

P.S. come to a La Leche League meeting with your baby, talk to other moms and leaders. You will get wonderful help and support with whatever you deside to do. here is a link : http://www.lllflorida.com/web/LakeWorth.html

The biggest help in getting a breastfed baby to switch is having someone ELSE offer the bottle. Not Mommy. Mommy should not even be home... she can SMELL you. Get a sitter (grandma's are GREAT for this) and you and Dad go see a movie or something, yes, right at nursing time: at lunch on Saturday or whatever...
But YOU don't need to be present when she is trying to make the switch. Trust me on this.
Good luck, and I hope this helps.

sounds like you don't necessarily want to quit.
sounds like you don't want to feed her past bedtime and sounds like you also want her to be able to take liquid from something like a cup or sippy.
so: i would continue to breastfeed her. nurse her before bedtime- when IS bedtime? 7pm? 8pm? that's when I would think it is...and if she wakes up at before 6am then have husband go to her w/ a bottle of water. that's it.
she may cry, but daddy will have to deal.
eventually she won't even bother to wake up for a bottle of water...
at 8 months I would think you could breastfeed first thing in the am (like 6am), 10 am, 1pm, 4pm and then before bed. should be enough!
www.kellymom.com has a milk calculator to help you out.

you CAN do this! it's 'only' a few more months until 12 months. you can work on getting the nursing to 'just' 2x a day (first thing in am & before bed) by 12 months & go from therer!
congrats at making it this far :)