baby is 8months still bf and will not drink from cup or bottle

[mummyofsofs]

My daughter is 8months, I enjoy bf her but really wish she would drink milk from a cup or bottle, as well. I have tried everything!! She will drink very weak diluted juice from a normal cup or baby cup. But never milk.

I am hoping to return to work part time but feel that she will not be able to go for 8hours without milk.

Also I cannot go for nights out as she wakes every few hours, and I soothe her by feeding her (it is the easiest and quickest way). This is not such a big problem as I can give up nights out (have done it long enough).

But just feel she shoould be able to cope without me for a whole day if need be. Any advice?? xx

[theyoungvisiter]

I don't really have much advice except to say that my DS was the same and still to this day (he's nearly 2) has never taken a bottle and doesn't really drink cows milk (a sip maybe, but not more).

I went back to work at a year and he coped fine on just juice all day.

I also had the odd day out before that (from about 8 months actually) and he was fine, particularly as he fed fairly frequently at night. If you think about it, lots of babies manage a 12 hour gap at night from quite early on, so if they are feeding frequently at night I don't think an 8 hour gap in the day is too much of a big deal, particularly if it's only the odd day.

When are you planning to return to work?

[mummyofsofs]

Planning to return to work at 1year. Also she does not eat alot of solids, although she has been better the last few days.

She only has a few sips of juice and I feel she is still filling up on milk as tho it is her main source of food.

She bf every few hours day and night. She can manage with milk for longer but needs much more attention (she is already a high need baby).

[theyoungvisiter]

I'm sure she'll be totally fine - I really worried about my DS before I went back to work but actually it was a very smooth transition. I didn't believe anyone who told me it would be, and I still fretted, but I wouldn't worry. By a year she will definitely be able to manage a full 8 hours without milk - no trouble at all.

Babies are very sensible, when you are there of course she can see that the milk is available so she wants that. If you aren't around she'll soon adapt.

DS is now almost 2 and we are still bfing, he has just learnt to take advantage on the days I am around and do without on the days he's at nursery. It works fine.

[mummyofsofs]

Thanks for the advice.

As I said I do really enjoy bf but family members etc keep asking when am I going to stop. And I am now starting to feel embarassed to bf in public.

When did your ds start to sleep through the night as dd wakes up 2-6 times each night to feed or comfort suck.

[BabiesEverywhere]

It is hard when family is not supportive of your breastfeeding relationship with your DD.

Easy said than done, but please try and ignore them and do what you feel is best for you and your daughter.

I found it was helpful for me to explain to my mother, the importance of milk in a baby's diet. Therefore weaning off the breast before a year, meant the additional expense of buying formula and additional time taken to make and clean bottles. I wished to save the money and time and feed my daughter direct. She understood that made sense.

When we got to a year, I no longer cared what they thought and on the whole it is no longer mentioned, though my father said recently that I would have to wean her now I am pregnant but so far we are still nursing at the 19 months mark and 19 weeks pregnant.

Breastfeeding in public does continue to get easier the more you do it.

[theyoungvisiter]

Alas - DS is still not sleeping through reliably! He had a magic period from about 11-14 months when he did, but then stopped.

He was waking pretty regularly at 8/9 months I think (trying to remember) but cut down a lot when he started to take more solids, around a year or so. How usually wakes once a night now, between 4-6am.

I think in some ways I have it better than my FF friends though, as I can almost always get him back to sleep with a bf, whereas if my friends babies wake up at 5am they tend to be up for the day - ok, they're sleeping through but only until 5am, whereas DS sleeps through until 5am and then often has another hour or two.

I took the decision not to feed my DS in public anymore when he got to a year - I'm not ashamed of it, but I just wanted it to be about quiet time between him and me, not snacks. When we're out and about he has juice, and bf is only for home (unless he's ill or hurts himself in which case I make an exception).

Don't discuss it with relatives - I don't! If they offer advice just smile and say thanks and carry on regardless.

[BexieID]

Sounds like Tom. Bought loads of bottles/cups and the only one that worked was the Tommee Tippee closer to nature ones. I went back to work PT when he was 4 months, so he had formula those days. He was very fussy as to the temperature of the milk.

He self weaned just before he was 22 months and won't have any milk whatsoever now. Even from a bottle. I've tried cows, goats, uht, oatmilk, ricemilk..... He hardly drinks anything and you have to hold his cup for him. He is too lazy to use a cup that is non-spill.

Kids can be very determined souls when they want to be! I make his breakfast more milky and he has 2 yoghurts a day on average.

Does your daughter have yoghurts? Have you tried different milk? Do you express?