Baby won't drink cows milk from sippy or straw cup..HELP

[mcmahan3]

I have been trying to wean my 1 year old baby girl from the breast for atleast 3 weeks now and she just won't! I have tried about 5 different sippy cups, and straw cups. She seems to like the straw cups more, and she does take some sips from it, but no more than that. And, she will only drink the milk if it's chocolate.. I really want to be done breastfeeding!!! I can't pump because i don't produce enough to, I only get an ounce after pumping for 20 min.! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to wean her to the sippy or straw cup?

[whitnessforhim]

Why don't you just nurse your baby when you are with her and not pump? Just because you are nursing still does not mean you have to continue to pump.

Nursing is so much more to a baby then food. Its comfort, security and closeness to her favorite person in the world, mom. I don't blame her for not wanting a hard, cold sippy cup.

[madelsmama]

I agree with Whitney, but if you decide that continued breastfeeding is just not for you, you do not HAVE to incorporate cow milk into her diet. Other sources of fat, protein and calcium are available; cow milk is just an inexpensive and easy way for her to get what she needs. Does she eat yogurt? Cheese? Avocado or guacamole? Sunbutter?

Many moms choose to "pump wean" at one year but continue breastfeeding into the second year and beyond. Nursing your baby just 3-4 times a day when you're together gives her enough fat, calcium, and protein to avoid all other "milks". Did you know that breastmilk contains more fats for brain development and is more nutritious than cow's milk? If you're only able to nurse her once or twice a day, then you can just make sure that she gets a serving of yogurt or cheese during that day.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/toddler-foods.html#cowmilk

Whatever you decide, congrats on nursing your baby for 12 months! That's no small feat! Wonderful job.

[mcmahan3]

She looves yogurt, but I haven't tried the other things...

I know nursing is good for the baby, that is why I did it! :) But I want to be done now, I want my boobs back! I am with my baby girl all the time, I am a stay at home mom, so pumping when i am not with her doesn't really apply to me because I am always with her... i give you guys props for feeding your babies longer than a year, but it's just not for me.

[Jacksmommy]

My son is 4 and has never had cow's milk. Well, we did offer it to him a few times, but he never liked it or took to it. He drinks water. We just make sure to offer him foods to compensate for the fat, protein, and calcium that breastmilk gave him. He likes yogurt, chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. The lack of cow's milk just isn't a problem. Don't worry if your baby doesn't like it. It isn't necessary.

[whitnessforhim]

I agree with Jacksomom. Just offer water and use other foods to fill in the protein/calcium gaps.

Cheryl is right you did a wonderful job making it to a year! I think my post sounded a little negative.
WTG momma!

[mcmahan3]

Thanks guys! But I have tried water too, and she just won't drink it.. :( Any other suggestions on helping her get used to using a cup??

[madelsmama]

Are you thinking it's more of a beverage issue, or a cup issue?

My kids both transitioned pretty well with a soft-spouted Nuby cup. Have you tried that one?

[Jacksmommy]

My suggestion about water is to not give up on it. Really every other beverage is optional, but if you don't want to keep nursing, your baby must get water to drink. Try every kind of cup you can. Try sport water bottles. Try soft sippies and hard sippies and open cups. Try offering cups in the bathtub. Try offering a cup and then essentially ignoring if she drinks it or not. I can't imagine that she won't like it eventually. Good luck.

[whitnessforhim]

Yeah your just gonna have to try a lot of different ones. My DD hated the soft-spouted sippies and went right to the straw sippies. Keep trying.

[mcmahan3]

I have tried all kinds of cups..she likes chewing on the soft spout sippys (i have a nubby and she loves to chew on it but doesnt drink from it) and I have about 5 or 6 different cups that I have tried. I tried the water today with a little bit of orange juice in it and just plain too, but no luck :( I am down to about 3 or 4 nursing sessions a day though! She doesn't seem to want it as much but now I am worried that she is going to get dehydrated if she doesn't drink very much...this is quite frustrating! :( Thanks for the advice so far guys!

