Not as interested in nursing? Starting formula in a sippy?

[nfowife]

My DD is 10 months old and I recently switched her daytime nursings from before her nap (right before she went down) to after she wakes up from a nap. My thinking was, in a few months I would like to start the weaning process and it would be easier to give her a cup of milk upon waking than right before a nap. It's gone great and she seems to get to sleep even easier than when I was nursing her! I just put her down when she seems sleepy, turn on the aquarium, and after about 30 seconds of fussing she either talks to herself and rolls around a bit and then falls asleep or just turns over and goes to sleep. But the past few days I have noticed that she isn't really nursing much after the naps at all. She'll latch on for a bit (like 1-2 minutes) and then the next 10-15 minutes are basically popping on and off constantly. I switch sides, keep trying to get her to latch back on, but she just doesn't really seem interested, she'd rather talk, play with my face, hair, etc.....
So my first thought is that maybe she wasn't nursing a whole lot for nutrition/calorie needs before when I nursed her at naptime. Maybe it was more for comfort/getting sleepy? And now that I've changed the time she doesn't need the comfort nursing anymore? But I'm not sure.
She still nurses pretty well first thing in the a.m. and right before going to bed at night, and has 3 solids meals a day of varying sizes (depending on how much she likes what I'm serving....pizza, YUM! chicken and sweet potato balls, not so much....).
So now I'm thinking that maybe I should offer her a cup of formula with her solids meals instead of water? I just worry that she isn't getting enough calories with only 2 good nursings during the day, and 3 meals, of which she sometimes barely eats at all. She's not a big baby to begin with, weight-wise (15 %ile) and I'm worried she won't stay on her growth curve. I would still offer to nurse her after each nap, just give her the cup of milk instead of a cup of water at her meals an hour after she wakes up from her naps. Pumping is not an option. I hate doing it and have never gotten much anyhow, and I'm just not willing to start pumping at this point, with her being so close to 1. What do you think?

[jennifer13]

That makes perfect sense to me, especially since you are moving toward weaning in a few months anyway. We are doing something similar. If the meal is after the nursing then it shouldn't affect her interest in nursing. Maybe just start with lunch, since you don't want her to fill up so much at dinner that she doesn't nurse before bed.

It's great that it's going so smoothly!

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03
and Leah 3/24/05

[Lovingliv]

Hi Margaret,
I really think it is the age. Liv is doing the same thing. So much that the ped recently told me to start supplementing with formula. I posted about it here and luckily the mamas gave me enough reassurance to just boost my supply and continue EBF. You gave me some wonderful advice at that time too!
But, I pump. I have thought just recently, that she seems to take more from a bottle than from me. She wants to play with anything and everything while I am nursing her. She pops on and off...it's a free for all!
I am going to take her back for a weight check, and if she is still declining I am going to have to give her bm in a sippy.
I try to keep in mind that they are supposed to be getting ready to take more solids and decrease their milk intake at this age.
The first year is almost up!
Liv is also eating just small amounts now. I wonder how she can have all the energy she has with the tiny amounts she eats. Unless it is hommus and then she could eat the whole container!
As Satter would say, we offer the food and they decide how much and if to eat it! Good luck

[nfowife]

Well, I offered her the formula (I got the 9-24 month "next step" kind at Target) in a sippy cup at breakfast, along with her usual yobaby with oatmeal mixed in and a blueberry pancake. She definitely didn't like it AT ALL! It was actually kind of funny because I put the cup on her tray and she'd grab it and drink some but then after a few gulps realized it was icky and so then she'd just leave her mouth open and kind of let it pour out. I'll keep offering it to her at meals and see if she warms up to it, but it kind of smells gross, so I don't really blame her!