Weaning. Is it even possible?

YaraC

I am ready to wean Caroline. She is not ready. She's still a total boobie monster. I don't even know where to begin. She won't take a bottle at home (only daycare) and she won't drink milk from a sippy (juice and water, yes. milk, no.). I've been trying to do, "don't offer, don't refuse"  and distraction but she always asks and never gets distracted from her goal.

Any and all tips/advice welcome. 

Piranha54

We did it relatively easily, but from what you, Stever, Mtnrider and others are posting, I'm guessing Ellie was ready as well (I had to wean due to surgery).  When we started, i was typically nursing 4 times a day.  I dropped the late afternoon session first,  because that was the one Ellie was least engaged in.  Some days she'd take a sippy of milk and others no way.  We dropped a session a week for 4.5 weeks, with the two day sessions first and then morning and night.  Unlike Mtnrider, Ellie and I were able to sit and do snuggles/songs and a sippy of milk on the same couch we used for nursing with no problems.  During weaning, she did sometimes pull up my shirt, but...aside from her still loveing to put her hand down my shirt, we've been lucky!

I hate to steal all of Mtnrider's tricks, but I'm sure Lisa will respond too...she told me to try salty snacks (saltines etc) a few minutes before a sippy and strawberry quick.  The crackers seemed to work, but Ellie could have cared less about the strawberry quick (I just used enough to barely turn the milk pink) and ovaltine.  My pedi said she'll drink when she's thirsty even though it may be a few nasty days for you - maybe talk to yours and see what advice they have.

For you - I had no problems with engorgement until the 3rd week.  I hand expressed just enough to be comfy, used sudafed and cold green cabbage leaves - crumple them up and stuff in your bra.  Lovely, eh?!  GL

stever

It IS possible, but it sucks! It's still sucking for us, but we went cold turkey.

I'm lucky in that M will take milk from a sippy, but the constant tugging at my short and crying for "bop" is still pretty bad. 

Only advice I have is to try to up her dairy intake in other ways until she takes the sippy. I gave in and got flavored, sweetened yogurt(he's gone off of plain yogurt) and have been giving him cereal with milk to try to make sure he got some dairy, but he's taken to the sippy well.

 Good luck.

Daisiesinmygarden

We haven't weaned yet except for at night. If you haven't night weaned, I would start there.

 

mtnrider

Looks like Lisa covered everything above.  At first Simon wouldn't touch cow's milk so I just substituted 4 or 5 oz of yogurt, cottage cheese or cheese for each nursing session.  Babies don't need cow's milk, it's just a convenient way to get the calcium, fat and Vit D into them.  And true distraction means getting Caroline out of the house as much as possible.  Also yummy treats are a good distraction.