Here's a little background:
Noah breastfeeds. I don't supplement with formula right now but might in several months when he gets closer to his first birthday. He doesn't do well taking a bottle so I never try... the only times he has is when I've been gone during the times he eats but that has only happened a few times.
My question:
When is a good time to start weening him from breast to bottle then to sippy cup or regular cup? Like I said, he's not very good at drinking from a bottle (I think it might have to do with suction) but I think it would be a good thing to try and get him used to a bottle or sippy cup since I don't plan on breastfeeding past 12 months. He's only six months now and I have this guilt about not exclusively breastfeeding. He'll have to learn sometime right?
Also, Noah has a tooth coming in so I'm wondering how thats going to affect breastfeeding? Would now be a good time to start introducing him to bottles and cups?
Hmmm.. that's a lot. The only thing I can say about when to wean is: it is totally and completely up to you. I had serious physical issues while I nursed, so I quit at 6 months. I felt really guilty about it because I had to totally stop, but my doctor actually suggested it. However, I've had friends who have happily nursed into the 13 and 14th months. When I switched Jax to a sippy cup, I did it right when he turned 1, and I went cold turkey with bottles. It sucked for about 4 days. He hardly ate ANYTHING. Seriously. He totally refused the cup. But soon he realized that the sippy was the only way he was going to get his milk. So then one day he just decided to be okay with it. I would definitely introduce the sippy cup before completely switching, though. It's your choice about whether to move to a bottle or a sippy. I've heard both. And although he may not prefer other methods over nursing, he'll learn if he needs to. If he is getting a tooth, I would suggest slowing down on the nursing. If you are nursing or feeding at night, it would be a good idea to stop. If you nurse him at night and milk sits on his teeth, they will eventually rot. (This comes from my dad, who puts tiny kids to sleep for surgery on their rotten teeth every day.) But after all this, ultimately, you are the mom, and you need to make your own informed decision that is right for you and your baby. I hope this helps at least a little. Sorry for the novel.
ReplyDeleteI didn't suppliment with either of my girls until they were 8 and 10 months. We just did some baby food and then the rest was breastfeeding. (The teething didn't affect me at all with breastfeeding, but I know some kids start biting.)I didn't want to wean to a bottle and then have to wean from that so we went right to sippies for both of them and it worked really well. I used the Gerber sippies at first because they are a nice, small, soft top and easy to hold. I also never ever warmed their formula because my friend did that and to this day her 5 year old won't drink cold milk. Extreme example, I know, but I didn't want to mess with it. Once the girls started sippies they wanted to wean from breastfeeding because it was so much easier for them to eat from a sippy. It worked for me, but every kid is different and every mom is too so do what is best for you! At the end of the day, you know your needs and you know Noah better than anyone. :)
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