My 10 Month Old Won't Take Formula

I diDn't read the past posts so here goes. There is no need to give him formula. If you are still bf he is getting all he needs in the way of that. Both my girls were exclusivly bf and I started with a sippy cup at 6 months with some water. If they were a liitle constipated i would sometimes put in a little prune or apple juice with the water. They both started on milk at about 11 months. They did not have juice til about 18 months. My oldest only like oj, which is the best to me. Don't give him formula, you are opening up a can of worm. If he is eating solids good and drinking water with his meals he is doing great. I found that my daughter did good with a regular cup at meals, so I could help and avoid spills. My other one did better with a straw. So keep trying. I think you are safe if you want to start with a little milk at meals but keep up with the water. Use that in his cup. Wean him when you both are ready. You don't have to stop at one year.

I'm curious why you are introducing formula now when he's breastfeeding. Do you want to wean your baby from the breast completely at this time? You can begin offering whole cow's milk at 12 months but you don't have to stop breastfeeding unless that is your goal. IF you do want to stop breastfeeding, I wouldn't do it until your baby has taken whole cow's milk. Breastmilk has more to offer a baby than milk or formula, however. Some women have success at pumping, other do not. I could never get much out when I pumped, anyway.

I would wait until he's 11 months before introducing whole cow's milk if you really cannot wait until he is officially 12 months. Doctors warn about introducing dairy too early because of allergies and sensitivies however, I introduced dairy (yogurt and cheese) at 6 months and never encountered a problem. Chances are that if you've already introduced some sort of dairy into your baby's diet without a problem, then milk should be fine.

Keep introducing the sippy cup with water and with milk when you are ready to begin offering it. You surely want to stop using bottles by 12 months. Also, do not stop breastfeeding cold turkey. If weaning is what you really want, then you must do it slowly, gradually. Breastfeeding is a source of nutrition and comfort for babies. If you cut it out totally, you cut off that security that your baby has been so accustomed to. Do it slowly, like replacing a nursing session with a sippy cup of milk. Most babies have the hardest time giving up morning and night but everything in between you can work on. Weaning takes time. Do it with love.

I don't blame him for not wanting formula when he's had the good stuff from mom! Even though you don't get much when you pump (which is NO indication of how much milk you make) try giving him some warm, expressed milk in the sippy/straw cup. This will help him have a very positive association with the cup. You definitely want to wait until 12 months (or longer) to give your son cow's milk. My son did not care for regular cow's milk but would drink some organic. Gradual weaning is always best for mom and baby. I let my son kind of lead the weaning and he was weaned by 16 months. Babies are very smart. They know the good stuff!

Hi C...
I know how frustrating it can be to wean a baby to a bottle after they have been so cozy in your soft closeness. As far as he's concerned, you've gone crazy & he's not going with you! Breastfeeding is always the best choice for as long as you can continue. And, those babies of ours are VERY SMART; they KNOW when you're about to pull your hair out!
If you MUST wean him,he will be upset & he WILL drink when he's hungry!!
Remember he's still a baby, so he naturally wants what he is accustomed to. The less he sees you frustrated, the quicker he'll respond to this change. I wish you the best!!

I just went the the same thing. My son will be one this week and a few months ago we went to cows milk. Looking back now that I have more information, i wish that i would have gone with organic goats milk. you can find it at publix and i haven't looked for it at wal-mart, but they may have it too. cows milk is much more difficult to digest and it stays in the system something like 7 hours (i think that's right). goats milk is digested more quickly and only stays in the system around 4 hours. do your research!!! i've been amazed at the wealth of info there is out there.

with regard to your son not wanting the bottle, that will take a while. it took me about 4-5 hours to get him to latch on the bottle. you can mix your milk with the goats milk and slowly put less of your milk in the bottle and see if that is easier for the little guy. My son refused the bottle for the longest and now he loves it. the unfortunate thing is that now i need to break him from the bottle. if i could go back and do it again i would have given him goats milk.
God Bless,
R.

