Weaning 11-month-old to a bottle
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Topic: Weaning 11-month-old to a bottle
Posted By: Hopes
Subject: Weaning 11-month-old to a bottle
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 5:18pm
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I'm finding the combination of being pregnant and still fully breastfeeding Jacob just a bit much - I feel bull-dozed most of the time and it's getting a bit silly. Ive been toying with the idea of weaning Jacob onto formula, but so far resisted because I like feeding him. However, this is getting too much, so I'm probably going to give it a shot.
Anyone got any tips on how to go about it? Do I just offer him a bottle when he's due for a feed? What feed's best to try? He drinks most first thing in the morning or last thing at night, but I think he'd be a bit dopey in the morning and perhaps too tired at night to give it a good shot. -------------   
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Replies:
Posted By: maya22
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 6:22pm
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Why use a bottle? You will only want to wean him off it again in a month or two.
What does he drink water out of now? How about trying formula instead of water in the same sippy cup. ------------- DS1 July 2007 DS2 Nov 2010 http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 6:55pm
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I was going to say the same as maya, why bother with a bottle. Use what ever he drinks water out of now.
As to which feed - which ever one works for you. Also with taking him off the boob - DH can feed him allowing you to rest. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 7:24pm
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I could try... to be honest, he doesn't drink a lot of water, if he drank the same amount of milk as he did water, he'd never get enough. But he might drink more if it was millk, I'll give him a try on his pump bottle (which works the best of what we've tried). -------------
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Posted By: pekay
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 7:47pm
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I have just weaned my 10month old. I wasn't wanting to fully wean her right now, but once she got a taste of the bottle, she was all over it! Now she is only feeding from me every now and again (I think I have breastfed her 3 times this week). My partner gave her her first bottle when I was out one day and she simply took it. She hasnt resisted at all.
We went to a bottle and not a sippy cup or whatever as she makes a mess with her water bottles and I am not keen on her spilling it everywhere. She will wean herself from a bottle when she is ready (just likely first daughter did at about 17months). Good luck! |
Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 7:57pm
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I would try firstly by ruling out all but the morning and night feeds. And offer him milk/formula in a sippy cup or a bottle during the day ideally before he asks for a BF. Do you have friends with bottle fed babies/toddlers? Can he hang out with them for a bit and he might want to copy them. DD who's never been bottle fed will try to drink out of a bottle when she gets hold of one at creche because she's seen all the other kids do it.
Actually, Jacob's in daycare now isn't he? Perhaps talk to them about getting them to introduce the bottle? At our centre, they are pretty amazing at convincing them to take it, so it might be less stress all round to have them do it? Once he's happily drinking from it, it'll be quite easy to substitute the rest of the feeds 
And I so know the feeling of being worn out from BF and pg (and working, and crappy sleep, etc etc!). But you know you aren't going to get much rest in the early months with a bub, so it's a great idea to do what you can to look after yourself now. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: buzylizy
Date Posted: 15 July 2011 at 8:59pm
| I can highly recommend the Nuby no spill soft spout sippy cups. They are soft but not bottles so he will stop sucking and start drinking. Get him a sippy cup or something with a straw during the day. My son would not touch water for a long time so I gave him heavily diluted fruit juice. I would add about 5 times as much water as juice and it would barely taste of juice but he would drink it which kept him hidrated which was more important to me. Now he drinks water from a Systema basic sippy cup and soft spout nuby sippy at night. Makes him feel warm and fuzzy and allows him to drink enough without swallowing too much air and spilling. I would also recommend Karicares Toddler milk. My son loves it and its good for them. |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 16 July 2011 at 9:58am
Thanks so much for your suggestions  I might try his daycare, T_Rex - I'm a bit nervous about asking them something like that, but he drinks so little breastmilk when he's there (not his usual feeding spot, he gets distracted) that even if he didn't have much formula I wouldn't stress too much! -------------
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Posted By: 09_mrs
Date Posted: 16 July 2011 at 11:55am
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Hi Hopes, I've just weaned by 11 month old DS on to a bottle. I did it gradually, just a feed at a time so it wasn't too much of a shock for him. I started with the one before bed, then the morning one, then the afternoon one, with a few weeks between each change.
