Weaning the 8-month baby

I have been trying to wean my Little Girl for couple of month now, and failing successfully....

She is 8 and half month now, and rejects any food I am trying to give her including the bottle.

There are days when she takes few spoons of porridge, or fruit purees. But most of the days she doesn't take even that!

She hates bottle!!!! Doesn't matter that I have tried to make holes in bottle bigger, tried to sweeten the nipple...

I am just SO tired of breastfeeding! And she has got 4 teeth now, and bites me all the time! Which is very painful!

I tried to ask advice from our Doctor. But all I hear from him all the time, that breastfeeding is the best, and I have to do it as long as I can! But the thing is I just cant do it anymore!!!!

She is very stubborn, and I am trying my best to do what is best for her...But my milk supply is very low now, and I always worry that it is not enough for her. But she still wont take any food, or bottle with formula, or even with my milk. I just feel like I'm failing every day. And it doesnt make me happy.....


Please, any advice would be very appreciated!!!

Thank you for your time

The biting is not acceptable. At the first nibble, say "no" firmly. At the second nibble, stop feeding and wait a couple of hours before you try again. She'll learn fast. And no, I didn't make that up. Took it almost verbatim from a well known childcare book.


It sounds as if you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Your daughter senses these things, which is a problem. Try, if you can, to relax and just take things as they come. This is only one of many obstacles on the journey. Your daughter needs you to be "in charge". I'm not saying force her, just that if you come off as less than fully confident she will immediately latch on to that and often refuse to do as you want. This only gets worse with age.


Since you are in this cul-de-sac of refusal, I would recommend taking a break from all solids for a week, then try again. That way it's a fresh start for her. Much easier than forcing through at this point.



Make sure you try the solids at a time she is alert and hungry (not right after the breast). The morning preferably. Do not introduce new stuff in the evening when she is tired.


You will need to try different foods. Yogurt, various mashed fruits, Meat and fish dishes (pureed obviously), different porridges. And try the same food multiple times a few a days apart. Don't pressure her. She'll come around in time.

Axptguy38, thank you very much for your respond!

Really appreciate!!!!

Other things that may help --

>don't cut out more than one feeding at a time, but be consistent with the one you

are cutting out [i.e. lunch every day would be something other than breastmilk] to

let her get used to it before cutting out another feeding

>for formula feedings, try having somebody else give them to her while you are not

present. Actually, can do this with all non-breastfeedings and give yourself a break,

at least for a while.

>try formula with a straw cup or sippy cup instead of a bottle.

>let her get used to one new food at a time


I don't know if your daughter eats on a strict schedule already, but if she does, that can make the weaning process [as well as the subsequent food skirmishes] easier -- because you won't be so tempted to give in with unscheduled snacks that can ruin her appetite for her next scheduled meal/snack. And as she starts eating other foods, always try to have one portion of something that you know she likes at every meal.


Agree with axptguy38 about mornings -- our daughter is almost 2 now and she has been having regular breakfast and alone time early in the mornings with her Papa since she was probably 6 months old.

I wanted to wean baby at 9 months, as someone said that it was easier done at this stage, but my baby would have none of it.


He would take max one ounce of formula and then wait till i came and fed him.


breastfeeding is totally exhausting and i too felt like you, that i had had enough. i eventually managed to wean baby off breast at 14 months. He started having solids at around 5 months though and was very happy with his purèes and rice cereal etc.

for work reasons i sometimes had to be away for 9-10 hours, but he would make up for his milk intake somehow and only from me.


waiting for baby to be hungry to introduce new foods is a tricky thing. If they are too hungry then nothing but milk will satisfy them.


At 14 months i went cold turkey. as there was no other way that worked. substituting one feed at a time just never ever happened...

"waiting for baby to be hungry to introduce new foods is a tricky thing. If they are too hungry then nothing but milk will satisfy them."


Indeed. There's a fine line. But you should never start a "solids" meal with milk or you'll never get to the solids.

Some babies are slow to commence solids. Just remember it takes up to 10 tries before a baby accepts a new food. Eight months is a great age for finger foods. Give your baby small pieces of soft fruits and steamed vegetables, grated cheese or toast strips to feed herself. Have another member of the household offer feeds and solids while you are away and out of sight. Always supervise baby while she is eating.



Babies can start drinking from a cup from 6 months onwards. Offer her fluids in a regular cup, sippy cup or straw cup. You can also express your breastmilk while slowly weaning. Freeze it in popsicle trays and offer her a "momsicle" They are great in hot weather for thirsty babies that can finger feed themselves.



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