Tips on weaning

I've decided it's time to start weaning DD as I'm back to work part-time and would like DH to be able to share the feeding experience! DD has been exclusively BF for 9.5 months and loves the boob...she still usually falls asleep at the boob so I'm a bit worried about how she's going to take the bottle. She has had the odd bottle so we've narrowed down which type to use.

I'm just after some tips on weaning for example when I should be feeding her and roughly how much. She is eating 3 meals a day at 7, 12 & 5 with lots of water. She is BF on demand so pretty much feeds whenever she likes.

TIA

I have no personal experience but Im sure you will find some information HERE on the ABA website. Hopefully some people who have been through it will be here to help soon!

Hi,

What a brilliant job you have done with breastfeeding. I wonder, at 9 and a half months, I'd think twice about introducing a bottle. Most authorities suggest it's best to wean from a bottle at about 12mnths. I'm thinking you'll just get her onto the bottle and you will have to get her off the bottle.
Have you considered combining work and breastfeeding? At her age, most people find that they can leave their child with drinks and food while they are at work and breastfeed at other times. There's no reason hubby can't share the feeding experience - seeing all those faces (happy or horrified) when new foods are introduced.
Many mothers worry that when they are at work baby will need to feed every time she feeds when you are with you, but what most find is that when you are not there they are happy to take other food, and they just really don't demand so much. That's when we realise it wasn't really the feed they wanted after-all - it was mum! but they do just fine when we are not around.
the ABA's booklet "Weaning" is a fabulous resource and only $5.
Warm Regards
Barb

Thanks Barb. When I was at work DH said DD didn't look for me once! She ate her food and plenty of water but wouldn't take bottle. However she didn't fuss or cry and had a good feed when I got home. Luckily I'm only doing 5 hour shifts so it shouldn't be a problem. I do have something coming up that means I'll be away from DD all day & evening. A friend has offered to babysit but I'm worried that she won't take a bottle and will be a nightmare if she doesn't get any milk. Friend has bub same age and is well experienced - should I not worry or should I cancel what I have on? I've never left DD for that long. Sorry...off on another tangent now!

Hi,

Isla can take expressed milk the same way she takes water - out of a sippy cup! Do you really want to go to the thing you have coming up? If you do, then go, whe'll be fine. But it's normal to want to be with your babe. If it is something you can put off, and you don't really want to go to, put it off. There'll be plenty of times
Barb

I also would try and get her to take expressed breast milk or formula from a cup and continue to nurse when you are home. My girls would have nothing to do with a bottle. They were fine while I was out of sight but when I came home they knew it was time to nurse. They did well eating and drinking other things (water, Juice) and would only drink milk from me. They didn't think it should come from a cup.

My experience is the same as Jayney, won't have express milk, breast milk is from mum only. I start working part time when Charly was 10 months, she would BF when dropped her at Granma and then 8 hours later when I picked her up. Made her start eating other things which was great. I was worried at first so brought a pack of the individual formula satches, she drank them with out any problems, the first couple of times when Granma thought she needed extra.

Hope this helps

Hi Jentak

I was working not long after DD was born, but from home until she was about 8 mths old. Then I had to do a few afternoon stints a week in a client's office for a couple of months. The timing was such that she was only missing one bf and it was one I thought she was getting less interested in anyway. How it worked for us was, I'd feed her just before I left (she was at her godmother's house) and she didn't seem to worry at all while I was gone. Drank (water from a cup, we never bothered with bottles) and ate happily. As soon as I'd get back, she'd demand a bf, which I'd give her. On the days I was home with her she'd go back to her normal times to bf.

I wasn't (and I'm still not) ready to leave her for longer stints than during the day, but if you are ready and happy to do so, I don't see why she wouldn't take a drink of ebm from a sippy cup while you're gone and make up for it when you get back! (and you'll be ready for the relief too, I'd imagine).

Good luck!

i just started weaning my daughter, as i had to go back to work, i didnt really want to stop breast feeding but i found these Pigeon bottles that replicate the sucking motion of a baby, so she is still getting expressed milk. They are excellent, she went straight on to them, without any hassles. Although i miss her during the day, she is getting everything she needs from my milk.

Hope this helps.