Anyone stopped bf 8 mo baby who has never taken a bottle?

[DoItTooJulia]

Hi,

I want to stop bf ds, but he has never taken a bottle. He will take the odd bit of formula, either from a sippy cup or a trainer cup that's like a bottle but with handles and a weird teat-like spout.

I have a couple of questions....he gets some comfort from bf, what can I replace bf with so he still gets some comfort? How much formula should I expect him to take in a day at this age? Would you try a bottle or stick to cups?

Thanks

[SkinnyDecaffGiraffe]

Shamelessly watching this. Got an 8 mth old. I want to cut back daytime feeds by like your, she won't take much from a bottle or cup.

[DoItTooJulia]

Bit of a nightmare, isn't it? I was woken three times between 11.30and 3 am for feeds. I have hayfever that I can't take a lot for because I am bf and I am bloody KNACKERED. I want to stop! Now!

Oooh, that felt better, a bit of a rant! If I find the answers Skinny, I will let you know!

[gintastic]

Also watching... Have 7mo who won't take bottle. Added pressure I'm going back to work September 10th...

[BabsAndTheRu]

11 month old stopped BF at 10 months herself. She drinks from a tommy tipped cup with lid. She is not a big drinker so has 8oz formula milk in her porridge in the morning, water through the day and about 6 oz formula at night. Bit of a hit or miss at the moment as not keen drinker, but all well lots of wet nappies and sleeps all night. Loves a wee cuddle before bed, sitting on my knee with her milk. My boys were the same straight from breast to tommy tipper cup. Spoke to health visitor recently about how much milk and you are supposed to aim for about a pint a day, so about two cups, they don't need more than that when they are on three meals a day. DD rarely hits that mark but very healthy wee girl, the hot weather is helping to get her drinking more.

[BabsAndTheRu]

Sorry meant to add, introduced the big bowl of milky porridge because she wouldn't drink that much and its a good way of getting the milk in. Sneaky.

[nextphase]

Have you tried a doidy cup?
Mine never had a bottle or a sippy cup, but took water from these from about 6 months. They also took cows milk occasionally from them from about 10 months if I was away from them for a few hours.

[DoItTooJulia]

Thanks all. He will take some formula from a tommy tippee cup, but prefers it in the trainer cup thing.

I just wondered if that was comforting enough? He likes the bf for comfort, but a hard plastic cup can't do that, can it?

[GlitterFingers]

My dd hated every bottle I brought then I got some cheapo ones from Wilko after a few attempts she took to it at 10 months. So there is hope yet

[DoItTooJulia]

Clinging to hope Glitter! Thanks!

[leedy]

Seconding the Doidy cup recommendation - once he gets the hang of it you can switch to a soft spouted sippy cup, maybe? My DS2 never took a bottle but got the hang of the doidy straight away at 5 months and will now drink milk from a sippy.

Also just FYI you can actually take quite a lot for hay fever while BF - steroid sprays are fine, as are Clarityn (preferred) and Zirtek. I have manky hay fever and would be killed with it if I couldn't medicate it. Just so you're not stressed out with a streaming nose on top of everything else!

[DoItTooJulia]

Thanks Leedy, have handed him over to my mum and come back to bed for a snooze....hoping I feel better after some sleep!

[HollyMadison]

My DS didn't ever take a bottle (although I tried about 6 different kinds). At the age of 8 months I'd give up on bottles and just use what he can drink from.

DS gave up BFing very slowly and gradually and he didn't want to - I wanted to stop. First I worked on the mid afternoon feed as that was the one he was least likely to associate with comfort. I can't remember what order I did them, but when I did the bedtime feed I used to alternate between BF a bit, then formula from a tommy tippee for a few mins then BF. I gradually increased the time spent drinking from the tommy tippee until he was taking the whole feed from that.

[DoItTooJulia]

Thanks Holly. I have had a good day with it...he took formula all day. Including a pre bed bottle (it's not actually a bottle it's a trainer cup with a soft teat). I have bf him too, but not lots, just that he finished the bottle and wanted the comfort.

As much as I want to stop, I also want it to be ok for ds too. We will see how tonight goes!

[SkinnyDecaffGiraffe]

Good luck doit. Keep us posted !

[DoItTooJulia]

Interesting night, he refused formula but only woke once, so an improvement on the night before! Thanks for the support Skinny, I am just so ready to stop. Will keep you updated with our progress!

[SkinnyDecaffGiraffe]

That's good. Did you refuse to breastfeed at all during night?

[DoItTooJulia]

Not really, I just tried to offer the formula. Once it became clear he didn't want it, I fed. But it's a different story to the last week, when he would feed 10 times during a 24 hour period ( roughly)....2 feeds feels like a holiday!

How is it going for you?

[mmack]

My two youngest gave up breastfeeding at 10 and 11 months and didn't have a bottle, just a sippy cup. Both lost interest soon after starting crawling. I think at that age once they get moving they don't need the comfort of breastfeeding because they are so busy and not in your arms or being carried so much.

[teatimesthree]

I had this problem. DD wouldn't take a bottle, and wouldn't drink enough milk out of a cup to keep her going during the day when I was at work. I went cold turkey on the BF and she quickly formed a passionate attachment to a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottle. She guzzled vast amounts of formula over the following year.

Going cold turkey was difficult for a day or two, but I have never regretted it.

Good luck!

[DoItTooJulia]

Not a great day. Refused all formula except one cup full mid morning. Hasn't asked for bf all day either. Has drunk plenty of water and hasnt eaten much. I think it's the heat tbh.

Just doing bedtime feed and he only took an ounce of formula, so I bf.

Teatimeisthree I don't think I'm going o regret it either, I am so ready! Thanks for sharing!

[DoItTooJulia]

Pops, I mean teatimesthree!

[DoItTooJulia]

FFS, oops.

Bf and ipad typing = mistakes!

[DoItTooJulia]

Update.

I have had to go cold turkey (I started another thread about it) and its been quite tough. Ds has been ok, upset at bedtime and on waking in the night, basically when he would bf.

I'm not sure if he is coming down with something or whether it's just the upset of the change. His voice seems a little hoarse, so really hoping its not croup. I guess we will find out in the middle of the night.

He has taken three bottles today. I found a nuk one in the cupboard, with the latex teat and he has had that one. He ended up grabbing it and sort of stuffing it in his mouth himself at one point. I have also tried a couple if different milks and the winner seems to be cow and gate ready made follow on milk. At 5 am it will be 72 hours since I last fed him. Hoping it gets easier.

[SkinnyDecaffGiraffe]

Hi Do it.
Sorry not checked in for a couple of days.

How was last night ?

[DoItTooJulia]

Ah, hi there skinny!

Much better! It's cracked! He wouldn't take his bedtime bottle, so he fell asleep in DHs arms. He woke up about an hour later, clearly wanting milk, so I bought him downstairs, played with him, cuddled him until he went tired and bought him upstairs with his favourite monkey and showed him the monkey having milk, mummy having milk and he took it! Then he slept til 7!

Then today, he has taken all his milk happily from bottles. My breasts are fine too! No expressing needed and today they almost, almost feel normal.

It's been a tough few days, but it's done. At times it was hard denying him what he really wanted, but we still cuddled and played and had fun through it.

If you do want to do it, I found the nuk latex teat brilliant, and having my mum around, so they would be my top tips!