[mcmahan3]

Oh and I think it is both a beverage and cup issue... lol I don't know what it is! She is a stubborn little stinker!

[Jacksmommy]

At 4 nursing sessions a day, she should still be okay. Baby food has a lot of water in it. I wouldn't panic or anything. Have you tried letting her suck on wet washcloths? That's one way to introduce the taste of water that's usually pretty tempting. My ds started on water by wanting my water bottles. Like most babies, he wanted what I had. Have you tried drinking water near your dd and seeing if she reaches for it? You could try drinking out of her sippy and then giving it to her when she reaches for it. Maybe something like that would work.
Oh, and I wouldn't offer orange juice yet. It's really acidic. I'm not a fan of juice really at all until after age 2 because I wanted my son to prefer the taste of water, but for early offering of juice I'd stick to things less acidic if that's what you want to give. Be aware though that if you do that she could develop a taste for and a preference for juice, and that's really a lot of sugar and empty calories.

[mcmahan3]

I haven't tried the washcloth thing, I will try that tomorrow! I have tried drinking for her sippy cup and then giving it to her because she does reach for it, but then she hands it right back to me!! I think she thinks it's a game! :)
And about the orange juice, she didn't like it anyway...I didn't really want to give her juice anyway because like you said about the sugar and stuff...
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!! :)

[Jacksmommy]

Don't worry. It will happen. Just go for small steps and NO pressure. Also keep your dd's personality in mind. Some kids really respond well to praise for trying new things. Others - not so much. With my son, if someone tried to tell him how something was really yummy, he wouldn't have anything to do with it. I pretty much had to just put things near him and then act like I didn't care if he ate/drank it or not. You might also try water that's room temp or cold or cold with ice - that type of thing. She may have a preference for a different temperature of water.

[mcmahan3]

Yeah, I tried the temperature thing with the milk, but that made no difference. And now she is not wanting to eat her veggies for some reason! She is only eating the orange ones..I don't want her to look like a little pumpkin! lol Her cheeks are already a little orange..it's probably just because of the weaning, she is acting out..hopefully it's just a phase!

[Jacksmommy]

I wouldn't worry about getting her to drink milk really. Yogurt is nutritious and much easier to digest. I don't know about tastes changing due to weaning really. I never actively worked on weaning my son. I do know that when he chose to not nurse, he asked for more yogurt. Now that I'm pregnant and have very little milk, he asks for orange juice more. I don't know if it's because it's sweet or if his body knows we buy the kind with calcium in it. Which green veggies have you tried? My son's favorite is broccoli. Have you tried that? He's the opposite of your dd. He won't eat anything orange - unless it's in baby food. He's 4, but he'll still eat baby food for an evening snack or when he doesn't feel well.
Have you tried kefir or drinkable yogurt? I think it's a little thick, but some kids really like it. It does taste good.

[mcmahan3]

I have tried peas, green beans, and broccoli. She used to like, well tolerate, peas, but now when I try to feed them to her, she screams. I haven't tired the drinkable yogurt, I will have to give that a try. What is kefir? I have never heard of that before.

[Jacksmommy]

Kefir is drinkable yogurt, but you find it in bigger containers in the organic section. They have different flavors. I like strawberry and pomegranate.
Do you feed her or let her feed herself? Are these cut up veggies or babyfood?

[mcmahan3]

I usually feed her. The veggies are in babyfood. But with the broccoli, I tried it cut up and in babyfood and she still doesn't like it. She used to be really good at eating finger foods, but now she wants me to feed her everything and even then sometimes she won't eat it. For example, she LOOVED the gerber puffs but now all she does is carry them around in her hands. And I introduced her to cheerios a few days ago and she loved them too, but now she does the same thing she does with the puffs...

And now she is not even interested in a straw cup..it's been a very frustrating day and it's only 9:45! :(

[Jacksmommy]

Have you tried the Gerber Organic vegetables, turkey, and barley baby food? It's got carrots and green beans for the veggies. Sometimes a mix will work to sneak in a different veggie for the picky ones.
Oh, and sugar snap beas are a sweeter green veggie to try. I've only ever found them frozen. They're another one my son likes.
Is your dd teething? That can really make for a change in appetite.

