7 Month Old Won't Drink Formula

Time to quit nursing, A.. Too many difficulties here that you describe. And the crankiness your son is showing is probably from cutting teeth.
Don't give in. Do so and the cycle won't stop. At some point he will have to accept something else. But if you have mastitis, and if you're taking some meds for it, that would definitely NOT be good for him to be taking in.
Good luck.

Have you tried going half and half.

Congratulations and Great Job nursing your son for the past 7 months. Is there a reason that you HAVE to give your son formula? The World Health Organization recomends breastfeeding until age two or while mutually agreeable to both mother and child. I'm not saying that you need to nuse until 2 but I do want to encourage you to nurse until 1 when he can switch to whole milk. Before 1 year breast milk or formula should be his primary food source. If you are afraid that your milk supply is going down it will increase with more frequent nursing. He should be nursing about 6 to 8 times in 24 hrs.
Many Blessings, K.

It is wonderful that you have breast fed your little ones as long as you have. Are there other reasons that you wish to discontinue nursing, other than the ones listed above? If not, I would contact a local leche league. Within the group is always a lactation specialist; I'm sure they will be able to give you tips to increase your milk supply and also ways to help make it comfortable again. Most babies continue to nurse after they begin eating other foods. Little ones nurse for comfort, which is equally important, as well as for nourishment. Though,I can understand your reservations to continue nursing after suffering with mastitis.
I wish the best for you and your little ones!

I am having the same problem with my 8 month old. He eats baby food, cereal and he will take juice out of a sippy cup or bottle but he will only take formula when I am working. He gets up at night sometimes to breastfeed and I have a hard time getting him to go to bed for the night and sometimes it is hard to get him to take naps. I sometimes give him an extra jar of food after his dinner of cereal. That helps a bit. You have to slowly wean him. My initial goal was to breasfeed until he is one but I know it is going to be tough to wean him so I am trying to breastfeed less now.

If you are set against breastfeeding I might suggest warming the formula up. your BM is warm so I would try that.
If you are worried about your supply fenugreek ( you can get it at any vitamen store) will increase your supply
As far as teeth and the wiggle around I have told my daughter ( no biting and put her down and walked away for a couple minutes then said, try again...no teeth. ) and she seems to get it. She has 8 teeth now. that helps with the wiggle also.
How often is he nursing?

Hi A.,

Some babies will naturally ween around 9-10 months old. That is what happened with my youngest son. Some people tried to tell me that I should make him nurse for 2 more months, to make it a year, and I didn't do that b/c he basically weened himself. If you hold out a while longer, he may do that (my son was also very much a breast baby) b/c they tend to become more curious and mobile around that age, and want the freedom.
The other thing that I did was used the lacto-free formula. The consistancy of it is thinner, like breast milk, and that is what he liked best. (I knew this b/c I supplemented a 4 oz. bottle once a day starting at 5 months).
Good luck!
R.

I would try to go straight to the sippy cups. Rather then try to break him of the bottle later on. Im trying to break my son of the bottle and hes 2. very hard. or even mixing the formula adn breast milk. both of these might work. just remember with the sippy start with juices i learned start with the good stuff in the sippy and the "yucky" stuff in the bottle made it a little easy to transfer over

There is a world of difference in the taste of breast milk and formula. Perhaps your son just don't like the taste of formula. One suggestion I have is to get a breast pump. That will help you to produce more milk and you can put it in a bottle(since you said he don't have a problem w/the bottle).

use a breast pump and allow him to nurse from a bottle, then start mixing your breast milk with formula increasing the formula every couple days until he is weaned onto the formula... I am sure the taste is very different to him and you may simply need to make the change more gradual... Also by not allowing him to nurse directly, this will ease your discomfort, and also make the transistion to the bottle easier for little one as well. Good luck.

Hi A. ~
Have you tried using a sippie cup instead of the bottle? It would be easier to switch to that now instead of having to break him from the bottle later on.
Every baby is different, so that makes it harder.
My friend's kids liked the Carnation Good Start formula. Pediatricians do not recommend soy formula unless they really have to. The newest studies say it's not as good for babies ( but if that's what works, don't fret too much).
Good luck!
D.