Hi C.! I had similar issues with my daughter, in regards to not taking a bottle. I breast fed her for too long before introducing the bottle, and she just never took to one. I really don't have much to say about the switch to milk. I think you should be gradual, not cut him off cold turkey. I know that you are supposed to wait until they are 1 for cow's milk. My daughter still doesn't really like milk (she is now 2). We eat a fair amount of dairy, and she drinks pediasure. I will say that I can offer advice on what type of cup you offer to your son. My daughter couldn't handle any of those sippy cups...until I tried the Born Free. They are awesome!!!!! The baby doesn't have to suck as hard, like a traditional sippy. Those traditional sippys are linked to ear infections. Plus the Born Free is BPA free. I bought mine at Whole Foods, but I just saw them at Publix. They are pricey ($11 for one) but worth it! Also, believe it or not, my daughter was drinking with a straw at 8 months. I thought I would try it, and it just worked. I initially capped the end, to hold in some liquid, and gave her the other end. She got used to that, and just somehow learned how to suck up the straw. She was a pro!! Hopefully one of those two options will help. Now, has your son had formula before? If it is new to him, he might just not take it. It doesn't smell very good to me. If I were you I would breast feed for 1 1/2 more months, then wean him to milk. Good luck!
A. :)

He doesn't even need formula or milk if he's getting breastmilk. Keep breast feeding as long as possible, even if it's only at nap or bedtime. Whatever he wants is what's best for his body. Your focus now is introducing him to LOTS of new foods. It may take 15 tries to get him to enjoy a certain flavor or texture. I have LOTS of advice on this, email me for more info. Babies only need milk to get the fat, which can be found in your breastmilk and in good foods like fish, cheese, some meats and many other foods. Getting him to enjoy a bit of spinach mixed in his spaghetti sauce over crushed noodles with chees is sure to be a favorite food and will be packed full of good nutrition. I would toss out the formula and don't worry about it. Also, only give him water or warm chammomile tea in his cup, let hime get his fruit from real fruit, not empty calories from juice.

Hi C.,
My children wouldn't take anything from a bottle or sippy either. As a speech therapist, that made me happy. Your son may like trying a regular small plastic cup better. Fill it with small amounts and let him have at it. Sippy cups are for transition only and if he doesn't want it, great.
I have to add that cow's milk is for cows. It's very difficult for people to digest. When I transitioned from breastmilk, I used a soy formula from Whole Foods. I also gave my under-one daughter Silk Enhanced soy milk which has DHA and RHA/fatty acids. She liked that better than the formula. I added flax and/or olive oil to their foods for fats.
I let my children decide when to wean. My son was 16 months and my daughter was 20 months. My philosophy is that if they can ask for it, they don't need it anymore.
Best of luck to you,
S.

The "12 month" schedule is only a guideline. If your child seems ready to wean and won't take bottles, then don't force the bottles.(Your baby will get better holding with practice.) However, I question the urgency to wean at ten or eleven months if the baby still needs to be breastfed (because most babies will wean themselves at the time that is appropriate for them)...Since you cannot get much milk when you pump, please review your diet and/or vitamin & mineral intake and your hydration to be sure that the quality and quantity of your breastmilk is good. Then, whenever the time comes, do gradually introduce formula (if the baby will drink it and/or be able to deal with the taste of it) or whole milk (or soy milk) to lessen the chance of gas, indigestion, etc.

The best way to wean is only 1 nursing every week to two weeks. This may take up to 5 months. Whole milk is fine...just in the beginning it is better to continue nursing so his immune system still gets the education and the boost with the change.
Great Luck!!!

C. I would skip trying a bottle at this point and just go to a sippy cup. My daughter was the same way she would not take a bottle and one morning I decided it was time to wean her and she just took the sippy. I started her on half formula and half breastmilk and at about 11 months I started giving her whole milk mixed with formula. Maybe having someone else give him the sippy cup would help get him to realize that is what he is getting from now on.