I've dropped the afternoon one so now he just has a bottle before his nap in the morning and one before bed at night. I found that my DS was too distracted during the day to really have a good feed from me, then wanted to make up for it during the night. He drinks a good 250mls with each bottle and I'm sure that is way more than he was getting from me. If he is over 1 I think you can just give them cows milk instead can't you, if you don't want to go down the formula road. I think it's just trial and error with all the different sippy cups as well. I've found a good one from ecostore that my DS really likes, it has quite a long solid spout that is supposed to be good for orthodontics (sp?) and is BPA free etc which is good. If he wakes during the night now I just offer water in his sippy bottle and he has started to sleep way better. We just use the standard Heinz Nuture Follow on 2 from the supermarket. I guess you would know soon enough if a certain formula wasn't agreeing with your DS. I'm sure you'll figure out soon enough the right times to give it to him during the day ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 1:49pm
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Hopes I haven't been in this situation but I just wanted to add that just a simple $3 typical sippy cup from the supermarket helped me to teach my bub to drink water, he struggled with the non spill ones as he had to suck so hard to get anything whereas as long as they can tip the cup to their mouth the liquid just flows in with the 3 hole standard ones. Maybe once he realises milk is in it he will get the hang of it quickly. Those nuby non spill ones are good too as they just have to chomp and it comes out, but we struggled with other kinds of non spill ones. Hope that helps. He may just take straight to a bottle if you want to try that for now, some do... even if you're only using it for a few months thats up to you really ------------- Me 28, DH 29 DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old) #2 due October 7 http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 3:37pm
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The nuby sippy cups are great for drinking, but they do leak if the top isn't on properly.
If he's never had formula before he'll probably cope better with the starter ones. Best way to work out which he likes is to grab the sachets to try first, also contacting the manufacturers they're really helpful. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 4:33pm
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Well, I have tried... but so far, all my attempts have been amazingly unsuccessful. It's like he just doesn't realise the stuff is for drinking...
*sigh* -------------
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 24 July 2011 at 1:06pm
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At that age you can go straight onto cows milk which is sweeter and closer in taste to breastmilk. BF babies find it more attractive than formula - seriously you should taste the formula, it's gross.
That worked with my boy. He had downright refused a bottle his entire existence until we just stopped trying at about 7 months. Then at 1 i weaned him to cows milk and put it in a camelback sippy bottle and he guzzled the whole thing. Then i tried a normal Avent bottle a few days later and he had that no bother too. I like the bottle as it means we can cuddle up and connect like when he was bf. He now has cup at breakfast and bottle before bed. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 24 July 2011 at 7:21pm
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I'm tempted, crafty1! I tried him on cows milk yesterday, and he scoffed the lot - obviously that appeals a lot more to him than forumla! I still want to check out exactly why Plunket recommend waiting a year, but I suspect you're right, he's as good as a year old anyway, it's hardly likely to make a difference? -------------
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Posted By: maya22
Date Posted: 24 July 2011 at 8:12pm
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I think it depends on how well he is eating solids, Hopes. Straight milk doesn't have as much nutrition for a little one as formula (or bm obviously) so unless your baby is eating a good variety of food, and eating very well, then the good stuff in formula is still needed.
------------- DS1 July 2007 DS2 Nov 2010 http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: MrsJMcD
Date Posted: 24 July 2011 at 9:45pm
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I had a very stubborn wee man who refused to take a bottle when i tried to wean him before going back to work. I tried making custard and white sauce with formula so he could get the taste of it, I tried introducing the bottle when he wasn't tired and wasn't too hungry to try, I warmed the teats, gave him a bottle to play with as a toy, we tried six different sippy cups instead - all to no avail.
After three weeks of trying and with work fast approaching I had to go cold turkey on him one day and just not offer the boob. It was a hard day for both of us but eventually he took the formula when he was really thirsty and over the next day or two he got really well established. In the end, agsainst plunket's advice, I persevered with the bottle. The sippy cup just wasn't working and because he drinks only small amounts of water at a time I was worried he wouldn't get enough out of a sippy cup. I secon the previous poster's comments about the basic sippy cups from the supermarket....after trying heaps of expensive ones I noticed this was the one he was using at daycare and drank heaps. |
Posted By: rachelsea
Date Posted: 24 July 2011 at 9:58pm
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I was going to suggest cows milk too. I tried giving my DD formula around 11months (wasn't trying to wean her, just wanted her to take it so my parents could look after her) but she wouldn't have a bar of it. Tried quite a few times and with bottle/sippy cup but she just didn't like it. Then started giving her some cows milk after she turned 1 and she LOVED it so much that she gave up on BFing of her own accord at 13months. ------------- DD 4yrs DS 2yrs http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 25 July 2011 at 6:46pm
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Could you try getting him used to drinking cows milk, then slowly mix in formula until it's more formula than cows milk? I know a few people who offered milo instead of milk to get them started then switched it to milk once they were drinking fine. Actually, maybe you could just add milo to formula? (Says she who knows nothing about formula!)
And seriously, talk to daycare. These are the people taking care of your child - you should be able to ask them anything. And they'll have done it before, I guarantee it ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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