Weaning from BM to Milk

You're well informed on the large array of choices out there! I would go with the organic whole milk route with any other dairy products that have pro-biotics in them. Just keep an eye out for allergy reactions.........my son developed eczema which, at the time, I didn't put 2 and 2 together, realizing it was dairy issues. His ped never made the connection either! Goat's milk is a good substitute, much less allergy problems connected with it.

You may want to switch to formula for now, all though it is expensive because milk does not contain iron and I've been reading a lot lately that toddlers and little ones that drink just whole milk may be iron deficient. Or you can just make sure you are feeding your little girl foods that have lots of iron in it or give her fortified cereals etc. My son is 15 months old and I for the first time today gave him a few oz of whole milk. He has been drinking formula since 11 months old. But he has been eating cheese since he was a lot younger and started yogurt at one year. Organic is expensive but so is buying formula. So i'm not sure which is better. I think I may stick with formula for morning and night and if we are traveling because milk goes sour really quick. I'm eager to read other's posts on the subject.

edited: Look people who think I'm crazy, I only suggested formula because she was skeptical of whole cow's milk and was planning on weaning and babies who are no longer breastfed at this age still need lots of the same nutrition that is in formula (second step toddler formula) especially if baby isn't eating solid foods yet. This is just a natural progression until more foods are introduced into the diet. So, call me crazy, but this has worked really well for this once breastfeeding mom and baby is very happy and healthy.

Hi L.,

Check with the doc to make sure - but I used regular whole milk for the boys, but I bought it from the milk man (Munroe Dairy if you are in the RI/MA area) - then I discovered organic whole milk and now when I can afford to I buy that.

A tip to curb the cost - if you have a Whole Foods near you, their gallons of organic whole milk are reasonable (Under $6.00 A gallon), which for organic is not bad.

But what you can also do is go to the websites of the organic product to see if they have coupons (Horizon, Organic Valley, and several others have coupons) to help with the cost - thats what I do and to me (as a single parent) every little bit helps.

Good luck!! My boys are 8 and 7 now - they still have their fair share of birthday cake and junkfood, but at least they aren't getting the unnecessary hormones..

EDIT: Last I checked this is a forum for other moms to get and give advice about various parenting issues. It is not necessary to bash other people's opinions or views - we all have one thing in common - our children and our love for them. Let's stop the bashing of other mom's advice. It's just wrong.

I wonder what you might think of me? I never breast fed nor will I ever - I must be such a bad parent...

People will say this is crazy too, I'm sure, but we do raw milk and LOVE it. It is gaining in popularity and is SO much more nutritious and better digested than pasteurized milk. Do some research before dismissing it - lots of info at www.westonaprice.org and in the book, "The Untold Story of Milk".

I agree that unless you have a specific reason to suspect a dairy allergy, you should go with cows milk. Doing it gradually is a great way to go. Many children experience mild constipation during the transition to milk. It doesn't necessarily mean an allergy. It took my daughter a few weeks to adjust to milk but after that, she was fine. Good luck!

Hi
Since you have been breastfeeding you have already introduced trace amount of what you eat to your daughter. If she had severe alergies you'd know. I know when my son was your daughters age we started yogurts & cheese. He loved them & still does. Now he's almost 15 months & still hates milk. I have to 50/50 it with drinkable yogurt. I would ask your Dr about milk. Mine is all for whole milk. As far as the suggestion for formula I think it's crazy. You didn't just come this far breastfeeding to throw your child on formula. Sorry that's how I feel. Not to mention that leaves you with another transition period getting to milk. At 12 months you can begin vitamins so ask your pedi if iron concerns you. Weaning has not gome as smooth as I was hoping but we'll get there. In the mean time he still gets some of the best nutrition. Every child is different. Good Luck.

Have you ever tasted Goats milk???(gross!!)You have some time,maybe introduce some organic yougurt first,we have our milk delivered,organic whole cows milk, in glass bottles,so so yummy!!!I introduced milk slowly,he did just fine with it.My pedi suggested a little yougurt at 9months,then a little milk at 10months,ect...just she how she does.I know I wouldnt want to drink goat milk(unless I absoulty had to)so just go with the flow,see how she does w/the cows milk,no worries!!Good luck,have fun!!

L.,

Hello. That was my plan as well. But what really happened was I introduced organic wholemilk at 1 year but didn't fully ween until 14 months. That is how long the full trasition took for us. I don't believe their is anything wrong with Organic cows milk.

when my kids were nearing age one I'd give them a little whole milk in a cup during meals. It worked out well introducing it gradually. If you're worried about iron deficiency, be sure to feed the protein sources of iron because they are the easiest to absorb, along with a vitamin c source. So, refried beans and broccoli...My daughter at tons of broccoli, green beans, and all the veggies that are high in iron and still came out on the low end for her iron test. They say that the protein sources are the best source for absorption. Well, good luck. I really don't get why people want to complicate things with mixing milks, etc. You could always BF at night and give whole milk from a cup during the day once your little one is older. Did that with my son till he was 15 months or so, then he weaned himself.

