She won't drink water

[Loops81]

My girl is 11 months old and having three or four breastfeeds plus three meals a day (with varying success). I'm starting to worry that she isn't getting the hang of drinking water or ANYTHING other than milk from a boob.

I tried and failed to get her to take milk from a bottle for months before she started nursery - now she is actually there (or out with my husband) she will drink a small amount of milk throughout the day from a sippy cup, but will still never take a bottle from me. I'm not too worried about her milk intake but I wish she would learn to drink water from a sippy cup. I offer it to her throughout the day and she might take one sip then push it away. I see other babies her age gulping down water from a cup or a straw. I'd like to stop breastfeeding during the day soon but I'm worried she'll get dehydrated.

Babies who are gulping down water generally aren't bf though, don't forget that bm is a drink as well as a feed. She definitely won't get dehydrated if she's bf, it is extremely rare.

I'd not offer drinks, make sure there is always one out, either in a dippy cup or a bottle, but leave it up to her if she takes it. The last thing you want is for her to think it's a great way to wind you up.

At mealtimes, make sure you drink water and she has water too. Have you tried giving her different cups or even a straw?

Oh and if you want to stop Bfing, I'd give one of the Bfing Helplines a call. A BFC will help you come up with a plan that will reduce your risk of mastitis and make your that your dd gets everything she needs

When ds1 was that age (and also bf) I tied myself up in knots thinking he wasn't having enough water, didn't seem keen on using the sippy cups etc etc. He'd have sips here and there but no volume of note. He was still breast feeding a lot.

Then we went on holiday to Florida where it was very hot and humid - he drank gallons of water from his cup! So I learnt my lesson from that. He drank when he was thirsty!

Does she drink water at nursery? Get nursery to keep offering it to her too.

Also - I spent a few weeks offering water out of the sippy cup but with a spoon. Once she got the taste for water, she drank it happily.

Try different cups? Mine were fussy buggers and had particular preferences for water cups