Jan/Feb/Mrch 2012 Momies to Be

Dieter is also 17 months. He'll be 18 months next month 15th.

We both have some weaning to do Good luck!

Maureen are you not the mom that sometimes work hectic hours? I wouldn't stress about weaning him too much, I know you have a "deadline" but think of it this way: if you've done everything you can, just send him to school next year with a sippy cup and he'll quickly do what the other kids do.

x

Ladies you are being of great help to me.

Amanda how old is Dieter? Jamie is now 17 months. The children at his school his age all don't use a bottle and none of them have milk during the day, just water and juice.

He is going to a new school in January. The class he is going in don't allow bottles only sippy cups if we have to, all the kids are off bottles, milk and all are potty training, they all get a plastic mug which the teacher gives them water in. So I need to sort this out before January.

I am going to take everything you ladies have said and adjust this to help Jamie. I am going to call the teacher a bit later and ask her for assistance as I know he will be difficult without his milk. But his milk bottle I know is only a soother and not that he needs it.

Amanda - I will take him to Toys R Us on Saturday and let him pick a bottle like the one you have with Winnie the Pooh. I have a plastic mug that I will try and use at a later stage, I just need him to drop the milk and then the bottles. Ek sal maar net moet vasbyt!

Juandre - I will try the tea with some soya milk, my mom suggested putting in some honey as he has a sweet tooth and that is why he doesn't like the water, and then slowly put less and less honey into the tea. As for the water, I am doing this from tonight. I need him to stop wanting to soothe with the bottle at night, and if that means being a bit strict and only giving water then I will do that then, he needs to let go of the bottle during the evenings, so if water puts him off, great.

Thanks once again ladies.

Roibos tea is sweet on its own so does not need sugar added. You can put milk in like you would make tea for yourself or leave it out. It is up to you. The idea is for him to stop drinking a whole bottle and just to have a few sips of his tea and then go to sleep.
Yes the school will have to help but I am sure they are used to these sorts of things. I would send him with the tea bottle until he is onto a sippy cup. If this can happen in a week, then yes after a week only send the sippy cup.
And like you say then start the morning bottle and later the evening one.
If he demands something in the middle of the night, just give him water.

Good Luck!!!

Maureen how old is Jamie?

When I stopped the night feeds with my son it wasn't easy. He'd keep signing for milk and I'd just say "no" to him, offer him water and hold him. He'd cry and keep signing for milk. I'd just acknowledge that he was asking for milk and tell him that I am sorry but I only have water and that he can't have milk now. They understand a lot more than we think - so tell them what you are doing. I'd also tell Dieter that I was not going to give him milk during the night anymore. It wasn't nice but something that needed to be done. It was a comfort thing. But it is only a few difficult nights. So byt net vas. When Jamie asks for bottle, just offer him bottle with water instead.

I don't have experience with bottle as I am breastfeeding but read on Mommalicious group on FB that few ladies said to take your time with taking bottle away as they are only small for X amount of time. But again, you as his mom knows best so follow your instinct and heart. What does the kids as his school use? Perhaps the teacher can help like you said by encouraging him to do what the other kids are doing? Or are they all on bottle with milk?

In the end it is just to persevere and not give in.

Here are the different cups Dieter drinks from.



The straw cup thingy has a rubber straw which is very soft and easy to drink from. bought at Reggies for R20 or R30.
The sippy cup with the orange lid is a cheap cup which doesn't leak and you can buy it from The Crazy Store for cheap (R20 or less). Brandname Chooey with picture of orange lion on it.
I bought a real mug (Winnie the Pooh) for Dieter and he drinks his tea from it in the afternoons (and messes half of it) but he is so chuffed to be drinking from a mug the way we do. They love to copy. So I would have a mug of tea with him when he has his. I also keep a dishcloth handy, ha ha.
The red plastic mug I bought for less than R20 for a set of 4 (different colours). I sometimes give him otees in it as a snack and other times a mouthful of water in it or juice for him to practice drinking from. Always messy but again he likes the "grown up" thing I guess
The blue Winnie the Pooh bottle is very hard but he manages to drink water from that too. I don't offer it often but he drinks from it.

Maybe this helps you with a few alternatives for substituting Jamie's bottle? Maybe take Jamie to the shops and let him pick a "big boy cup" to drink from?

Good luck. I must start weaning Dieter off the boob and put him in his own bed and I have four months left

Juandre - thanks for the advice. I am going to start weaning him off the afternoon milk first. This might be a bit more difficult as he is in school, so I need to speak to the teacher to see if she can help me with it. I think, and tell me if I am making a mistake, I will send the bottle but filled with tea first, no milk or should I just put a drop of milk in anyway? Should I put sugar in? Once I have done this and he is okay with that, I will switch the bottle with the sippy cup? Then once he has taken to this, I will wean him off the morning milk bottle the same way? First tea in the bottle then the sippy cup. As for the evenings, as he doesn't sleep through sticking the bottle in just made my life easier, so I will slowly try and minimise this. I will do this from tonight, and then from tomorrow the tea bottle in the afternoons, should I do this for about a week or longer? I know more questions!

Hi Maureen,

I have followed the routine that was given to me by my clinic sister with regards food and milk. At 12 months they should be down to a bottle at bed time and when they wake up in the morning. From 18 months you can start weaning them off the milk all together. The rest of the day should be water/ juice/tea.
The sippy cups are so hard cause each child is different. SHiloe took to a spout cup but MG will only take a straw. You are going to have to try a few more until you find one he likes.
To wean him off start by giving him water if he wakes at night and before his afternoon nap as he is just drinking the milk because it is there not because he needs it. Then drop the morning bottle before the night bottle. When he wakes in the morning give him some tea and not milk. Give it to him in his bottle until he is happy with a sippy cup. Also dont force him off the bottle too soon, they are babies for such a short time let him have his comforts. Just never let him fall asleep with the bottle in his mouth as this leads to tooth decay.

Hope this helps, MG also loves her two bottles a day so I am not sure how she will handle being weaned in December when she is 18 months.

Amanda- whilst I was breastfeeding I didnt have a period so to get my cycle back and therefore fall pregnant again I had to stop breastfeeding. I did this when MG was a year old. I also felt so terrible as she loved the boob. But within a week she didnt even seem to notice them even if I picked her up and was naked. I swapped the breastmilk for NAN 3 but now she is on Nido. But could be on full cream milk, I just like the added vitamins Nido has.
Like with moving him to a big bed you dont want to do it when the new baby comes, so maybe you need to start introducing a cup at bedtime and first thing in the morning so that he doesnt see your baby as having taken his boobies away.

My gynae's office just called to say that he is going to a conference over my appointment (12 Oct- 16 weeks) and they wanted to push it out until I was 18.5 weeks. I freaked and told them that at 16 weeks I am meant to go for bloods and that they must fit me in before he goes not after he comes back. So I now have my app next friday at 15.5 weeks

I have been looking for a school for MG for a few months. I was hoping to find somewhere for her from 15 months but most schools in our area only take them from 2 years old and a few from 18 months. Today I walked into a place that I know is where she should be. They have a spot available for her to start next week as they take them from a year. Best of all I know the owner as she used to teach at the pre school Shiloe attended. I want to take DH to see it tomorrow so I can get MG in soonest.