WOHM, 13mo not taking milk during the day

[wildnewmamma]

My DD started refusing milk from my care provider during the day. I have asked her to try it in a cup, cold, warm, etc...with no success. I have offered it to her in a cup and she will take it. My provider says that she will take water and juice, but not milk. She will nurse from me if I'm around, although I have noticed she is definitely more distracted during the day, which I know is normal. I'm just surprised because she doesn't necessarily nurse much once I get home either, usually it's just for a bit and she falls to sleep. She does co-sleep and nurses a fair amount at night, but even that has seemed to slow down recently. Do I push it during the day? Is she weaning?

[PGTlatte]

Our DS1 was in daycare while I WOHM. He started refusing pumped milk during the daytime when he was about 10 months old. The daycare wasn't allowed to offer him any other drinks at that age without a doctor's note, and he would literally go all day without drinking anything. He was enthusiastically nursing when I was home, and all night long though. Since he was nursing so much when I was at home, and it wasn't good that he was going all day without liquids, his doctor agreed that he should be offered water or other types of milk during the day. He ended up having water and a little enriched soy milk at daycare after that. He continued to nurse a lot at home and at night. He didn't actually completely wean until he was four ! So I don't equate refusal of pumped milk with the beginning of weaning. He just got pickier about where the milk came from. For determining if she is weaning, I would look more to her nursing behavior at home.

[lilmissmommy]

Just a suggestion if nothing else works for you...maybe if you work near her daycare, you can swing by during your lunch break to have a quick nursing session. Have you tried offering your milk in bottles, sippy cups and cups to see if she has a preference?

[wildnewmamma]

I do work nearby, so that's a great suggestion, my work is somewhat sporatic so I was afraid that if I didn't make it by consistently that would be bad, and my work is flexible, but I can't completely change my schedule all the time (sometimes I have to travel). Plus it can disrupt her day, she usually wants me to stay once I'm home

I did find out that she was being offered after she had already eaten...so I asked her to offer milk first, yesterday she took 4 oz in the morning. We have tried all kinds of ways, bottles, sippy cups, regular cups, cold, hot, luke warm. I just don't think she was pushing the issue with dd.

I can totally see how she is getting more picky...why take the pumped stuff if you can wait to get it from the tap! I was hoping to get her to switch to eating more during the day than at night because I might have to go away, and it will be harder on dh to feed her through the night...but we will just make it work.

[lilmissmommy]

Well, I'm glad you realized what the problem was. I always make sure my baby is offered milk about two hours before eating.

[lilmissmommy]

My baby is 7months and at this point, milk is top priority over solid foods. Both are necessary though.

[groovynaturemama]

my 13 m/o son won't always take my expressed milk from my husband or dcp when i am away. recently, i went to a birth (i'm an apprentice midwife) and was gone over 16 hours. in that time he took just one 4 oz bottle from dh. dh fed him and gave him water and diluted apple juice the rest of the time. he was happy to see me when i got home and he nursed a little longer than usual, but he really was ok for that time. he also no longer takes a bottle during the 4 hours i'm out of the house, 3 times a week. with this, i find he is starting to make up for it at night, though.