For those of you that weaned at 12months

They only nurse in the morning now, as I just cut out the before bed nursing session yesterday, so now DS basically only drinks at 7am!! He bf really well at 7am, then he will take the odd sip of milk or water during the day, but that is about it. His wet diapers have gone from like 6 really good ones/day to like 3 semi-wet ones. I am really concerned that he is not drinking enough and that he is going to become dehydrated!! I wouldn't classify him as an overly stubborn toddler, but this refusing to drink is really worrying me...any thoughts or suggestions are welcome

 

I'm assuming you switched him to sippies in lieu of bfing.

Mine didn't really start drinking well from sippies and taking in much fluid for a few days. A few wet diapers are still wet diapers (that's what my doc says anyway...so long as they are some wet diapers...become very concerned when there are no wet diapers).

But if you are real concerned, you can always put in a call to the ped.

What kind of sippy are you using? Was he drinking much from a sippy before you cut back bfing?

 

Have you tried an open cup? (With you holding it, of course.) Or a different kind of sippy? Or ice water? Sometimes a little novelty is all it takes to get them drinking.

 

QUOTE(isis @ Feb 9 2009, 09:02 AM) [snapback]1182501[/snapback]
They only nurse in the morning now, as I just cut out the before bed nursing session yesterday, so now DS basically only drinks at 7am!! He bf really well at 7am, then he will take the odd sip of milk or water during the day, but that is about it. His wet diapers have gone from like 6 really good ones/day to like 3 semi-wet ones. I am really concerned that he is not drinking enough and that he is going to become dehydrated!! I wouldn't classify him as an overly stubborn toddler, but this refusing to drink is really worrying me...any thoughts or suggestions are welcome


We are weaning off bottles, not bfing, but going through the same thing. They drink juice and water really well from a sippy, but not milk yet, and we are pushing milk for obvious reasons as we stop formula. I'm giving it a couple days and keeping a close eye on them. I figure that their bodies know what they need, and they will "get it" and start to drink milk rather than let themselves get dehydrated. As another poster said, I'll call the pedi if it gets to be a bigger concern.

 

yes you are correct, I am trying to go right from bfing to sippy cup.

I just talked with my pedi and he confirmed that they are NOT getting enough fluid, he said they should be getting 1,000ml/day. And I am guessing that yesterday they only got about 300-400ml/day, and today would have been the same (but I caved in and bf them after I put them to bed, because I was scared after talking to my dr)

both my dd and ds know how to use a sippy cup, they choose NOT to drink from it - and it doesn't really matter what is in it, I have tried, milk, diluted juice and water. They will drink a little more juice then anything else.

I have about 4 kinds of sippy cups, but the ones that they seem to "like" the most are the nuby with straws. So those are the ones that I use. I always have 2 sippy cups with water on the floor for the kids, so they always have access (but they only take about 2 sips/day from them), then I also give sippy cups after naps (so 2x/day) with milk in them (again they take maybe 2 sips), and then at each mealtime I give them real cups and put a tiny bit of milk in it (they mostly play with the cups, and drink again about 2 sips!).

 

Did your pedi give you any guidance?

 

The pedi didn't really give me any advice at all, he just said to make sure that they are getting fluids (this dr is very nice, and is actually the best pedi we have in all of Abu Dhabi!). His only advice was to try milk, water, and even juice or formula to get them to drink more, even if its just small amounts all day long. He also said to be very careful as they can and will become dehydrated - which is contrary to what I have heard most weaning moms say - usually I hear "don't worry, when they get thirsty enough they will drink", so now he has scared me - I think the babies will never let me wean them!

 

QUOTE(isis @ Feb 9 2009, 11:09 AM) [snapback]1182703[/snapback]
The pedi didn't really give me any advice at all, he just said to make sure that they are getting fluids (this dr is very nice, and is actually the best pedi we have in all of Abu Dhabi!). His only advice was to try milk, water, and even juice or formula to get them to drink more, even if its just small amounts all day long. He also said to be very careful as they can and will become dehydrated - which is contrary to what I have heard most weaning moms say - usually I hear "don't worry, when they get thirsty enough they will drink", so now he has scared me - I think the babies will never let me wean them!



That's contrary to what I thought as well. I know I can get ours to drink water and juice, but they aren't drinking milk much at all, and I'm worried about dropping the last bottle with little to no milk intake.

 

tough situation you are in. I hope it is just a temporary transition phase for them. I've been trying to think of food that at least would help in the transition phase..... watermelon, popsicles, milkshakes, lots of calcium from yogurt (mine like the natural no sugar stuff -Yuck) and custards, not too much of the B-bananas/R-rice/A-apple sauce/ T- toast foods so they dont' get bound up.

Mix up giving them the sippy cups so it is a new experience.... so maybe buy a gatorade type twist top bottle with water in it and let them try to figure out how to use it. or a pop up type top. Mine often want what I am drinking so you could offer that from your cup.

Jello (see the recipe I sent you....) cucumbers, ......

let me know how it goes.

heather

 

My girls are the same way, and it is really starting to frustrate me. I have actually gone back to giving them bottles, because they would not drink anything out of a sippy. Everytime I go to the store I buy a different kind of sippy. They are overtaking my kitchen. I really don't have any advice for you. When my son was 11 months old he would proficiently drink out of a sippy cup all day long. These two are 13 months and throw them on the floor everytime I hand them one. I like the idea of the watery foods - like watermelon etc, to help hydrate them, but it still doesn't help with the sippy refusal.

 

We never had this problem but when my boys were learning to drink from sippies, they would ONLY drink ice water. Nothing else. Maybe play around with the temp? Ice water, warmed milk, etc.... YOu might also try vanilla flavored rice milk, almond milk, or soy milk (all things my kids loooove, and they were BF'ed). Good luck!!

 

I had a rough transition from BFing to sippies with my oldest, so I actually weaned the twins to bottles instead. As they had already been getting the occasional bottle, anyway, it was really no big deal. They honestly just drink SO much more from a bottle than a sippy (plus, they're still closer to babies than toddlers, IMO...it just seems way too early to take the bottle away!).

I talked to my pedi, who said it was alright to keep the babies on bottles, as long as we fully weaned from them by 18 months. We're at 3 feedings per day currently (upon waking, before nap 2 and before bed), and I plan to drop 1 feed every two months. In another couple of weeks we'll drop the feed prior to nap 2, then I'll drop the waking bottle, then I'll drop the before bed bottle last.

I'm not really concerned about the transition from bottles, as I'm able to take it nice and easy this way. Good luck, though - I know it's stressful!

 

Another thought: have you tried straws? Take-n-Toss has a sippy with a straw top, and my babes are pros at those...reguar sippies are more difficult for them, somehow.