Hi i can suggest Nestle Good Start! I had the same problem with my daughter. She is 7 months old and I switched to Nestle Good Start the orange color one it works. Please let me know how everything is. Also I would pump a little and put the formula together. I also had my milk reduced it is easier if you mixed it first. Good luck and God bless you

Have you tried having someone else (dad, grandma, friend, etc.) offer the formula? I've heard that works often for people. Just make sure you're not in the area and that he's comfortable with who ever is doing it. Good for you for nursing for 7 months! Don't let people get you down because you want to stop, sometimes it's nice to just have your body back! I've nursed all my kids for as long as I could (3 boys for only 3 months each, my youngest for a year because I knew she was the last) You've been prego or nursing for about 3 years, you deserve a break. Good luck, I hope you find a way to get him on a bottle.

If you feel its ok to starve a child then go ahead but by the tone I dont think you do!! (phew!) :)

I am not sure why you are switching it doesnt seem to say in your message.

You can nurse through mastitas - there are MANY resources for you
please consider continued breastfeeding until your child is one.... breastfeeding is supply and demand - if you continue you WILL make enough!

you can contact a lactation specialist or your hospital or laleche or even one of us here would be happy to coach you through this rough spot..

Try making his bottles with 75% milk and 25% formula and see if he'll take it. Then, slowly increase the amount of formula. My guess is that he simply prefers the taste of milk over the taste of formula. My kids were the same way, but I was lucky enough to be able to nurse them until they were old enough to switch to whole milk. (Both were late teethers and didn't get their top teeth until around a year.) Good luck!

Hi, you recieved a lot of good advice from everyone. I have nursed all of mine and one stopped at nine months all by herself and I had to wean one at two years of age. I usually let them wean themselves but the fifth one wasn't ready until she was two. Some doctors completely freak out at giving whole milk before they are one. My two oldest had milk sensitivity until they were 18 months, but my doctor told me to put my nine month old on whole milk because she had totally weaned herself. I was shocked and asked if I should put her on formula which she hated and she said if she hated it why make her take it. She ate well and did fine on the milk, no problems and she has no allergies to anything. My one daughter I nursed completely until she was a year old and she has allergies and eczema. So what I am trying to say is maybe try to hang in there and then see what your doctor thinks about skipping formula. Or pump until your son is a couple months older. In the end you will know what is best. He will be healthy no matter if he is on breast or formula. If you wean, just cut out one feeding at a time and don't give in. Easy to say and hard to do. Definately try to mix formula with breast milk. I am sure that some people would freak out at me telling you to put him on whole milk, but every child and family is different. If you have lots of allergies in your family you might reconsider my adivice. Good Luck!

A.,

Have you thought of trying carnation good start. Smilac and enfamil are very rough formula they are very harsh on the baby stomach carnation good start is the closet things to mother breast milk I have used with all three of my kids. There spit up is just like breast milk the formula is closer looking to breast milk in my opinion. None of my kids could tolerate the other formulas. Just be patience I nursed all three of my sons each one is different. My last one never did take a bottle he just refused. To this day he refuses to take milk he says that it taste terribly and he doesn't like it. I have gotten him to drink daminals drinkable yogurt. So if you are patience everything will work out.

HI A.,

I'm in the same boat...seven month old who doesn't like formula (He's 29inches long and 21lbs...long and lean like his dad!). My pediatrician told me to try Nestle's Good Start b/c its sweeter. I haven't tried it yet and I'm debating about just sticking it out for another five months and than not to worry about the formula. My milk supply has dropped as well, and its not b/c I'm not nursing or not pumping, I just think its what nature intended.

Good luck!

Hello A.:

Congratulations on nursing! Many mothers today don't and it's refreshing to hear you have been so committed to it.

I nursed all my children until they were about a year old and moved to cups. The formula that most resembles breast milk is soy formula. My children would take that when I wasn't available or able to nurse them. My youngest daughter (now aged 21)however, didn't like the rubber nipples! Not on pacifiers, or any type of bottle. The one she disliked least was the Playtex nurser. That may also be the issue for your son.

Congratulations on your three children. I wish you all well.