L., I have 2 questions for ya
1. What were you raised on???
2. Did you turn out alright??
I just think sometimes people just make mountains out of mole hills. go with your gut and your baby will be Fine. L. C.

Just wanted you to know that if you and your daughter are happy in your nursing relationship than you don't have to wean just because your daughter reached a certain age or milestone. She didn't read the same book that you did or feels "odd" that she is still nursing at that age. I guess what I am saying is that lots of babies nurse past one year and it is ok. You may want to consider meeting other moms who have nursing toddlers for support. You could check out a La Leche League meeting.
If you do decide to wean do it gradually. It will be the most gentle way for both you and her.
Once she is a year it is OK to try her on whole cows milk unless their is reason to suspect that she may have a dairy allergy (like if there are close relatives in the family with a dairy allergy). See how she does. If she has an upset stomach or feels funny or congested then try a different type of milk. You can continue to nurse her while you are trying out what works best for her as an alternative or just continue to nurse and not worry about how much alternative milk she is getting and just enjoy this time that she is at your breast. It goes by fast.

I think cow's milk, whole fat, is just fine unless there's an allergy. It's probably best to make the transition gradually, although I didn't with my son! I made the switch one day from formula to cow's milk and he did just fine with it. That's why I don't think you need to draw out the transition. Probably a few days or a week at the most. Good luck!

My daughter just turned a year. I don't plan on having her drink milk either. I am still breastfeeding with no intentions of stopping. What I do for calcium is give her whole milk yogurt. Stonyfield Farm makes a good one.

Please don't take the advice given here of switching to formula, you are doing a great job feeding your baby with breast milk. Good luck!

I think you might be way overthinking this. If your daughter does not have any milk allergies I would just stick with normal vitamin D milk. I believe that most kids in this country do very well with that. She should transistion just fine. My experience with weaning a 12 month old is that they are usually more "ready" than we are. My third son (he nursed the longest) could have gone cold turkey, even though I never thought he would give it up. It was my milk production that kept coming, which is why I needed to continue night feedings for almost a week...just to taper me off.

Good luck with your decisions. I would definitely also confer with your ped on this...but don't go broke trying to do something that might not even be necessary!!!

H. Z. (SAHM 5, almost 4 and 14 month old boys)

With Rice Milk you need to add 1/3 teaspoon of olive oil to her bottles/cups. Until she is at least 2 that is how she will get the "healthy fat" she needs for her growing brain/eyes/body. My son was allergic (runny stools) to whole milk until recently & he was on rice milk for several months (almost a full year) I just started him on Hood whole milk & he is doing well on it. Hood does not use any growth hormones either so it is fine to use!!

Animal milks are just superior to grain "milks", nutritionally. I would just introduce whole, organic cow's milk slowly, like any other new food. My daughter is 13 months old now, and though she still nurses before bed and naptime- I've mostly just given her small amounts of water with her meals. (I do give her whole milk yogurt and cheeses, though, and plenty of other non-dairy, high fat foods- avocadoes, beans, meats) But she also gets the occasional sips of cow milk, too. My belief is that kids get sensitized to cow's milk because: a) they are already genetically and/or environmentally inclined and b) because they ingest it too frequently and continuously. I think any food-protein, if given several times a day nonstop, every day for a long time- can be a risk for setting up an allergy.

As a couple of moms have said already, you could opt to extend breastfeeding. I am a firm believer in child lead weaning. Human milk is always the best milk source for humans. If you decide to wean now, I would first switch to whole cow milk. Babies between 1 and 2 need that extra fat for their developing brains. I would introduce goat's milk when she's approaching 2. There's no reason she can't drink more than one milk/calcium source.

Try doing half and half at about 11 months that way she will get used to the taste. As far as what you give her thats really a matter of a opinion and what you feel is right. I give my son whole milk and has never had a problem with it and is extremly healthy.

Hi L.,

I give my girls "The Farmer's Cow" brand milk. It is all completely local and although it is not labeled "organic," it serves the same purpose. It does not contain any of the antibiotics or hormones of conventional milks. I believe that it is only available through Stop and Shop, but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if it is only available in CT or if it also goes out to the surrounding areas. We have been very happy with this product and have even found it to be less expensive than the store brands.

Otherwise, I would have said soy milk, but like you and your husband, I am allergic, so I have avoided it with my children as well.

Hope that this helps.