reasons why a 7mo might refuse to breast feed?

[potas]

Do they wean themselves off the breast?
My boy has a cold (though not a blocked nose) and is teething I think - both of which I have heard can make them reluctant to feed. He was really upset this morning when I tried to bf him - in retrospect maybe he wasnt hungry but tried to feed him after his afternoon nap which is a regular time for us and again crying and screaming - refusing to latch on. Offered him a bottle in between - normal routine for us to have bottle at lunchtime - and he drank it all. Bit confused :-) the post nap feed he has been reluctant for/taking only small amounts for the last few days now I come to think of it. He is taking solids well but I still feel he needs this feed but he seems reluctant to even take a little.
Any suggestions?

My baby self-weaned at 11 months - just totally lost any interest whatsoever but there was nothing else going on at the time and he was disinterested rather than upset. I would think a 7 month old with a cold and teething and getting upset is more likely to be on a nursing strike because of the discomfort.

But is he off all breastfeeding, or just certain times of the day? He could just be full and dropping a couple of daytime feeds.

KellyMom is a good source for ideas on handling nursing strikes - I tried all the advice but after 40+ days decided it really wasn't a strike and that my son fell into the "very uncommon" category although my HV says it's more common than books would have you think for babies to selfwean at around a year. kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/back-to-breast/

I think the best tip was to see if they would feed in the night when sleepy (or even asleep) - although he wasn't having any of that either!

Try not to stress though whatever the outcome (easier said than done) because it really makes things harder. Good luck