weaning from breast to cup

6 replies

h23 · 20/04/2006 20:45

Hi. DD is just a year old, and still breastfeeding 3-4 times a day.
She always breastfeeds before a sleep, and while that's been great so far for having a baby who goes to sleep really well (she doesn't fall asleep on the breast, but it's part of the going to sleep ritual), it means that only I can put her down for her naps and at night. I'd love to stop her breastfeeding before her naps, and I've bought her one of these B-Free cups (she's never had a bottle) to start having milk from, but I wonder if anyone has any advice for me... Or do you just have to put up with a disrupted routine for a bit, while she gets used to it?

OP posts:

bramblina · 20/04/2006 21:28

Hi. Are you against formula, or a bottle? I'm with you on the sleep routine etc. Are you weaning from breast to formula at the same time? Or had you considered expressing, to make the transition less of a shock?

My ds is breastfed but I express everyday as he would fall asleep on the breast at night so if I give him ebm in a bottle he will take it all even if asleep. We've done this for about 2 months now. I introduced him to a bottle at 8 wks just to make sure he would take it, then he had one feed a month from a bottle (just to make sure!) and dh gave him it.

Original poster

h23 · 21/04/2006 13:42

Hi. i'm not really 'against' anything, but i guess i feel that now that she's a year old, i don't want to start spending money on pumps, bottles, etc. And i've kind of waited until 12 months so that i could go onto cow's milk and not have to do the formula thing.
i've also heard that babies 'shouldn't' have a bottle after 1 year old. (I think it's to do with their teeth?)
I read about having a bottle every so often a bit too late for DD. I wish i'd done that from the start so that i could have been a bit more flexible...
I can see how moving from breast to bottle would be easier than breast to cup but, again, i guess i'm trying to cut out a middle stage.
maybe i'm trying to walk before i can crawl?!

OP posts:

chocohead · 21/04/2006 14:38

I would just start with 1 nap time, just give her cup with milk in then put her down as usual and see how it goes. How does she take water/juice is she used to a cup ?

lahdeedah · 21/04/2006 14:45

My DD never had a bottle - I stopped breastfeeding at 9 months and went straight on to formula in a cup (Tommee Tippee first cup). She was already taking water out of a cup at mealtimes, and didn't bother her when I started giving her milk from it as well. Every baby is different obviously, but I think you just have to try it and see what happens! Do it gradually as chocohead says - leave the bedtime feed until last, as I found that one to be the most tricky to change.

Original poster

h23 · 21/04/2006 15:54

thanks! I was thinking of starting with one nap time first.
DD has a cup for water and is ok with it, but doesn't drink in the 'sustained' way that she does when feeding from my breast. I bought a new type of cup tho with the idea that it would be the 'milk' cup and different to her water drinks.
going to start giving her milk in it when she's playing, so that it's not so alien when she has it at nap time.
thanks for the advice... we'll see!

OP posts:

lahdeedah · 21/04/2006 15:59

My DD doesn't drink milk from a cup in the same way as she used to when she breastfed. She normally takes a drink puts the cup down, crawls about a bit, then picks it up again for a bit more. She uses the non-spill Magic Cups now so I just leave her with the cup for half an hour or so until she has drunk most of it. Sometimes if she is tired she will snuggle on my lap and drink the whole lot - which is lovely but only happens occasionally nowadays!

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