Ask Anne...

Question:
Is my nine month old weaning himself?

    My nine month old son has been on a nursing strike for six days now.  He is teething, and I think that it all started at the end of an usually hectic week, when he bit me and I yelled at him.

  He has not latched on even once since then.  I am at my wit’s end.  I took him to the pediatrician, and he is not getting dehydrated.  He plays well and is eating his solids well although he is a little cranky.  Is there any hope of getting him to latch back on or should I just call it quits?  I am really committed to nursing, especially after the difficult start we had.  Have you ever known in your experience for a child to go back to nursing after
such a total strike?  Also, how important is formula if he does not go back to nursing?  He refuses a bottle and does not really take a cup well. Is his growth or mental development going to be greatly compromised?
 
Answer :
  A week is a long time for a nursing strike to last. With a baby this age, sometimes it just isn't possible to get him to return to nursing. I have found that babies younger than nine months will usually go back on the breast, while babies nine months or older sometimes really are weaning
themselves and there isn't much you can do about it.
   He does need to drink milk somehow. Milk (whether breastmilk or formula) should make up at least 75% of his diet for the first year of life. Since human milk is the most nutrient dense food you can give your baby, solids should be started slowly and not over-emphasized in the first
year when the baby is still growing so quickly.
  Cereal and other solids don't contain the fat, protein, and calories that babies need during this
important period. I would continue to offer him the cup, and also try to mix milk with his other foods. Ask your pediatrician what he/she recommends in regards to the best time to introduce cow's milk and other milk products like cheese and yogurt. Some doctors recommend waiting
until a year, while others feel that it is not a problem to start a little earlier. You may be able to get him to take milk in a cup by putting a little flavoring in it, and then phasing it out as he becomes accustomed to drinking milk from a cup.
   In my experience, a healthy baby who is offered a variety of nutritious foods is not going to suffer from any serious nutritional deficiency. You may also want to ask your doctor about the possibility of checking your baby's hemoglobin levels and whether he recommends any kind of
nutritional/vitamin supplements.
   You can read the article "Nursing Strike" on my website to see if any of the suggestions there are helpful. I hope that this is just a temporary stage, and that your little one decides to resume nursing soon. I have certainly known of babies this age and older who have gone back to nursing after long strikes, but I have also had three babies who decided to wean at about nine months (way before I was ready!) so I know firsthand that some babies do decide to wean themselves, and there is absolutely no way to force a baby him to nurse if he decides he’s done.

View Past "Ask Anne" Columns