Looking for Advice on Weining My Child

What are you trying to wean him from? The breast? The bottle? At 6 months old, he should be able to hold things in his hands and so a sippy cup is not out of the question. If he is breastfeeding, he most likely will NOT take to a bottle very well so a sippy cup should be introduced. It's the artificial nipple that will confuse him if you are trying to wean him from breast to bottle. I'd introduce the sippy cup now and bypass the bottle altogether.

I swear by the playtex nurser with the latex nipple for my breastfed babies. It is very much like the breast (very soft). And since it's only once a week you should no problems continuing breastfeeding.

No matter what you find that he will drink from (bottle, sippy cup or straw) there is no need to wean at all... When you are around your little one, then continue to breastfeed. When he is away, you can provide a bottle or sippy cup of pumped milk (or formula if you absolutely are against pumping)...The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends breastfeeding for 1 year and the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends 2yrs. At only 6 mo old he is still a baby and is benefiting TREMENDOUSLY from your breastmilk. He is not only benefiting from all the nutrition, but he is also benefiting from the bond, comfort and security that nursing gives him while he continues to mature and develop.

There are certain bottles that work more like the breast...I think one is even called the 'breast bottle' You may be able to search something online about best bottles for breastfed babies...I know some are best to AVOID, such as Dr.Brown's because they work exactly opposite the breast and sometimes cause nursing problems.

I don't know if you are getting pressured by well-meaning family, your pediatrician or someone else to wean, but I highly recommend NOT weaning while he is only 6 mo old...hang in there, you can do it! Especially since he will only need a pumped bottle once a week, that's no big deal. Find some good support through a Yahoo group or local nursing support group to give you encouragement and sound advice.

As for teething - it usually is NO issue at all, but sometimes it may be uncomfortable for a short time right when their gums are sore from getting a tooth and they have a hard time sucking the milk out. They sometimes nurse differently or make it a little uncomfortable for you but it is VERY TEMPORARY....nothing bad enough to wean them over :-)

Best wishes to you and your little one! Hang in there...

Try just giving him a sippy cup....I have a couple that went straight from nursing to sippy cups. :>)

He's old enough to give a sippy cup instead of a bottle. Start him on the sippy cup now. My youngest daughter never drank from a bottle. My Mom had her drinking water from a cup at 3 months of age. When I had to go somewhere and leave her with a sitter they spoon fed her my milk. I worked with children and have seen a lot of them on food and a cup by the age of six months. If you don't start the bottle you won't have to deal with how to get rid of it later.

get someone other than yourself to give him a bottle once a day. they need to keep at it.
no need to wean COMPLETELY...just a bottle for the day a week you're not there to nurse...

Hi T., when my daughter was about that age I introduced a good sippy cup. She rarely drank out of a bottle and took to the cup right away. I am assuming you are breast feeding and the tips on the cup are a little softer and are flat which is a familiar feeling to them. I started with the Advent trainer cup at lunch time I put breast milk or watered down apple juice in there and she loved it. I hope this helps you and you get more helpful advice.

keep trying. Just remember a baby who is 6 months old will not starve themselves. Sometimes just going cold turkey and trusting that they will eventually eat will do the treat. Have you introduced solids yet?

I ended up quitting my job because I thought I had my daughter adjusted to taking bottles (I pumped) at 6 months (she had been exclusively breast-fed) and I put her in day care and went back to work. She refused to take a bottle fom anyone but me and would go all day without anything - I couldn't handle that, so I decided to quit and stay home. The only option I can suggest is to try a sippy cup instead of a bottle; at 6 months he should be old enough for a sippy - maybe that'll make a difference. Try having someone other than you give it to him. Perhaps, if a sippy cup works, you can avoid the issue of your child later not wanting to drink milk out of anything other than a bottle - I have known so many moms that struggle with that. I hope this helps, good luck.

while my sons teeth were coming in at that age i would give him a teaspoon and let him chew on that.... the metal for some reason relieves the pain of the teeth. I also got him a sippy cup from the family dollar that looks similar to a bottle but the top is a little tougher for the child that thinks it's cool to bite the nipple.

I wouldn't ween completely unless that is what you want to do, they recommend going at least 1 year if possible and longer if both the child and mother are content. I had a lot of trouble with getting both of my sons to take anything other than breast. There are some sippy cups that have straws which are good and little ones think are fun, at 6 months they can learn to drink out of a regular cup with help if someone holds it. The little Dixie cups work well and you can pump some breastmilk so he will still have what he likes. Or, if you want to go all day with no bottle and just keep placing a cup of water in front of him but give him oatmeal made with breastmilk or in cereal or something he will probably just nurse more in the off hours. No matter what you do, if you are both happy it will work. He will adjust to whatever you ask him to do, it will just take time and patience! (my stubborn one takes MONTHS to adjust, my younger one takes a few takes to adjust). Good luck!

well what about a spill proff sippy cup? i mean you can not have hime biting the nipples off bottles cause he will choke on one. once mine started doing that i put them on a sippy cup.