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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Want to stop breastfeeding my 7month old.Tips.

11 replies

JuliaAndJohn · 06/02/2006 16:58

ds3 is 7 months old. I fed ds1 and ds2 until 7 months and then went back to work each time. Nursery eventually got ds1 to take a bottle and ds2 never had a bottle, just a cup. I fed ds1 and ds2 for a further 2 months (just morning and night) until 9 months. I want to start weaning ds3, but as I am not going back to work I think it is going to be hard. He drinks water happily from a cup. Should I wean him onto a cup and by-pass the bottle? I have never expressed so don't want to start now and he is not fussed on formula. When I am around he only wants my milk.

How best should I wean him, given I am going to have to do it alone??? It is so easy just to give in and breastfeed him when he cries,but I'd like to stick with it...

BTW I want to give up because I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding solidly now for almost 5 years (my oldest is nearly 4). I need a break!!

OP posts:
Original poster
JuliaAndJohn · 07/02/2006 12:24

ok.... so no ideas!? I am currently sitting with him on my lap with some formula in a Tommy Tippee cup. He is crying. I do not want to breastfeed him until tonight. Help!!! How will I ever be able to stop breastfeeding? I want to just feed him NOW.

OP posts:
annacoach · 07/02/2006 12:40

NOT and expert but ...starting from a point of desperation....do anything you can think of to distract...out for walk, in car, up and down stairs, bath...with aim of giving message that today is a break in routine. keep your own sanity up and aim for a delayed breast feed, which delays longer and longer with each day.

don't get rigid. don't set a concrete deadline. try for a more flexible approach. if you get till 3pm with no bf, then you've done great. and you can go further tomorrow. offer water and so on to make sure not dehydrating. trust that nature will kick in and baby willdrink whatever is available. but they are programmed to be insistent so keep it playful. x

Mfer · 07/02/2006 14:40

Poor you - am a BF counsellor - he obviously like the comfort of feeding from you so I would suggest getting a bottle which is more like your breast. Look at the Playtex systems (see other posts of mine) soft latex teat which he is less likely to refuse.
Also suggest getting another person to give bottle and drape a t-shirt of yours that smell of BM over his shoulder at the time.
Sites to visit www.playtexbaby.com or their UK site www.infantcaredirect.co.uk they also have very helpful staff on 01954 719899

Original poster
JuliaAndJohn · 07/02/2006 16:45

Ta - Doesn't it make sense at 7 months to persevere with the cup rather than the bottle - especially as he is not fussed on the bottle OR the cup. I would expect to move from bottle to cup before a year anyway....?

OP posts:
JennyLee · 07/02/2006 17:13

I stopped bf at 11 months it took a day and I used a bottle, I used bottles untill 13 months, and meanwhile introduced a cup at the same time, once a day and increased it until by 13 months of Age he was using a spout cup, and then after another year or so stopped the spout cups apart from a drink of milk at night in a spout cup. My son has no bad efrects to his teeth because of this and I cleaned his teeth every night I think the dangers of bottles and spout cups are overstated and if you clean your childs teeth and don;t let them suck these bottles and cups overlong where is the harm?

Karmamother · 07/02/2006 17:21

Just a thought but if he's not fussed on formula what will you give him to drink besides water? Won't he need milk of some sort & he obviously can't have cows milk until he's one. Just curious.

Original poster
JuliaAndJohn · 07/02/2006 19:00

I expect to bf morning and night until 9 months, supplement with calcium-rich foods, give him water and persevere with trying to give him formula in a cup for the other 2-3 feeds.

OP posts:
Original poster
JuliaAndJohn · 07/02/2006 19:06

JennyLee - I don't think there is anything wrong with bottles until a year or so and spouted cups are fine until they can use an open cup without spilling too much! The only thing I did not want my little ones doing was using a bottle after 12-13 months.

OP posts:
Karmamother · 07/02/2006 20:46

Sounds good to me,JaJ

JennyLee · 07/02/2006 22:24

yes at 13 months i thought 'thats it' with the bottles, spout cups are easier to deal with too

hoxtonchick · 07/02/2006 22:29

i am kind of in the same situation J&J. well, i don't really want to stop bf, but i'm going back to work next week & dd is going to nursery 2 days a week.

she point blank refuses a bottle, so we've given up on that. i don't want to express, but am going to continue feeding her when she's with me. she quite happily drinks water out of an open cup, & it's not too messy......... nursery are going to try her with a bottle but i don't hold out much hope. yesterday i persuaded her to have some cows milk out of an open cup which she took quite well. so they can do that if they get desperate. she's eating solids pretty well (finger foods only though!), so i'm hoping that'll she'll get through the day ok.

sorry if that isn't any help for you. i feel a bit better having written it down!

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