Can you stop BFing at 9 months without a fight?

[Chestnut99]

DD is 9 months, still BF and won't take a bottle, with either FF or expressed milk. I am getting to the point where I am ready to stop, but I don't really know how to go about it and in particular I haven't come across anyone in a similar situation who didn't have a big fight to get their LO to stop BF and I really want to avoid it if I can.

I have a bit of time to play with (back at work in Sept) but have a 3 year old as well, so don't have much peace and quiet and in particular have limited time when I could express (so, basically, I can but don't). So I'm hoping to switch straight to FF, which she does accept in porridge and cooking etc, although doesn't show any enthusiasm for in a sippy cup or bottle (she'll have a couple of sips but then just chews on the teat/mouthpiece bit).

Also, she doesn't sleep very well at night so I'm nervous about doing anything which might make it worse, like reducing her milk intake.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be very welcome.

So she's 9 months now ad you go back in Sept? Personally I wouldn't bother with the formula unless you are desperate to give up now. Once she is 12 months you can give her 300ml of full fat cows milk per day and not worry about using formula in cooking.

If you want to give up now, try dropping 1 feed every 2 weeks, just to give Lo time to adjust and to reduce your risk of mastitis.

Whichever way you decide, a BFC will be able to Elpha you come up with a plan. Ace you got the Bfing Helpline numbers?

My 10 m

My 10 month old wont take a bottle or soppy cup but will happily take a feed from a doidy cup very quickly. She will also let daddy look after her for a day or put her to bed using one. So hoping it won't be too much of a fight to stop.

I am waiting for cows milk in a few weeks time but getting her used to daddy and expressed milk every so often.

I want to give it lots of time - if I need to give 2 weeks between dropping each feed it's going to take at least 8 weeks anyway (she feeds 4 or 5 times in 24 hours) so if I don't start soon, I'll still be dropping feeds at the same time as the disruption of going back to work. But calling the BF helpline is a good idea - thanks :)

With DS (got him to take a bottle at 6m, so stopped at 7m or so), he still had formula for a while after 1 - my DH does buy into most of the stuff about the vitamins etc that they add in. So I'm assuming he'll want to do the same with DD and we won't be onto cows milk immediately at 1.

And I might try a doidy cup too, since that won't be a huge investment/waste of money if it doesn't work ...

Thanks for the help :)

Does your DH know that there is some evidence that the extra iron in the follow on can be detrimental rather than beneficial?