We need serious HELP

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: Okay, Wesley will not take a bottle whatsoever. We are BF exclusively. He will NOT take any solids either. We have only tried rice cereal mixed with a bit of water and either squash or apple sauce, but he pretty much just pushes it out with his tongue. The doc said to keep trying since he needs the iron from the cereal, so I get a little down, but I hate forcing it on him.

So I have two requests for help:

1. How do I get him to transition to a bottle or sippy (with expressed BM)? He took one fine when he was a newborn up until maybe 5 months, but after that, he just stopped and wanted breast only. I have NO PROBLEM nursing him, but as selfish as I may sound, I need a break sometimes! DH and I had a date last Saturday and we had to rush home so that I could feed him. The babysitter said he refused the bottle, she even tried a sippy cup! So he screamed until I came home.

2. How do I get him to eat more solids? Anyone's kiddos not eat solids at almost 8 months or older?? He's a BIG kid, so I'm not really worried about his weight. But at the same time, why doesn't he want it? He seriously gags, even when I thin it out.

I keep telling myself to not be so hard on him or myself and that he will be fine. But then I start to panic that he will suddenly drop in weight because I can't keep up with my supply. Maybe this is a topic for BF, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Again, please know that I'm not bashing anyone who BFs for several years. I seriously WANT to keep BF, but I want him to take a bottle and solids too so that I can get some time for myself. I can't even go to the gym without DH calling me on my cell saying "Wesley is hungry". TIA

MyLuvBugs replied: I'm so sorry Rae. And you're not being selfish. We all need time apart from our kids, just to keep some sanity.

Have you tried mixing cereal with BM?? That might give him some of the flavor he wants from the milk. As for the sippy or bottle issue, it's not going to hurt him to cry. He's not going to starve in a days time. if you just express and only offer it in a bottle, he'll eventually get the idea that that's all there is. KWIM? It sounds harsh, but it works.

Good luck sweetie! KUP!

mummy2girls replied: awwww((HUGS)))

transition from bottle to sippy was h*&& on earth here for me:( what i tried is a sippy called NUBBY and its sold at walmart and the spout is soft as a nipple on a bottle. Just keep trying!

Jenna didnt start getting a good appettite until she was well over 12 months. She just rather drink milk/formula. It was awful. I was os worried because she barely ate anything. But once she hit 12 months she ate like a garbage disposal. And she still does to this day:)

Dont feel selfish because your not! Just keep tryign and dont give up!

luvmykids replied: Maybe you could try some other foods, like sweet potato or peaches? Something really sweet? Have you tried experimenting with different types of nipples on the bottles? I don't really have much help for you but

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
I've tried sweet potatos and he HATED that. I've also tried banana (which is really sweet), blueberry and apple mix, peas and of course plain apple. So far he is best on winter squash and plain apple, mixed in the cereal. He gets at least a few bites down, but just by chance. He never opens his mouth like he actually wants it, but he doesn't scream while doing it either. Just giggles and spits things around! Gosh what a mess!

Shelly, it's not transitioning from bottle to sippy actually, it's transitioning him from boob to taking either one. I would be happy if he at least just took an ounce or so from a bottle so that I can have a couple hours out on my own! But he just won't take anything other than my boob, which is so different for me, because Wil was the opposite. He nursed okay, but he preferred that bottle once I introduced it. It's comforting to know that some kids (Jenna) can go all the way up to 12 months with not much solids.

Erika, I've tried putting BM in the cereal and he really doesn't take to it. Like you said, I just need to keep trying. I'm thinking I'll have DH do the before bed feeding since that's the feeding he would get from a sitter, kwim? Then maybe he will get used to it.

DH told me to go cold turkey and just don't even offer him the boob anymore, just pump....I was like "what?", I'm not ready to stop nursing!!!! But he just doesn't see how it's possible to do both. I think he forgot that Wil took both with no problem switching back and forth.

boyohboyohboy replied: I dont know if this is much help but, Jake was exclusively BF until he was one. He refused a bottle even when he was younger then that, and never took it. I went straight to the sippy cup, and he only would drink from the ones his big brother had. and then it was caleb who would take a sip and then jake would copy him. Only now at 15 mnths does he take the amts he should. he was a poor drinker.