3 out of my 4 wouldn't take formula/bottles, either. Are you in a hurry? I would just gradually go to milk, substituting for nursing. Start with 1 feeding a day, and gradually move over. I wouldn't go cold turkey. I didn't know about goat's milk or the other things that are being touted in this column but why not try them and see what works? I think you should be okay with switching at this age, provided he is a decent weight. I believe the reason they want you to wait is that mommy's milk and formula have the fat babies need. Regular milk is just not as fatty. Hard to believe we want them to have fat now and we watch it so much later in life!! Good luck!!

I breastfed my little guy until he was 8 months old I had to stop due to illness, I had tried and tried with a bottle and sippy cup but he would never take it, as soon as I stopped breastfeeding a had a few days when he only drank and little and then he was holding the bottle and grabing at it and wanted to feed himself.. I think he was confused with me trying both so I would say stop breastfeeding and he will be sure to take a bottle, he won't starve believe me!!!!! my son had refused all bottles (I tried as many as I could buy) from the day he was born also...

C.,

I breastfed both of my kids until right before their 1st birthday. I can say I never was a fan of formula, mainly because of the reactions of my kids when I tried it for whatever reason. I started weaning them slowly by mixing whole milk and breast milk taking away 1 feeding at a time, 1 week at a time. By 10 1/2 months old I was breastfeeding 4 times a day. Not really sure if you are ready to wean, but that is what I did. I eventually didn't have to put any breast milk in, but start out more breast milk than whole milk until you don't need any. I agree with the other response, it's a guideline...if they said 10 months then people would be giving them whole milk at 8 months or younger. There was a time when I only had to add enough breastmilk to make it smell different, I still think that is funny. Good luck and hope this helps!!!

I know most doctors will say 12 months but I beleive both of my kids were younger than 12 months when they began to refuse drining formula & my daughter actually began refusing the bottle. I did whole milk in the bottle or sippy cup. Whichever he will take because it will not be long before you will have to get them off the bottle too. As far as weaning him from nursing, I think it is what you feel you should do. If you can't pump very much, you may not be producing very much now, so your child may be nursing just for suction. It is really if you are ready to let go yet. It is never easy to wean a child from anything especially when there are our female emotions involved, but it may be easier to wean during a transition like this, doing it all at once could be a good thing, if your child adjusts well.

my pediatrian told me with my first child to start weaning her off of formula when she was 9mos. when i gave her the whole milk she wouldn't take formula anymore. i also took my son off of formula when he was about 9mos old. i'm sure that 2 mos isn't going to harm your child, and from what i've been told about my pediatrician he's the best in volusia county.

Hi C.,
My youngest son began to self-wean around 10 months, and my ped. said it was fine to wean him directly to whole milk at that age. Twelve months is the guideline, but based on circumstances, a little earlier is usually not a problem. Have you tried offering him milk in a regular cup? Yes it can be messy at first, but a lot of babies go directly from breast to cup without any bottle or sippy in between. My nephew was weaned at nine months and never had a bottle or a sippy. My boys did take the bottle, but were still introduced to the cup at that age. They were messy with it until about 14 months, but by 18 months had it down pat, and there was never a need for a sippy cup, though I did keep them on bedtime bottle of milk until age two.

I would advise you not use soy milk. Although it can be a healthy alternative for adults, it is not appropriate for the developing bodies of babies and small children. Soy formula should only be used when medically necessary as a last resort when all other outlets (including hypoallergenic formula) have been tried and failed.

personally I wouldn't try to wean to formula. What I did is by 12 months I was 'down' to breastfeeding 2 times a day- first thing in the morning and then at bedtime. So you're almost there. I would take the time between now and 12 months to get to just two (or even one) feedings.

I agree about the straw cup. But I never offered anything other than water in a sippy. What my boys got from me was 'it' as far as milk went until I switched to (organic) cows' milk at 12 months. I made sure they had plenty of calcium in their diet and lots of GOOD fats. I give lots of cheese, yogurt, broccoli, blackstrap molassses (I added this to a lot of things! baked sweet potato, squash, french toast using only the egg yolk, muffins, etc)...

www.kellymom.com is an excellent resource, too.

hang in there!