Sippy Cup

I am at my wits end trying to get my 6 month dd to drink more during the day. She takes her bottle of expressed b/m or nurses only when she is absolutely starving during the day.  I guess she has better things to do.  Seriously, she often goes up to 6 hours before becoming interested in eating.  Eats before napping and doesn't eat again until she is exhausted enough for another nap.  Only about 15 oz most days, and then she makes up for it at night time by waking frequently to nurse.  

I was thinking of trying a sippy cup with b/m in it to see if she would be more interested in daytime drinking.  Do you ladies think that will stop her from wanting to nurse at all?  I like nursing her, when she will cooperate, and I would like to avoid pumping exclusively...

[Tennesseegirl]

worth a try.
will she not feed befor her nap? maybe she wants you instead of the bottle? maybe try and make the naps more inviting?.. music, blanket, singing to her.reading a book. good luck, I know how its so hard at that age... alls they want to do its play till they drop. smile
oh.. maybe try the cup with an ice cube in it??? I know it sounds like something else to shake and play with.. just get the cup that doesnt leak. she will shake and drink.. while you rock her.. tooo cute

[Mommy2MissAva]

If your LO isn't getting enough to eat, she will definitely let you know! I was told not to nurse your child to sleep or nurse them before a nap/bedtime as they will associate it with sleep and need you to do it to go to sleep. I, on the otherhand, do that and have no problem, however maybe you could try feeding her when she wakes up instead of when she goes down to see if that will help.

I EBF and tried to pump & put it in a bottle for my daughter, but she just won't budge. She wouldn't even take it from a sippy cup. Now she cries and bats her arms when she sees either one. Are you feeding solids yet? If so, the amount of milk she drinks shouldn't be a concern, I don't think. Of course BM should still be the main source of nutrition, but she could just be getting bored with the same thing (as far as eating goes).

I don't think a sippy cup will keep her from nursing at all though! Good luck!

[tahariel]

I found a nursing necklace when I was bfing my 2nd baby. It gave her something to play with while she was nursing. Really pretty blue and green colored beads with one large pendant in the center. They are specifically designed for mom to wear while nursing baby. Perhaps something like that might encourage your active little one to nurse longer or more often?

The sippy cup is worth a try too. Best wishes!

[mlb1234]

I have given my daughter a sippy and she still nurses well.  I am just trying to get her prepared for the transition when we quit bfing.  She won't take a bottle so we need her to be able to do something else.  I found a sippy cup (nuby brand) that has a soft nipple like spout.  The spout has slits in it so the baby has to bite it to get the liquid to flow.  I like this one the best because otherwise she would get a huge mouthful of milk (the others just pour without stopping, this one stops when they stop biting it).  I still hold it for her but so far it works well and I think she actually likes it.  And she has not lost interest in the breast at all!!  Good luck!

[meiram]

Thanks all for the helpful tips, I will certainly give the necklace and the Nuby cup a try.