Weaning a 8 month old, please help!?

My little sweet pea screamed like a crazy woman when offered a bottle when she was a wee thing whether it was breast milk or formula. Then my breastpump broke, and I gave up (regret that now). I'd prefer to keep soley breast feeding her till she is a year and can take milk in a cup, but my circumstances have changed, and I need to make money. I need to be able to leave her for longer stretches so that I can work. How can I wean her when she never learned how to suck from a bottle? Can I wean her to formula in a sippy cup? Or if I can find a pump, breastmilk in a sippy? She is very attached to me and will protest violently any change, any ideas on how I can do this?

Weaning a 8 month old, please help!?
sucking is natural for babies and if she can suck on your breast she will manage with a bottle trust me if shes thirsty she will drink some ppl say a sippy cup but i dont think shes old enough nor will she get enough that way maybe start that in a few months when shes older just get her a cutie bottle with cartoons or something pretty and she will go right to it good luck its gonna take a few weeks maybe sooner but she will get the hang of it and shes gonna be alright i hope the same for you......lol kids adjust well just stay strong and dont back out of this just do it and keep doing it she will catch on
Reply:It sounds like you've already had trouble getting her to take a bottle, so I think the best thing to do would be to express milk, and leave it for her in the fridge in a sippy cup, with her caregiver. At 8 months, there is really no sense in introducing a bottle, especially if she protests and you need to force it one her....it is just one more thing to wean her from.





Does she drink water out of a sippy cup now?





You may also find, that while you are at work, she will not drink anything, she will just refuse until you are home. Depending on how many hours you are at work, this is just fine. Many breastfed babies will not eat while in daycare, and wait patiently for mom. Then, your breastfeeding sessions upon reunion at the end of the day will be extra special.





You may also find that when you first return to work, she may want to nurse ALOT at night and on the weekends. If she is sleeping through the night, she may start to wake up again to nurse...this is all normal.





You can do it, mom, and congratulations on continuing to breastfeed upon returning to work. I had to go back to work full-time many years ago when my first son was 7 months. He was ok with breastmilk in a bottle, though, and my mom would drive him to me on my lunch break....is that an option for you?





I also suggest you borrow/buy/read the book "Nursing Mother, Working Mother" by Gale Pryor. It should be very useful for you.
Reply:she is plenty old enough to be weaned to a sippy cup, probably best to try with breast milk, she probably wont take formula. You may find it easier if you get someone else to offer it to her when you are not in the room. If she can see you she will just want the breast. It is really just a matter of trying regularly. All of my babies started on sippy cups at 7 months and did very well with them, My two sons never had a bottle at all.
Reply:"Myth: Babies must learn to take a bottle so that they can be fed when the mother is not there.





Not true . Some exclusively breastfed babies will not take a bottle by 2 or 3 months of age. Most, who have not taken a bottle, and even some who did accept a bottle in the first weeks of life will not take one by the time they are 4 or 5 months of age. This is no tragedy, and there is no reason to give a bottle early so that the baby knows how. If your baby is refusing to take a bottle, do not try to force him; you and he may become very frustrated and there is just no need to go through all this. If the baby is at least 6 months of age when you start back at outside work, the baby quite simply does not need to take a bottle. If he is even 4 months, he does not need to take a bottle. He can be fed liquids or solids off a spoon just as any other 6 month old and by 6 months of age he can be taking enough so that he will not be hungry during the day. Furthermore, he can start learning to drink from a cup even by 5 or 6 months of age. The cup can be an open cup and does not need to have a spout. Start with water as your baby may spill a fair amount at first. If, however, he has not got the hang of the cup by the time you must leave him, do not worry, he can take fluids off a spoon, or the solid foods can be mixed with more liquid (expressed milk, juice, water). Obviously, if the baby is to be taking a fair amount of a variety of foods by 6 months of age, he may need to be started on solids by 5 months of age. However, some babies prefer to wait for the mother in order to drink something. This is fine; many babies sleep 12 hours at night without drinking or eating at all.





Myth: Babies need to drink milk when the mother is not at home.





Not true . Three or four good nursings during a 24 hour period plus a variety of solid foods gives the baby all he needs nutritionally, and thus he does not need any other type of milk when you are at your outside job. Of course, solid foods can be mixed with expressed milk or other milk, but this is not necessary..."





http://www.bflrc.com/newman/breastfeedin...
Reply:Your daughter can probably drink breastmilk from a sippy cup (or through a srtaw, like mine does). If she can't tackle these things yet, there is nothing wrong with giving the bottle another shot. Have someone (other than you, like daddy or grandma) give her the bottle. Sometimes babies refuse to take a bottle when they know that the feeder of that bottle is hiding the good stuff! :)


Your daughter may now be opposed to the taste of formula. if this is the case, you don't need a pump to express breastmilk. It is quite easy to manually express your milk, I have been doing so successfully for two months now (ever since my pump was accedentally packed up when we moved) and I prefer it to the breastpump, actually. Do a web search on how to manually express breastmilk or go to http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/help... to see how it can be done. It takes a little practice, but after a few times, you will be a pro!


As far as the change in your daughter's schedule is concerned, there are ways to help her through. Try making the experience of drinking out of a "big girl" cup fun. If she is developmentally unready, don't push it. None of us like things we can't do well (this is when the bottle is a good bet). If she seems eager to try the sippy cup/straw method, put a little water in the cup. She won't get a lot at first and you don't want to waste your milk! Once she gets the hang of it, switch to your milk in the cup.


Good Luck!