I have breastfed my baby exclusively for 6 1/2 months, I am ready to wean him to formula, I have tried to give him a bottle or sippy cup of formual here and there for a few months but he wont take it. I was just wondering how to go about weaning a reluctant baby? Please help. P.S. to those of you who will just say keep breastfeeding, he already has 7 teeth and it kind of hurts even when he isn't biting, so I have my reasons for wanting to stop.
2007-11-29 04:17:36 · 11 answers · asked by Jessica S 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
so far thanks for the advice, but did I mention he will not take a bottle at all. and my husband is deployed to iraq so I'm away from everybody that could help me wean him. yes 7 teeth is alot at this age and yes I CAN feel them, not all the time but when I do it is uncomfortable. I really dont need any rude comments, 6 months is a good amount of time to breastfeed., a lot of people dont even make it that far, so just because some of you go longer it doesnt make me a bad mother to want to stop now. but thank you for the advice
2007-11-29 04:30:48 · update #1
oh yeah and the pumping thing doesnt work for me, i cant afford a real good pump and cant get enough form my manual one or hand expresion
2007-11-29 04:33:14 · update #2
i know you have your reasons, but your baby still needs his mama's milk. This is not a rude comment, but a statement of fact. There are ways to deal with his latch and 'nursing manners' without giving him formula.
please read up a little before yougive up on your baby: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/index.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/nursing-manners.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/index.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html
2007-11-29 05:17:49 · answer #1 · answered by Terrible Threes 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I understand your reasons for wanting to stop- teeth and biting can be a big downer when breastfeeding..But...I breastfed my son until he was 19 1/2 months. Sounds extreme? not really, he was "the healthiest breastfed baby" the pediatrician had ever encountered and that spanned a thriving 35+ year practice! My son would get carried away and bite, but I would immediately separate him from my breast and give him a stern "No Bite!" It only took a couple times (3 maybe?) until he nursed as gently as he did before he learned to 'chaw down' on stuff. The longer you can breast feed the greater the benefit to him and to you in terms of lowering your future risk of breast diseases. If he is refusing the formula, maybe he is telling you that he is not ready to give up the good stuff for formula? If your breasts are sore, why not consider pumping milk for a little while? You get a break from the teeth, your baby still gets his good milk AND he will gradually become used to using a bottle-making it easier to wean him to a bottle. Also, once he gets used to taking a bottle, I would recommend still allowing breast milk for his first bottle of the day and last feeding at night, maybe interspersing breast milk one or two other times during the day between formula feedings. No one likes to quit anything 'cold turkey' and especially not a baby. :) Just offering things to think about, give you options. Best wishes! Peace
2007-11-29 12:35:44 · answer #2 · answered by Crissianne 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Sorry you feel the need to stop. But good luck with your choice. That's great you did it for 6 1/2 months. You shouldn't be the one giving the bottles. Try giving him expressed milk. It may take him a while to get used to the taste of formula. So having to get used to a new nipple and new flavor will be hard on him. For a week or two give him expressed milk maybe when your hubby gets home from work (if you have one) or a friend that could come over. dont' try to give it for bed time just yet. Then after a week or two of him taking the bottle then you can try formula.
2007-11-29 12:33:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Congrats on making it this far! You've given him a really good start.
If you are interested, working on his latch some might help with the discomfort from the teeth. You really shouldn't be able to notice them when he's actively nursing. (Wow.....7 teeth already at 6.5 mos! That's a lot!)
You shouldn't be the one trying to offer him bottles. He's smart and knows that he can get the real deal straight from the tap when he's with you. Of course he isn't going to want the bottle then. :-) Leave the room.....maybe leave the house for an hour or so.....and let Dad or Grandma try offering him a bottle or a soft-spout sippy cup with your pumped milk in it.
2007-11-29 12:22:57 · answer #4 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 7⤊ 1⤋
I think 6 months is a perfect age to wean. I had trouble with my 4 month old son latching on in the beginning so I used this nipple shield. You can get them at Babies R Us for about $6. It's a plastic nipple basically that goes over your nipple to help babies that have a hard time latching on. I would try using that. That way you still have him on the boob but he is slowly getting used to the feel of the plastic nipple. I would think it would be an easier transition than just straight to the bottle. When I stopped using the nipple shield my baby had a hard time latching on because he wasn't used to the feel of my nipple. It took a couple of days and then he was fine. I would definitely see if you can do that and "trick" him. Good luck and don't listen to other people telling you what you should and shouldn't do with YOUR baby. If you are done nursing that's YOUR decision. He's gotten plenty of good nutrients.
2007-11-29 12:51:32 · answer #5 · answered by angel32984 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
I unfortunately vould not breastfeed but I read a lot of books. Keep trying the bottles and the sippy cups. Try only feeding him at night for bedtime and giving him the bottle or babyfood the rest of the day. You kind of have to just do it any way that works. Good Luck and great Job for breastfeeding this long. Way to go.
2007-11-29 12:21:59 · answer #6 · answered by boxergirl16 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
have you tried pumping? You might try pumping then giving the breastmilk in a bottle. if he takes that then keep pumping but add a little formula in each bottle until he gets used to the taste. Just add less and less breastmilk each time.
2007-11-29 12:22:35 · answer #7 · answered by Lisa . 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sorry, I can't help with weaning. I let my daughter wean naturally. She did go through a brief biting stage at around that age, but we got past it.
http://llli.org/NB/NBbiting.html
2007-11-29 12:23:38 · answer #8 · answered by daa 7 · 4⤊ 4⤋
Try pumping some breastmilk and adding a little formula at a time to it in his bottles. Gradually decrease the amount of breastmilk and add more formula. He'll slowly get used to the formula, and eventually you won't need the breastmilk anymore.
2007-11-29 12:21:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 8⤋
Whatever your reasons good luck...but my baby had all his teeth...and they don't bite when they suck, unless they are TRYING to bite... :)
I am still nursing a very full mouth of teeth 21 month old.
Put a nipple of a bottle in your mouth and suck...you don't use your teeth.... :)
2007-11-29 12:20:40 · answer #10 · answered by Michele J 4 · 6⤊ 5⤋