Bottle or beaker for 9 months old

[Simi]

My ds has been breastfed until now but I would like to stop it eventually. I have tried to give him formula milk in a bottle and a beaker and he just won't drink it. I also try to give him water in a beaker with meals but he hardly drinks any so that I still breastfeed him four times, just don't know how to stop it and I am starting to get a bit concerned. Do you think I should try the bottle again, although I have read that he is too old to introduce the bottle now (9 months).

This is bad mummy advice, but it did work on getting my VERY reluctant son to use a beaker.

Put something sweet, like apple juice, in a beaker, and gradually water it down over a few days so he will drink water.

NOT advised by anyone, but it did work for me.

Please don't shoot me!

hi simi

i remember my dd when i was trying to do this it was a total nightmare, i completely sympathise with you. for us, it was just perseverance. i imagined it was just the teat/spout that she hated, she much preferred nice soft skin!

we just persevered and persevered. she would cry and cry and cry, my dh would just sit with her for ages (sometimes 30 mins) cradling her and trying persuade her to drink. it took a few days but because he did it so intensely (no other distractions at the time) she eventually took it. it took a few days (2 or 3).

good luck and hth

btw, we eventually just gave her a beaker, skipped the bottle.

Personally at that age I would go straight to the beaker. Maybe try one with a soft spout (eg Avent Magic Cup with the valve taken out).

My bf baby would only take a Tomee Tippee cup with a flip up lid but I don't think she took much from it at 9 months. SHe's now a year and will take water (or juice sometimes) and if I'm not there she'll take milk from it. She would never take a bottle either. If it helps, I was still doing at least 4 feeds a day at 9months- think I cut the morning one out at around 10 months. I personally wouldn't bother with a bottle now.
(colditzmum, I agree with you- we did that with dd and she now takes just water or very occasionally a splash of apple juice with it)

Id go straight to a beaker. Just keep offering it day in day out. I switched to a bottle at 6mths and so wish Id gone straight to a beaker cos it was hell to get dd onto the bottle and now itll be hell to get her off cos now she loves it (shes 12 mnths)[groan].

yeah, don't bother with the bottle, you'll only have to wean him off it in six months' time.
Try a doidy cup, no lid, sloping sides (looks really weird). They have to sit down for it and will spill but he may get the idea.
Get one from your hv

Simi I had real problems with getting DD to take water/juice but I think perseverance is the key. And last week she just decided it was OK. And I've done the same as colditzmum. Actually for a while she has been happily sharing my sports top bottle of water. So don't if there is a psychological thing of watching me put it in my mouth and then putting it in her mouth.

I have gone straight on to a beaker both times. The one I found the best was the 6+ months green one from Boots.

DD didn't really drink water until she was 11 months (and now she drinks like a fish!) but we have offered it from when she started solids at 6 months.

If you want to carry on breastfeeding until 12 months you could go straight on to cows milk. This worked fine with DS and he stopped breastfeeding at 13 months. I was pregnant then though so this may have had something to do with him stopping (other mothers have had the same experience).

I would also recommend a doidy cup. They are available in lots of colours from the Bickiepeg website. They are £3.50 each, plus £1 P&P.

"Health professionals are advising use of the Doidy Cup to prevent long term health problems caused by delayed weaning and prolonged use of feeding bottles and spouted cups.
Numerous Health Authorities are promoting the use of the Doidy Cup in their 'SURE START' and 'BOTTLE TO CUP' campaigns."