Refusing to Nurse or Eat

Visitor Question: My son is now 10 months old and has been breastfed from birth and all of a sudden last week he decided that he was no longer interested.

That is fine since I go back to work soon but he won't take any kind of milk and I even tried putting a small amount of chocolate syrup on the advice of another girlfriend who went through the same thing and he still won't take it. The only thing I can get him to drink is water, and not enough, because he could go an entire day with not having a diaper change.

I have been giving him soup through the day just for extra fluids but don't know what else to do right now. I tried giving him watered down juice today but he is just not interested. I am worried that he will dehydrate. Any suggestions?

Breastfeeding Magazine.com Response: When a baby this age abruptly stops nursing, it's probably a nursing strike - not self-weaning. Self-weaning is almost never sudden or abrupt.

Try nursing while he is asleep or just waking up. This is one of the best times to try to get him to cooperate.

You are right to be concerned that he is not drinking...so keep trying.

Your goal is to relax and try making his breastfeeding an enjoyable experience. Make sure to comfort your little guy if he becomes upset when you try to feed him.

Remember that this isn't a rejection of you, and, with persistence, children will almost always return to their previous love of nursing in no time.

If you then want to try to wean him, do it slowly as he adjusts to eating and drinking to replace his current meals.

For more nursing strike help...

Good luck!