13 month old refusing expressed milk?

[cinnam0n]

I am a WOHM and pump at work so that my DH (SAHD) can give my 13 month old DD breastmilk during the day. Just this week she has started refusing to take a bottle, she'll turn her head away or gag if he puts the bottle in her mouth. DH has tried giving her breastmilk in a sippy cup, bottle and a regular cup. He's also tried giving it to her hot and cold. She still wants to nurse when I get home, and nurses throughout the night. She's never had any issues taking milk from DH. The only change is that she started walking in the last 2 weeks. Should DH keep offering her breastmilk when I am at work? Is this just a phase? Should I quit pumping at work and just BF on the nights and weekends? Thanks mamas!

[TabithaB]

How much solid foods do they eat during the day. My son did that also did that at the sitters during the day when he turned a little over a year. He didn't want an expressed bottle, especially when he know that I was going to be back in a bit. He ate mostly food and would drink watered down juice or water while there and nursed when I was around.

[cinnam0n]

TabithaB, how long were you gone for when you left your little one with the sitter? I am away from DD for about 11 hours M-F. She is eating a lot of solid foods now, and she'll drink water from a sippy cup. DH said that she took the bottle today, but I am not sure how much she actually drank. She's definitely been cutting back on the amount of expressed milk she will drink, she used to drink about 13 oz during the day (at 4 months old), that dropped to about 9 oz (at maybe 8 months old), then down to only 5 oz (at around a year).

[Teenytoona]

Yeah, my DD started doing that at about 11 months. Didn't want momma milk except from the tap, as it were. She ate solids fairly well at that time. So I stopped pumping. Here at 2.5 she still nurses 1st thing in the am and last thing at night (and would more often if I let her, but I'm setting limits).

Take it as a call to let you off the pumping hook. I was happy about it because I figued I'd be pumping 1.5 years, but nope.

[cinnam0n]

Thanks mamas! I thought maybe I was off the hook with pumping at work, but then DD took 6 oz of expressed milk yesterday, and was signing for more. So I guess it looks like I'll be pumping a bit longer.

[JudiAU]

I'd keep offering. We tried a couple of cups when we hit bottle refusal at 12m and DS liked the straw cup.

I think it is funny to read on other sites about people trying to bottle-wean at this point. I am so glad DD (12m) happily takes a bottle when I am gone.

[zeedoos]

I am having the same issue. DD just turned 1 and started walking when we were on a week long vacation with access to mama milk 24-7. Since then she won't take expressed milk at daycare or from DH. We've tried bottles, sippy cup, straw cup - turns away, shuts her mouth, and pushes bottle away. So now I only pump once at work instead of twice. I can still get 3.5 to 4 oz when I'm away, and that's what she used to take in her bottles (used to be two 4 oz bottles while I was at work). She is eating more solids and drinks water well. The Dr. said as long as she is still nursing 4 times a day it's ok, and we are (4-5 times a day depending on if she gets up once or twice over night).

My issue is that she is dairy intolerant, so I'm afraid to stop pumping, because right now, BM is the only milk she can have. I feel awful seeing all the milk go to waste while I'm out, should I just use my freezer stash until/if she starts taking it again, and freeze my fresh milk so it can be used several months from now? Because right now I'm only pumping 1 bottle a day when at work.