Need to wean a 11 month old but she won't really use bottle or sippy cup?

Question

I have a baby who is almost 11 months. I would like to wean her because she now has 4 teeth (that she likes to use while nursing sometimes!) and because I am now 10 weeks pregnant and want to have a break in between nursing this baby and our next baby. The problem is she doesn't like bottles and hasn't really figured out a sippy cup or at least not enough to really drink any volume of liquid from it. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get her drinking a bottle or using a sippy cup sooner than later? I will happily nurse her for another couple of months but the sooner I can wean her the better. Thanks for any ideas or suggestions that might have worked for you!

Answer 1

First off, since there are a lot of misconceptions about this, it if perfectly safe for most mothers to continue nursing during pregnancy. (See link below.) I nursed through pregnancy twice and tandem nursed once for 16 months.

Have someone other than you try giving her the sippy cup. (At this age I wouldn't try a bottle.) Try giving her one of the Rubbermaid "juice boxes" pictured at the last link below. Many breastfed babies pick up using a straw like this easier than a sippy cup. You can also squeeze it a bit to squirt liquid into her mouth as she learns to use it.

Go really slowly with the weaning, cutting no more than one feeding every 5 days or so. If, after 5 days, you still feel engorged between nursings, then that is a sign that you need to slow things down a bit.

Answer 2

A straw might help, small ones that won't cause any sort of injury. If you can, pump breastmilk for another month or so and give it to her in a cup with a straw or a sippy outfitted with a straw - babies need breastmilk through 12 months, and longer if you can do it. At the same time, cut back on one regular feeding every week or so, and then start introducing other liquids (NOT sugar water, bad idea!). The important thing is that she's hydrated.

Answer 3

Hi, I read your question and remembered that about a week or two ago there was an episode on tv and some lady on the show had the same issue. Now, I don't have any children and this isn't a scientific fact and am not sure if it actually works. What the doctor on tv suggested was to put sugar water in the baby bottle to get the baby used to the nipple on the bottle.

Answer 4

I'm having the same problem with my 10-1/2 month old. She doesn't have teeth yet, but I go back to work in 3 weeks (FT 8:00-4:30 plus travel time) and I've been attempting to get her to drink formula (which she H*A*T*E*S!!!)

I've asked questions about this here on Yahoo and a couple people told me that they heard breastfed babies will take a straw better than a bottle or a cup.

They recommended those plastic Rubbermaid "juice box" containers, but before investing in those, just to try it out I just took one of my daughter's empty little Heinz plastic fruit containers (with the lid), filled it with water, cut a little x in the lid and poked half a straw through it. Sure enough she was sipping away at the straw in no time!! She's even had a few sips of formula without protesting too much!!!

Hope this info might help you too!!
Good luck! (And congrats on your next little bundle of joy!)

Answer 5

I have used a cap of a baby bottle to feed my son in the morning when he was of course really really hungry, so he took a sip. He didn't like sippy cups when he first tried. I let him try other stuff like a straw (soft) cup. He loves it. I know he is drinking out of a toddler's straw cup and he is only 10 months. Don't give up and keep trying different way and different time. Don't get frustrated coz' she would know and probably wouldn't like whatever you offer to her when you get frustrated.

Answer 6

When weaning my children years ago, I had to find the nipple that they liked. My daughter preferred a Playtex (drop-in system) nipple, as it's got a rounded, wider top with a shorter nipple (more similar to the breast). My son; however, preferred a certain type of nipple (I can't remember which one now, but it was a "special" one... I remember trying different ones). Just try them one by one... buy a single "regular" bottle and several replacement nipples, and then a playtex one, and try them at different times. Also, be sure that the formula is always warm in the beginning... although she's old enough to take colder milk, having it warmed will be more like breastmilk. You also might try expressing your own milk and giving it to her in a bottle to get her used to that...
Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Towards the end of the pregnancy, your baby will probably self wean.
Wait and let her self-wean. That's what nature intended and that's what's healthiest. She is still a baby. Her life will be turned upside down enough when this new kid arrives and your first born is still such a little baby. Let her be a baby now for as long as she can. She will very likely wean in the final months and it will be her choice and she will be much happier about it.

Answer 8

They have soft rubber tops on the sippy cups use one of them and try not to breast feed as often and really work with her on the sippy cup. if you can get her to take it, its much better then using a bottle. Then you won't have to break her of that ! Good luck

Answer 9

Of course she doesn't like bottles their nipples are a different texture than momiies. Keep offering her the bottle, eventually when she is hungry enough she will take it.

Answer 10

I see someone already gave the answer I was going to give you. Put a little sugar water on the nipple of the bottle and see if she will take it that way. I know sugar is not healthy, but a small amount is not going to hurt her. You need to rest up and stay healthy for this pregnancy too. Good luck to you!