Desperately need help - 10 month old breastfed baby absolutely refuses formula. Need advice?

[JenB2]

Hi All,

I have a lovely 10 month old son whom I have been breastfeeding. However, I’m due to return to work in a couple of months and I need him to go on formula. The problem is he flat out refuses to drink from a bottle (breastmilk or formula) and he will not drink milk from a sippy cup (although he will drink water). We’ve tried all sorts of different bottles and nipples and he will just not take it. He physically has to be on the boob to take milk. He’s otherwise been eating and putting on weight fine. I tried to give him milk from a sippy cup today and he kept turning away and kept pulling on my top to get my boob out, so he knows what he’s doing! Please any advice or tips on how to get him to drink milk from something other than my boob?

Neither of my babies were keen on taking milk from a cup or bottle. I would pump milk everyday only to be told they had not touched it! Both were fine going without during the day and caught up with a bit of extra feeding overnight. If you keep trying with a cup/ bottle you may find they get the hang of it before you go back to work - a couple of months is a long time for a baby. And once they turn one they can have cows’ milk so no need for formula (which sometimes does not taste good to a baby used to breastmilk). Babies are really adaptable so I would try not to worry :)

Also, it might help if someone other than you tries offering him the bottle/cup! He knows what to expect with you so might not understand why he can’t just have boob!

Not sure why you'd need formula if the baby is already 10 months old? Both mine are EBF and both started nursery about 11 months old. With current baby, I bf in the morning, then when I pick her up and then at bedtime - and then at night if she wakes up as it gets her to sleep quicker! However she's one now, so it's nice to know that nutritionally she doesn't actually need me and so breastfeeding will tail off from now. I'm slowly starting to offer heated cow's milk in an open cup and figure she'll get used to it eventually.

Neither of mine would take formula either.

If you’re going back when he’s 12 months he won’t need formula in the day anyway. You can feed him on wake up, pick up and before bed. Quite a few BF babies will just be on two feeds by 12 months anyway.

I used to leave mine with instructions that they could have a cup of full fat cow’s milk if they needed it and usually they woukd drink it if I wasn’t there.

Try not to stress about it but do get him used to you not being there and accepting food and drink from other people.

And if you’re still worried, you could always call one of the BFing Helplines. The BFC in the call will be able to help you come up with a return to work plan

I agree, if you're due back at work around a year, there's no need to get him onto formula. (Neither of mine took a bottle, although one would drink a bit of expressed breastmilk from a cup.) He can have cow's milk (and he may drink it if you're not there and he sees other babies drinking it, even if he won't at home), but if he doesn't he should be fine with solids and water – just be prepared for a big feed when you pick up, and possibly a bit of 'reverse cycling' where he feeds more at night for a bit to top up on both milk and the closeness to you.