Transition to Whole Milk - Lafayette Hill,PA

I started my son by mixing 3/4 breastmilk & 1/4 whole milk and did this every feed for a few days then increased to 1/2 and 1/2 then a few days later 1/4 breastmilk & 3/4 whole milk and then a few days later 100% whole milk. We didn't have any problems. We did only use the bottle at that time so maybe that's why it worked. If he does well with the breastmilk in the sippy cup, this should probably work. Good luck, hang gin there and if you have a ny questions or need support feel free to email me!

I would stay away from Soy milk because it contains estrogen mimicking characteristics. I wouldn't worry about giving him whole milk if you are still nursing your breastmilk is still the best thing for him. It's no longer his whole meal but it is a great way to supplement his diet.

Have you tried warming the milk? I've heard that since he's used to the warm breastmilk the cold whole milk won't go over well. We tried the whole milk at around the same time with our son but only because he weaned himself from the breast at 11.5 months (he turned 1 on Earth Day). Our son still refused whole milk so I try to make sure he's getting it from other sources. He loves the Yo Baby yogurts. They have them with fruits and also with meals that contain fruits and veggies mixed. He gets one in the morning for breakfast with a 1/2 slice of whole wheat toast and a 'meal' yogurt with dinner (usually chicken breast). He will also have cheese for a snack during the day. I find the string cheese works well since it can be pulled apart and is soft. He will also eat brocolli. There are so many ways for him to get the calcium. I recommend the yogurt to replace atleast a couple of your bfing sessions if he likes them. We also make sure he gets atleast 15-20 minutes/day outside in the sun with no sunscreen for the vitamin D. After that we apply the sunscreen and he's never had a burn.

Good luck and happy Mothers Day!

I recently transitioned our 14 month old to whole milk, but I used goat's milk. She was used to having both pumped milk and also formula. I started by adding a little goat's milk to the formula, then more, and more every few days. (I imagine you could add a little to breast milk and gradually increase) In a couple of weeks it was all goat, and two months later she absolutely loves it and is self-weaning. She even begs for a bottle of milk when it's not even nap-time.

She had had a dairy allergy since birth, which is why she was on only breast milk and a hypoallergenic formula. The allergist tested and cleared her at 1 year to go ahead and try regular milk, but she had a bad reaction to cow's milk products that landed us at the pediatrician.

After a little break and back to the formula, I put her on goat's milk and she hasn't had a single problem. It's rich and creamy, has a smaller protein, so its vastly easier to digest, it has lower lactose. Goat's milk casein is more similar to human milk.

I got this from Dr. Sears: "Although the mineral content of goat's milk and cow's milk is generally similar, goat's milk contains 13 percent more calcium, 25 percent more vitamin B-6, 47 percent more vitamin A, 134 percent more potassium, and three times more niacin. It is also four times higher in copper. Goat's milk also contains 27 percent more of the antioxidant selenium than cow's milk." (It says though that cow's milk contains five times as much vitamin B-12 as goat's milk and ten times as much folic acid, so a child on goat's milk needs to be supplemented with those vitamins.)

My daughter was the same way and really only started to drink milk when we completely stopped nursing at 2. She would tolerate coconut milk sold at wholefoods (not the canned stuff). If he is asking for breastmilk and you offer whole milk instead, he knows it is not the same then that is why he is refusing. You can try giving the whole milk with meals or snacks and then it is not in a direct substitute for nursing. Really, though, they don't need to replace breastmilk with whole milk, just some kind of food will work to put him off if cutting down on the number of nursing times is what you want to do. Distraction works well too to put it off for most kids. He will naturally increase his solid food intake to make up for the decrease in nursing. Hope this helps.

Hi L.,
Congrats on your son's first b-day! I know every kid is different, so I'd ask your pediatrician what he/she thinks about all this. My son is almost 11 months and also breastfed exclusively. He has slowly cut back his feedings ever since we started solids. At this point, he's nursing in the morning when he wakes for about 12-15 minutes per side. Around noon for about 10 minutes per side. And then at night before bed for about 15 to 20 minutes per side. He drinks a little water from a sippy cup with his solid food, but not much. When it's hot and he's been sweating, he seems more receptive to the sippy cup and water. Obviously, we haven't tried milk yet. But the pediatrician is happy with his health even though he's only nursing three times per day. I don't think you have to worry too much about cutting down a few nursings a day, even though he's not taking to the whole milk yet. He probably enjoys what he's getting and doesn't want the new stuff. You might have to cut back some before he's willing to give milk a chance. I also read that if the baby is nursing frequently but for very short sessions, it may be more to quench thirst. Good luck!

Since your son will take a sippy cup, you could try putting breast milk into his cup and very gradually add whole milk to it. Over time he would be getting more whole milk and less breast milk until he had all whole milk. Will he drink water from the sippy cup? My older son was also exclusively breast fed for his first year. He, at 7, has never been a milk drinker. I give him OJ with calcium and he eats cheese and used to eat yogurt. My younger son has always been a milk drinker. Each kid has their own tastes. I hope he transitions to whole milk foe you. Good for you for nursing this long-it's a lot of work and a huge comitment.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hi, L.:

Consult with your breastfeeding consultant at La Leche League at

www.llli.org

Hope this helps. D.

The idea of breastfeeding is to get the nutrition from the breast milk. He can still get that if you pump and put it in his cup. Slowly mix in whole mix to get him used to the new flavor. And he's controlling the situation because why would he take milk or anything else from a cup if he knows the breast is always there for him. I think drinking from the breast should stop and drinking from a cup should begin. Just pump and mix. And ask yourself, are you breastfeeding for him or you? There's no more need at his age to be on a breast. He can get that nutrition from the cup by pumping. He's not going to advance until you change things up.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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We mixed pumped breast milk with either whole milk or 2% until our daughter was completely on milk. Her pediatrician said whole or 2% was fine, so maybe try 2% since it isn't as thick.

If your child is nursing at least 3x per day they are getting all the nutrients they 'require' from cow's milk. My son rarely drinks milk(he is 18 months), he nurses or drinks water at home. The only time he drinks milk is at daycare. He rarely even has juice.

Hi, I don't really have much in the way of advice, but I wanted to say that I have had this problem with 2 out of 3 of my kids. I tried everything, all different kids of milks, flavors, hot, cold, you name it and nothing worked. My son finally started eating cold cereal with milk, a novelty since his big sister ate it, and that finally got him to start drinking it from a cup too. My youngest, who just turned 2, I am down to 1 breastfeeding a day and she refuses milk also... and I have given up offering it to her for now. My peditrician said that the biggest thing she would be missing from not drinking milk is the calcium and vitamin D. I now buy calcium fortified juices and offer as many other milk products as I can. I also give her gummy vitamins with calcium and vitamin D. The RDA for Vitamin D was recently doubled, so thats a big one. Good luck, and congratulations for nursing for you long :)