9mo starting nursery EBF

[Homebirdabs]

Looking for advice! My little one is 9 months when he will be starting nursery 3 full days a week. He’s only ever breastfed, used to take one bottle a day of expressed milk (in protest!) and would only ever have 2/3 oz at a time! I’m wondering how much I should be sending in? If he will even need it at nursery because he will be eating 3 meals a day, I will feed him in the morning before we go and when I pick him up! I’m slowly transitioning back to work so will be home until he’s 10 months so if he’s struggling I can collect him earlier and feed him at home. How much breastmilk should I send in with him? We are going to try and reintroduce bottles again at least once a day and see if he will take to it, he has sips of water from a sippy cup but doesn’t drink loads! Any advice welcome

He won't need any and a morning and night feed will be fine so you can still carry on. Good Luck.

My first went to a childminder at 10 months and wouldn't take a bottle, we managed to get him to take milk from a wee infant open cup, looked a bit like a shot glass.

We sent 2x 2oz each day because I got about 2oz from a pumping session and he seemed absolutely fine with that, he was a good eater though so I'd have had to rethink if I felt he needed more.

I gave him a good feed before he left and fed him as soon as he came home and at 12 months I slowly phased out the pumped stuff for water and cow's milk

I wouldn't send in milk. Feed him before hand, feed him on collection, feed him at bedtime. Maybe overnight if he still wakes. Food and water during the nursery day.
This is what we did with my bottle refuser.

DS1 started nursery at a similar age and he very quickly lost interest in drinking the milk while there, so we stopped sending it in quite quickly. DS2 was slightly older and also would take a bottle at home but not at nursery. I would pick him up and he'd glug the leftover milk in the nursery carpark! He was perfectly happy there though - just didn't want milk from anyone other than me. So we only sent it in a few times. Both were fine with just morning and evening breastfeeds.

Yep you, and he, will be fine.

mine went at 9m as a bottle refuser. I diligently sent her in every day with two bottles of expressed milk which she never touched. I gave up after a month, and nursery staff would give her a yoghurt or a babybel instead at snack/milk time.

she fed am, after work and before bed. During a growth spurt she had a phase of a 3 am feed as well. She’d dropped everything but the am and pm feed by 12m.

have a look at Kellymom, it used to have a really good section on reverse cycling- in the US where mat leave is often crap it’s common for mums to encourage their babies to feed at night when they’re home. Obviously your child is older and weaned so it’s easier but it can be done :)

Unfortunately cant give advice as DS only 4 months but thank you I have found this thread super helpful.
DS is EBF and refuses bottle totally. I am so worried, family say he is too attached to me and I need to give him bottle asap and wean of BF as he will start nursery at 10 months. Been feeling so stressed about it..as I know he won't take bottle

there’s a massive difference between 4 and 10 months. Once he’s weaning the bf will be less full on - by 10 months mine were down to two or three feeds a day.

tell your family to mind their own. I found injustice had to keep repeating on a loop “we’re fine thanks” every time someone told me I “had” to stop bf and started on about rods and backs.

i remember my mum visiting and saying the same to me, oh she’s too attached, it’ll cause you problems. Only for her to have to admit she was wrong an hour later (I work shifts) when i put her down, said right I’m off to work, and she happily gave me a hug and toddled off to someone else.

don’t stress about bottles. I wouldn’t bother at all if I were you as at 10 months you should be able to bf around solids and nursery. So few people bf for long, relax!

My daughter started nursery at that age also ebf but didn't eat and we were trying to get her on to formula rather than bf for my health.
She was offered two bottles a day before a nap and had 0-3oz in each bottle between 2-5oz a day. She had a good breastfeed before and afterwards.
At 11 months we did get her onto formula and she increased to 5oz twice a day. I can't remember if she had a bottle before nursery or not I was in hospital so my partner was dealing with her

Both of mine started when they were around this age. I don't isn't send any milk in either.

I fed in the morning, on pick up (it's a nice way to reconnect) and before bed.

Also, it's pretty normal for a BF baby to only take 2 or 3 ounces. Between 6 weeks and 6 months they take roughly 25 floz in 24 hours so if they're used to being fed every 2 to 3 hours then this is a perfectly normal amount.

The huge quantities of milk that a FF baby has to consume seems to have skewed our ideas of what normal milk intake looks like

Neither of mine woukd take a bottle but woukd take a cup of I want there and they were with their Dad.

I would ignore your family. BFing should end when either you or your baby is ready, not when others think you should