[mcmahan3]

I haven't tried the organics! I will try that too!! I think she is teething actually..she has been pretty cranky and is chewing on everything..including my legs lol

[Jacksmommy]

Okay, well if she's teething I would try ice water. That would probably feel good. I'd also try cold foods like yogurt and fruit. Maybe offer those while you have a few veggies on her tray.
Have you tried Hyland's teething tablets? They really seemed to help my ds.

[mcmahan3]

I haven't tried the teething tablets..and I discovered today that I think she doesn't doesn't like to drink from cups..I tried making her a little banana smoothie and she had no problem sucking it off my my finger but I put it in a straw and sippy cup for her and she won't touch them! I even rubbed some of the smoothie on the tips and it did nothing for her.. :(

[Jacksmommy]

Banana smoothie sounds yummy. Babies are funny in their preferences. My son's first sippy was one of those hard plastic non-spill proof ones that would pour easily. It was the easiest way I could think of to show him how to use a cup. Eventually we got some soft spout ones because I thought they seemed nicer on little gums, but he chewed through those during times of teething. You just have to keep trying different things. She'll get it. Hang in there.

[mcmahan3]

Oh my goodness, I love you right now! Thank you SOO much for suggesting the drinkable yogurts!! She LOVES them! And I added a little milk to it too and she still drinks it!! I am soo happy! She doesn't quite get the concept of the sippy cup (tilting to it get the stuff out) so she is using the straw cup and is doing great! What I will probably do is gradually add more and more milk to it so she can get used to the taste, and hopefully she will just drink the milk by itself eventually!! YAY! I am soo happy! Thanks again!

[Jacksmommy]

Oh yay! I'm so glad you've found something that works =)

[whitnessforhim]

That is great news. My DD also hated those sippies you have to tilt up to drink from. She always loved those straw sippies. Glad its working out for you.

[Korena_O]

I'm really glad you figured something out you're little one sounds exactly like my son he's 15 months and I tried forever to try to get him with the sippy cup and he was the same with milk he wouldn't touch it unless it was chocolate (I used ovaltine because it had added nutrition ). At first he wouldn't drink anything unless it was juice out of a bottle and juice is good as long as you make sure it's 100% no sugar added and diluted a little then it's just as good as eating the fruit. He still drinks his milk from the bottle but juice from the sippy and he's taken to it pretty well those 3 or 4 months really made the difference and I'm down to just night feedings so good luck and I know what you mean by wanting your boobs back hope it continues to go well.

[jesseanne743]

My daughter would not take a bottle or a sippy cup (she screamed at the sight of them) when I weaned her either. At first I had to give her milk out of a regular cup, she would use that because I did! What a mess! I started giving her juice with snack out of a sippy and because she thought it was tastier than milk she would drink it and once she got used to the sippy cup, i started giving her milk in it and she was fine. She did best with the playtex brand sippy cups, and I found that they leaked the least of like 5 other brands I tried. Hope this helps!

[kutty]

I’m trying to create a new bedtime routine for the boys. This change is necessitated by their move into a shared bedroom with Abbie. Previously I’d feed the boys in the living room with the lights turned down low, wind them all the way down while filling their bellies until it’s almost bedtime and their eyes are just about too heavy to lift. Then I’d yell at the dog for careening through the living room to frighten away those malevolent backyard birds, and finally calm the boys back down to sleep. With the boys down, I’d take Abbie through her bedtime routine of books and songs in her bedroom.

All that reading light and singing racket keeps the boys awake, though. Do you remember back in college when bedtime would roll around 2am and you just want to sleep, but your roommate insists on winding down first by reading some worthless fluff magazine like Entertainment Weekly while listening to Morrissey or something else that sucks, and the end result is everyone screaming at each other until the RA has to intervene and no one falls asleep before the sun comes up? Same principle applies, except substitute “Olivia” for “worthless fluff magazine like Entertainment Weekly,” “My Little Buttercup” for “Morrissey,” and “I” for “the RA.”






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