Posts
My baby has declared the bottle his enemy.
I have been nursing my baby since the day he was born and I had the ultimate goal of nursing him until he turned one year. I am proud to say I reached my goal when my baby turned one on October 26th.
He nursed the first four months solid and I never really gave him a bottle because I was at home with him. I think this was a huge mistake on my part. When I returned to work this child refused to eat a bottle for anyone. This was a nightmare. I cried because my baby wasn’t eating and I felt like this awful parent. Then I was up all night feeding baby because he was eating at night to make up for what he wouldn’t eat during the day. Finally after a couple weeks he changed his mind and started eating from a bottle. My sitter found lots of ways to trick him and get him to eat. She was great, the grandmas were not so lucky and he still gives them a hard time when they babysit.
Since that time I have never been able to get him to take a bottle at home and especially from me. He will cry and throw a fit until he gets to nurse. I don’t get to share the night shift with my husband because he refuses the bottle. So for the past year I always do the night shift and it sucks.
Now Thomas is one and I am ready to start cutting back on the nursing and have him take a bottle and drink cows milk. Sounds simple enough right….wrong!!!!
My sweet baby thinks that the battle is his enemy and will toss it onto the floor every time. OK sometimes he plays with it a little but never drinks it. My oldest child was cut off the bottle at one and put on the sippy cup so I thought maybe we should just skip the bottle and go to the cup. I think I have bought every brand and type of cup out their and once again he refuses it.
Don’t get me wrong I loved nursing my baby and I got super thin from it but I am ready to be done. I want to enjoy an ice cold Diet Coke everyday and coffee chocked full of caffeine in the morning instead of this decaf crap I have been drinking. I am not trying to stop baby from nursing over night but I am trying to let my milk down gradually and bring this to an end at a nice pace. This child is so stubborn that I am scared I will be feeding him until he is two. My husband comment, “why get your drink out of a bottle when the tap version is so much better”. He is no help and finds it all funny.
So I need help! Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to get this baby to stop nursing and switch to a bottle or cup? Any suggestions or ideas are welcome because I have run out of ideas.
I have been nursing my baby since the day he was born and I had the ultimate goal of nursing him until he turned one year. I am proud to say I reached my goal when my baby turned one on October 26th.
He nursed the first four months solid and I never really gave him a bottle because I was at home with him. I think this was a huge mistake on my part. When I returned to work this child refused to eat a bottle for anyone. This was a nightmare. I cried because my baby wasn’t eating and I felt like this awful parent. Then I was up all night feeding baby because he was eating at night to make up for what he wouldn’t eat during the day. Finally after a couple weeks he changed his mind and started eating from a bottle. My sitter found lots of ways to trick him and get him to eat. She was great, the grandmas were not so lucky and he still gives them a hard time when they babysit.
Since that time I have never been able to get him to take a bottle at home and especially from me. He will cry and throw a fit until he gets to nurse. I don’t get to share the night shift with my husband because he refuses the bottle. So for the past year I always do the night shift and it sucks.
Now Thomas is one and I am ready to start cutting back on the nursing and have him take a bottle and drink cows milk. Sounds simple enough right….wrong!!!!
My sweet baby thinks that the battle is his enemy and will toss it onto the floor every time. OK sometimes he plays with it a little but never drinks it. My oldest child was cut off the bottle at one and put on the sippy cup so I thought maybe we should just skip the bottle and go to the cup. I think I have bought every brand and type of cup out their and once again he refuses it.
Don’t get me wrong I loved nursing my baby and I got super thin from it but I am ready to be done. I want to enjoy an ice cold Diet Coke everyday and coffee chocked full of caffeine in the morning instead of this decaf crap I have been drinking. I am not trying to stop baby from nursing over night but I am trying to let my milk down gradually and bring this to an end at a nice pace. This child is so stubborn that I am scared I will be feeding him until he is two. My husband comment, “why get your drink out of a bottle when the tap version is so much better”. He is no help and finds it all funny.
So I need help! Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to get this baby to stop nursing and switch to a bottle or cup? Any suggestions or ideas are welcome because I have run out of ideas.
13 Comments Welcome:
Thanks for stopping by! =)
I don't have any advice, but I have a few friends that have been through the same battle. One of them had to leave for 5 days in order to get her baby to take a bottle. (She didn't leave because of that, but that's what did it.)
Good luck!!
I wish I had advice for you. I had a terrible time breastfeeding. Didn't last 6weeks and almost starved Aidan. I'm totally in awe of you for going so long. Good job!
I wish I could help! For some reason my daughte switched back and forth really easily- I don't know why- nothing that we did I can assure you. Hang in there, he'll get it soon and you will SOOO miss those nursing days!!
First off, I have to say how awesome you are for nursing for so long!!! That is so wonderful!!
Secondly, I have no idea how to get him to accept the bottle. I wish I had some advice. I do have a friend who went through the same thing and I can ask her for some advice if you like. Or maybe you could post a question on Baby Center's message boards....those moms always seem to have such great advice!
Oh gosh, that IS a problem!! I am so not one to ask either because I didn't breastfeed either of my boys. I have heard, though, that if you put something on your breast that tastes bad to them, that will make them wean faster and want the bottle instead. But I don't know if that will work since he has already refused the bottle already. I am like you, I would want to make sure that he ate SOMETHING!
Good luck - I know that has to be tiring and frustrating at the same time!!
I breastfed both of mine until they were 14 months. I had a terrible time with my 2nd. I slowly introduced the bottle by pumping and then giving him the bottle. He responded better when I would feed him with the bottle outside. I don't know why...but it did work. I would go outside and sit and he knew I would not nurse out there. Over a period of 6 weeks...this trick worked.
Good-luck.
i also wish i had some sage advice but my beans are long past the breast and bottle....so i will leave you with...your blog is super cute and I am visiting from SITS...
Come on over to my blog; you have an award waiting for you!! =)
Sorry can't really help - the little muncher had to learn to take the bottle when I had to go away for a few days when he was 4 weeks old. I have to admit though, when he gets his bottle it's his daddy that's giving it to him when I'm not at home.
Thanks for stopping by my blog :)
You might try apple juice or some other liquid he might find appealing and then go from there. Good luck - Kellan
My only advice would be to pump milk and only feed him from the bottle... not from the breast anymore. If he's hungry enough, squeeze the nipple of the bottle so he can taste that it's breast milk... then once he'll take the bottle, gradually introduce cow's milk.
I am sorry that you are having this issue. I did not breast feed my kids but I do hope that a solution presents itself soon.
oh my youngest drove us crazy with this...I nursed him forever it seemed and he would not take a bottle...after trying out every flipping nipple there was I finally got him to take the first nipple we tried..it is a breast feeding nipple made by gerber..called a nuk i buy the silicone ones started with stage one..slow flow and moved up..I had to sit with him outside cause he loves the outdoors..and he finally took it..plus it helped when someone else feed him...when he was with me he wanted the boob..lol (he was under 1 years old when this happened)...I also have bought a million cups..he finally started drinking from one it is the only cup he will drink out of it is the little cheap plastic cups with little straws..not the flip up ones the straws are to fat...these come in a pack of four in different colors and little skinny straws you put in the lid...It has been crazy here trying to get him on bottles and cups...I have never had this problem..all my kids loved their bottles and went straight to a cup at 1...no this one...I think he has last child syndrome....if he would have been my first..he would have been my last...lol...good luck!! :)
Post a Comment