EBF 12.5 month old REFUSES to drink from anything other than me!

[tykys]

I posted about this 3 months ago.

I'm a wreck. I started working F/T again back in August. I have had to come home to nurse once a day. I am no longer going to be able to do this.

I have been trying to get DS to take a sippy for months. He won't. He throw its. I have tried all brands (spent a good penny!), I have tried all types.. straw, fast, slow, bottles, etc. He is underweight. Not on the charts at all. He has always been tiny, he was 6 wks early, but his weight was once 10%, then 5%, now it's like 1%. He has a Ped appt next week. I am concerned that he is not going to get the nutrition he needs once I stop coming home to nurse next week. I've started giving him OTC vitamins. Everyone says if he's hungry enough he will take it, but I am not so sure about that!!! I'm stressed out, a wreck. I don't know what to do. I'm worried about my son, his weight, and I'm worried about my own sanity.

He's also been sleeping more than usual. Could there be a correlation? He sleeps roughly from 8pm to 7am, wake up to nurse, goes back to sleep after I leave around 8am w/ dad until roughly 9-10am. Then naps from 3-5 and is back down again at 8.

I'm super stressed about everything and feel very overwhelmed, and almost like I'm failing as a mom. Thanks for letting me vent.

ETA - he eats 3 meals a day and a ton of snacks.. typical day is
breakfast - oatmeal and a banana
snack - honey Os, arrowroot cookies
lunch - veggie mixture
snack - banana
dinner - protein w. veggies and an avocado

He typically BFs most in the morning, about 20 min. About 15 min in the afternoon. About 15 min right when I get home around 6pm. And about 15 min before bed around 8pm.

[ktgrok]

Liquids can be spoon fed, or you can try a regular cup instead of a sippy cup.

[tykys]

I have spoon fed him a few times, but really.. he is almost 13 months old, this is getting a little ridiculous. I'm exhausted, I'm cranky, I'm not going to spoon feed him 8 oz of fluid 4 times a day. I have to draw the line somewhere. There just HAS to be a solution out there, there just has to be!

Thanks for your reply though, I have posted this on various message boards and yours was the first one. My friends don't know what to tell me, my family doesn't know what to tell me, strangers don't know what to tell me, and his ped just said if he gets hungry enough he will learn to use one - but he's already under 3% in weight, I"m not about to let him starve!

ETA - and the cup thing, I've tried that too, he ends up pulling it down towards him and spilling it all over himself...

[larzanna]

You could start mixing in more liquid with his foods, and feeding more watery foods as well.
Also if he is underweight, start adding lots of fats to his food....coconut oil, flax oil, butter lots of fats!
My kid won't eat avacado, but if yours will try that.

Other ideas, what about a really FUN straw? The swirly colored ones? Or maybe a grown up sport bottle? My son, anything that is "not for babies" is what he wants!
Have you seen those cups that are like a regular cup, but the opening is cut at an angle so that when you use it, you can see inside the cup (like it does not hit the bridge of your nose since its cut out), to help toddlers/kids not tip it so far? I know i have seen them on amazon, but i cannot find it right now, maybe someone else can find the link for you.
Thats all the ideas i have.
I guess if i knew that he was getting more fats (by you sneaking them in) then i would be more willing to wait him out and not worry as much ab out him starving.
good luck.