Ideas needed....boob to bottle

[itsababslife]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone had any tips to help wean my 9 month old DD off the boob and onto anything else that she can take formula out of!

She's been BF up to now and is BLW but I'll be going back to work in Jan 3 days a week so I need to start changing things now. I've tried a bottle, but she just wants to play with it....last night it took 40 mins to take 1 oz and I think most of that went in the bib! She also has a sippy cup but chokes with it...I've worked out that she blows instead of sucks which creates a pressure in it and she ends up with an eye full !! She's better drinking from the lip but it still goes everywhere.

I'm worried that on the days she's at nursery they're aren't going to be able to get enough milk into her.

Any ideas ??

If my experience is anything to go by you're too late!!!! I think formula tastes disgusting to a baby used to breast milk. My first I went back to work at 4 months and managed the transition but with second and third it was 7 and 9 months and both refused point blank despite all my best efforts. In the same circumstances as you my DS had breast morning and evening and during the day he had water or cows milk. He was eating a full varied diet with veg and fruit yogurt cheese fish meat etc. It was tough the first week but we both adjusted in time and he was very healthy.... Sucky cup worked better than a bottle. Try one that you can squeeze gently to start the liquid flowing.

I'd just try gradually introducing a beaker and try out some different types. I wouldn't go for a bottle as it'll just be something else that you'll need to wean her off eventually. Although she chokes at the moment, she will change quite a lot by January. You could try a doidy cup which is a tilted one without a lid. Also by 11 months she will be nearly ready for cows milk and will be able to get some of her calcium needs via youghurt etc.

Here's a link to the thread where I asked similar question for my similar aged dd! Have name changed since then. Mears advice was good I thought:

Thanks for the comments, it hadn't occurred to me that she will probably manage without milk at all during the day. The reminder to just relax on the linked thread is particularly thought provoking...it's so easy to get worked up about these things

Thanks again

I found I needed to get ds used to the cup first and then introduce the formula. He started having cups with EBM and when he got used to that, I started mixing in formula, swapping it oz by oz until he was drinking completely formula. It did however take him about 6 months from when I first started trying him with a cup to him being weaned. You may also find he takes it from other people when you are not around and so the boob is not an option for him any more.