Weaning off of the Bottle and Breast! Same Time?? or Wait?

Updated on April 09, 2008
K.S. asks from Hackettstown, NJ
3 answers

I am starting to wean my daughter off of the breast and bottle. I don't know which to do first, or if I should do them simultaneously. Which is more important at this time? Is there a normal order?

My mom said that each of her five kids weaned themselves off of the breast between 10 months and shortly after a year. But my daughter doesn't seem to want to wean herself. So at her 12 month well visit the doctor said it may be time to begin to wean her. (She'll take a bottle from others but really resists one from me, even though I used to be able to give her bottles of breatmilk with no problem. It's hard because I am a single mother so I can't just have her dad give her the bottle instead of nursing her.)

I recently began to work part-time during the day. During this time she goes to daycare and drinks formula/cow's milk (per her doctor) from a bottle. (I am not pumping at work; the doctor suggested this would help while weaning her. She also visits with her father on Sundays and Wednesday nights, and drinks from a bottle at those times as well.)

She will drink water from a sippy cup, or (if you assist her) from a regular cup. I tried to put her formula in a sippy cup once and she freaked out.

Any advice on EITHER type of weaning or BOTH would be so helpful!!!!! Thank you!

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A.P.

answers from New York on

If you want to wean her from the bottle try only giving her a sippy cup at home and nursing at the other times. At day care, since she is a year old she should beable to have whole cow's milk in her sippy. My advice on the weaning from the breast is...if you enjoy that time with your daughter, then there is no rush. I've known tons of women who nurse well past a year, with NO ill effects to the child. There is no right or wrong when it comes to how long you and your child's nursing relationship lasts.

2 moms found this helpful
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P.B.

answers from New York on

I nursed my son until he was done at 14 months old, I wanted to go until 18 months. =( I nursed my daughter until she was done at 14 months old.
I've heard terrible stories of 3-year-olds waking in the middle of the night and hopping into mom's shirt and slurking away, too.
Both my kids went from breast straight to sippy cup and food. I agree there is no rush to stop at 12 months, but I'm not a fan of toddlers demanding the breast whenever they want either.
What's your mommy instinct telling you? Listen to it! God made you her mommy for a reason.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.W.

answers from Buffalo on

My question is: Why would your doctor advise giving formula and weaning from the breast? What benefit is there to formula? And why such the rush to quit nursing? I dont understand some doctors. My ped stressed to NOT wean once he turned a year (which I had not planned on doing anyway) but she stressed the importance of extended nursing and how too many Moms wean much to early. The reason that 1 is the standard time to wean is they can finally tolerate cow's milk. But this is not a suitable substitute. For a formula fed baby, sure, but not a breastfed baby. The benefits to nursing beyond the first year are just as great as the first year.
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/21bf_toddler.html
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/...

As far as weaning from the bottle goes, just ditch it and use sippy cups if need be, but there is no reason to wean from the breast at this point. So keep on keepin' on Momma!

1 mom found this helpful
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