9.5 Month Old Won't Take Breastmilk or Fomula from a Bottle or Sippy Cup

I had the same situation with my kids, and they would only drink water from a cup at that age - no interest in bottles or formula. I'm not into giving my kids juice, it's really just sugar water without much (or any) nutrition. Sugary drinks are a huge contributer to teen and adult obesity, so I figure if I can avoid them starting that habit, and help them learn to enjoy a refreshing glass of cold water on it's own, so much the better! So, at my ped's ok, I let them become water drinkers, and mixed as much formula and breast milk into their food as I could. So a portion of pureed meat, fruit or vegetable would be mixed with 2 scoops of formula, rice cereal and water or breastmilk. They ate it up. I also started adding in other things like flaxseed oil, avocado, and wheat germ to get the healthy fats and omega-3s into their diet. At age one, when they started eating more finger and table foods, we also added cow's milk, so I stopped using the formula. I sometimes still drizzled their veggies with olive oil to get some extra fat in them, though.

My kids, at 3 and 1 1/2, are great healthy eaters, they both still love to drink water and prefer it over almost anything else. Instead of filling up on juice or bottles of milk like some kids their age, they eat well at mealtime and snack times - whole grain bread, cheese, meats, vegetables, whole fruits, almost everything we eat. They also drink a cup or so of whole milk a day, and some orange juice, since it has vitamin c and good citrus can be hard to come by around here. They're always well hydrated, and I never have to tote around cups of juice like other moms, they just take sips from my water bottle, or have their own in the car.

Hope that helps!

I have heard that some kids just let you know when they are done nursing. I do believe that it is very natural for a child to nurse. I nursed for 2 1/2 years. My daughter still loves my breasts. But I also think that possibly when they get a little older, it's maybe a preference also. Maybe try rice milk. He may be ready to eat a little rice cereal. Babies seem to be doing things a lot sooner now days. Good luck to you!

Dear C.,

I've been a mother for 20 years and have nursed all four of my children. Your young son is telling you, in the only language he knows, that he wants to nurse and he only wants to get his milk from you. It's not surprising that he isn't taking any formula as it is quite bitter and breastmilk is very sweet. I would continue to pump when you are at work and have your husband and mother-in-law continue to offer it to him in a bottle or cup, whatever he took before.

This is a great opportunity for you and your husband. Your son is not only telling you that he only wants to nurse and get his milk directly from you, but he is also testing boundaries. This is a perfect time to stick to your guns and let him know that this milk is always available to him when you are at work, but that if he is hungry he will need to take it as it is offered to him.

One thing you may want to check is the size of the nipple being used on the bottle. He may be ready for one that allows more milk to flow from it. If not enough is flowing this could be frustrating him.

I hope this is helpful.

D. P.

You might try feeding him breastmilk from a bottle while
you hold him then he won't find so much difference when
you are away or try another nipple choice on the bottle.
S.

Have you tried changing the type of bottle or sippy cup you have bene using? I breastfed my son until about 3 months before his 2nd birthday. There was a time when he also wouldn't take a bottle anymore. I tried finding a bottle that was closer to the shape of my nipple and after awhile he warmed up to it. If you haven't tried, I would suppose its worth a try. Good luck!

Of course with your doc's ok you may be able to mix breastmilk with rice cereal. I don't know about the use of poly-vi-sol anymore. You could ask about that also.

My kids neither one would take a rubber nipple, and I had to put a little corn syrup on the nipple. The other thing that helped was for ME to give them breast milk from a bottle a couple times...they then were more willing to take a bottle from someone else. Good luck!--hang in there.

I have 3 kids (13, 11, 9). When my boys were babies I went through this. They lost their taste for the formula as well. I began giving them cows milk at about 10 mos of age. It took a couple weeks to adjust to the idea....and they drank it better from my cup instead of the bottle or sippy cup. I did try the juice and formula together and it looked like curddled milk....dont go that route. Just be patient and offer him what he will drink. Thats my advice....hope it helps.

Your doing great mom. It's hard to find out what works for each individual. My kids couldn't do dairy. We used lactose free formula which is sweeter. Rice milk is very sweet too. You also might try a little cereal. My nephew needed a little something extra at that age. Also my second daughter never took a bottle, she loved the Nubby sippy cups (that are like a bottle) at Wal-Mart. I hope this helps.

What kind of nipple does your bottle have? Babies that have been exclusively breastfed for an extended period generally don't like silicone nipples. Try buying the old style playtex drop-in with a latex nipple. It's softer and feels like mom.