I am not sure how long you wanted to BF but for me the only way, was to stop Bfing and make him drink from another source. My ped said that kids get used to BFing for other reasons then nurishment, ie: the attatchment and closeness to mom, and prefer that. and get stubborn.

There are a few new sippy cups out there with nicer looking spouts, maybe try getting some new sippy cups?

Jake also took really cold water in sippy cups before he took to anything else, he seemed to prefer that.

we also made some attempts to give him sips of what we were drinking from cups and he did well with that at first too, or bottles of water.

good luck

Paprikash replied: I second the recommendation for the NUBY cup. For some reason they like that one.

It took Sarah a good two months to like solids, but she still hates cereal. I would try the Yo Baby yogurts. They are iron-fortified and I've never heard of a baby that didn't like them. They are a bit expensive but worth it. We get ours at Whole Foods, Giant, or Safeway.

HTH.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Thanks for the tips. I do have a Nuby sippy and that is the only one he actually takes to, sort of. He bites on it and gets a few drips out, but it's more then he will do on a bottle! So I guess I'll keep working on that one.

As far as Yo Baby, that's whole milk yogurt, which I personally wouldn't give my child until one year. We buy Yo Baby for Wil still at 2.5...he loves it! I love the pear flavor! YUM!

Jamison'smama replied: Jack never took a bottle so I completely understand. Your babysitters/DH has to be understanding that they are not going to starve. Jack was very picky on foods, he would eat slightly mushed up frozen strawberries, fruit popsicles, and broken up fruit puffs before he even liked most baby foods. I think the thicker stuff was easier for him. He also liked it off of a finger to start instead of a baby spoon. He would never take EBM in any kind of container. I had to go straight to diluted juice or water. I would give him popsicles or frozen stuff in a highchair so he could play with it and eat it. The strawberries were his favorites then regular applesauce. He finally got used to food and I could leave a little easier when that happened..he never did really like the consistency of baby food or baby cereal.

ETA I have a good friend whose child was never able to eat baby food (gag reflex), she could eat the Gerber fruit puffs without a problem though and loved them.

Kaitlin'smom replied: It took months for Kaitlin to take a bottle, we tried all kinds of bottels and nipple, finaly one day the sitter call me and told me she took the playtex nurser. We were both happy and a bit relieved as it would make it easier on her. It really does take patience, trial & error. Hang in there keep trying, Oh and does he like any finger type foods, try putting him in a high chair with cheerios or wagon wheels (Kaitlin LOVED the veggie ones) maybe he woudl like finger food better.

Paprikash replied: Just wanted to say that we don't give Sarah whole milk either, but my understanding is that yogurt is digestible and broken down differently...everyone has to decide for themselves on the milk question though. Good luck!

coasterqueen replied: Brenda said what I would. I know how frustrating it can be. With Megan, especially, Dh would even have to take off of work and go on work trips with me when she wouldn't take the bottle. They will eventually either take a bottle or be able to go longer stretches without one, you just have to be patient. I know that means not being able to go out for long stretches of time, but it is temporary. This too shall pass

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
See that's the hardest part about all this. DH automatically gives Wesley to me when he cries, assuming he is hungry and wants the boob. My babysitter, I'm not sure what she does since I'm not there, but I imagine she feels pressured to get him to sleep after taking a bottle, which of course he doesn't. And then there is my MOTHER. To make a long story short, my mom didn't BF and she gave us all solids of course early. So she thinks I'm the one doing it all wrong. She doesn't see that Wesley just won't do it. She thinks I'm probably not working hard enough, kwim?

Thanks for the tips. I'll have to try the puffs and maybe just juice in a sippy. I may also try my finger...never thought of that one!