12 month old wants bottle not booby

Last month DS starting whacking on my chest and seemed to want more milk and/or quicker than what my breasts were doing. Since xmas he has been offered a bottle (has not been a bottle baby, BF on demand) a few times while I was at the shops etc and then a few days ago he starting to bite my nipples (not too hard, but knowing he would get a reaction) when going for a feed. He would not feed but just kept biting whilst looking at me and then crying a little and then doing it again. So with him doing that (biting and not feeding) I told DH to offer him a bottle with cows milk or formula. And DS loved it. Drank it straight away no more fussing. DH says DS must know the bottle is quicker. OK, so maybe thats right, but is it ok for him to self wean onto the bottle at 12 months when I am happy to keep BF? I feel a bit bad that my supply is not so good...DS growth has been very slow over the past 4 months too... so perhaps he needed this a while ago - but I thought my Breast Milk was better for him.
Feeling a bit bad and not sure what to do? If he really is better and happier with a bottle then I can accept it, but I dont want to just give up that easy without looking at what else may be at issue here.

Hmmm....
Well his growth is likely to be very slow at this age, so I wouldn't worry too much about that if all else seems well.
The bottle may be a lovely novelty for him, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll give up on breastmilk all together. The best way might be to continue offering, but keep it relaxed and let him set the pace. Don't try to force him to the breast at all, cause that will likely backfire on you.

And, at this age he doesn't need a lot of milk if he's eating well. You could just ditch the bottles, offer the breast and just go from there.
All the best~~
:hug:

:hug: I'm going through the exact same thing ATM!

She initially accepted a bottle. I had some EBM and once that was gone, I ended up getting formula for her because she was dehydrated and she took to it with great gusto. Now a week later she refuses to drink anything from a bottle. The formula is wasted in the cupboard it seems and she will only drink water from her sippy cup. She refuses to BF now at all during the day and will have a little go in the morning :(

I'm a tad sad but we've had a wonderful 12 months of it and after 2 weeks or so of continuous breast refusal I have given up wrestling with her.

If you want to keep persisting and try to ride it out, he might come good. I know it has worked for others but for me it hasn't.

:hug:

Hi,

it's generally not recommended that babies be weaned onto a bottle at 12mnths. they need to get extra nutrition from food - not milk or formula. And at some time, they will need to wean from the bottle - which is in itself a painful process. At this age it is more preferable to give milk or water in a cup. It is likely that his behaviour was just a new developmental phase - not really a commentary on the quantity of milk - but it easy to get confused by what they are trying to say or do.
If you don't want him to have the bottle, don't give him the bottle. Offer a cup instead. And the breast, if you want him to breastfeed. At this age they can understand what we are saying - gently but firmly tell him you don't want the biting - it hurts. He is a big boy and knows how breastfeeding works. He will get what he needs! Babies do a lot of things at the breast - pinching, twiddling, hitting, biting etc. Mothers don't have to put up with it - nor do they have to switch to the bottle. A bit of gentle but firm negotiation will preserve breastfeeding and eliminate unwanted behavious

He bites because he doesnt want the breast. He turns away if I offer, and if I persist in trying to get him to latch he lets me know he doesnt want to by looking me in the eye and doing the bite (then he pulls off and whines till I stop trying to give him the breast). He does not want to have milk from me, but wants it in a bottle. He will drink it from a cup too, but still s still getting the hang of how to do it).
It just seems he has decided that the boob is not for him anymore :dunno:
He will take the breast during the night if offered, but anytime after we get up in the morning he wont.

Hi,

I don't mean this unkindly, but children don't always get what they want. If you don't want him to have a bottle, don't give him a bottle - offer breast or cup. If you are happy to wean him, that's another matter, and that is fine. At 12mnths he will be having a well rounded solid diet and will have other sources of dairy (not that I'm meaning to say that breastmilk is dairy) He doesn't need milk in a bottle.

Im not concerned about the bottle, it is more that I did not expect a 12 month old to prefere milk from another source when they have been only breastfeed (on demand). The 'demand' just stopped one day unexpectedly.
Whether its from a cup or slices of cheese and yogart, I just did not expect this and was wanting to know if it was ok. I thought self weaning occured from around 18months, and wanted to know if I could or should do anything. Anyway, he has still refused to take the breast but is getting dairy from a variety of other forms for the past week nearly and I assume he is ok and I just have to accept that he wanted to wean even if I wasnt quite ready.

Maybe he's just too busy to be slowed down by a breast feed during the day. If you want to continue, maybe keep offering during the night to keep things going and just play it cool during the day. Trying to force it will only make him more resolute about not breastfeeding.

:hug:

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