A year or so ago, I decided that I would attempt to breast feed my child until he was two. I was determined to breastfeed until he was one until I heard a Child Psychologist talk about how important it was to nurse a child until he or she is two years old; how more beneficial it is to the child's brain and physical well-being. Well....now I have made it to two, but I can't get him winned. When we tried regular milk, organic milk, and Lactaid milk, he seemed to have an allergic reaction to it. He would break out in bumps around his mouth and eyes and one eye with the bumps around it would become red. If you try to get him to drink milk he would just throw it down, even the breastmilk. I am at a lost and need some suggestions. The child can't nurse forever and "By George" I am sick of nursing and my child knows it because I am always pulling away while he is nursing and I also tell him to hurry up and get off. I'm frustrated and he is frustrated.
Once I get this allergic reaction taken care of, doe anyone have any suggestions on what I can ad to milk that will make it more tasteful for a two year toddler. I have already tried Karo and that does not work. Thanks. I really appreciate it.
I don't have any answers, but my sister-in-law breast fed my niece until she was two and her teeth decayed because of it and she ended up having caps put on her teeth-so I know that's it's important to stop as soon as you can to protect his teeth!
What a wonderful thing you've done for your son!! The health benefits of the breastmilk you've given him for two years are going to last a lifetime!!
That said, I do undertstand your desire to be done. I'm in the (very, very slow) process of weaning my own two year old, who is also very alergic to dairy and not interested in alot of other foods and drinks. Goat's milk has been wonderful for her. Very hypoallergenic, and very similar to breastmilk in taste and texture (more so than cow's milk at least). I also try to make a big deal out of letting her pick her own sippy cup from a choice of two or three. Whenever I can supervise her enough, I also try to give her a regular cup to drink from (she loves being a big girl!). She spills alot, but she also drinks more from it than anything else.
I wouldn't reccomend trying to add syrup or other artificial things to the milk. Karo especially could be very bad for his teeth. Unless there are serious concerns about his growth or nutritional status with his doctor, you can probably trust him to eat and drink what he needs as long as you are regularly offering him healthy options. Most young children, especially breastfed children, are wonderful self regulators.
Here is a wonderful resource for a variety weaning techniques.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning_techniques.html
No one thing will work for every family, and most will need a combination of techniques.
One of my favorite suggestions is to nurse as often as your child wants, but limit the session, to say 30 seconds or so. He doesn't feel so deprived, but you don't feel so "used". Some babies do better with one or two longer sessions a day, gradually decreasing each session until the child can do without it. I just depends on the child.
Hope some of this helps, and good luck!!
H.
I breastfed my 3 girls for longer than most. My oldest was still nursing when I had my middle child. She was two. However, she only nursed at night to go to sleep. She was 3 when she stopped nursing to go to sleep. My middle child was a little over 2 when I stopped her. I was pregnant with my youngest child and it hurt for her to nurse. I just told my middle child you are such a big girl and it really hurts mommy for you to get 'momma's milk'...which is what they called it. She stopped with no problem. My youngest was premature and was always small and sickly. I nursed her until she was three...again she only nursed at night to go to sleep. I told her, which was true, that it hurt mama for her to continue to get 'ticky' which is what she called it. We just started snuggling for her to go to sleep. You never said if he nurses all the time, but you may want to just tell him he is a big boy and he can only nurse at nap and bedtime. After a while make it bedtime. Then tell him that it hurts you for him to nurse and start another bedtime ritual. Mine physically hurt, but you are mentally hurt because you are tired of nursing. You are resenting him continuing. My oldest and middle child would not drink milk. I just made sure they go their calcium and Vitamin D through another source. Nowadays they have all kinds of milk free products, which they didn't have when my oldest was born. They did have Soy Milk, but it was awful. My girls, although not allergic, love Soy Silk and the Organic Milk that are out today. They have soy cheese and yogurt. You can also offer him water or 100% juice (no sugar added). I agree with others, take him to the pediatrician and see if he has a milk allergy. I thought my youngest has an allergy because she was always stuffy, runny nose and eyes that seemed to worsen when she started drinking milk. I switched the whole family to Soy Milk (Soy Silk Brand). It got a little better, after 18 months I found she had asthma. Once she started her allergy medication and used the nebulizer...she cleared up. We went back to regular milk and she did not have any problems. It could also be something else he has eaten, that is causing the break out. My oldest broke out with the same as your son when she ate strawberries or drank juice. That was why my other two never drank juice until about 2 years ago. Fear of allergies. Everything will be okay. Just try to decrease the times that he nurses and talk to him about being a big boy ect. My girls would want to nurse because they were bored. I wouldn't let them nurse and we would go outside or I would find something for them to do. I hope this helps.
It definitely sounds like you have a milk allergy on your hands. Try rice milk. It's a little sweeter. It just might work. If that doesn't work, just look for some other sources of calcium that are non-dairy and don't sweat him not drinking milk. You can go to www.kidswithfoodallergies.com to get some ideas. My son is allergic to eggs and this website was helpful to me. There are probably some other good ones available as well. Google milk allergy and see what pops up. Good luck. I know it's hard!
Unfortunately, some children never drink mild once they are weened. Me, my sister and now my daughter will not drink milk. She does eat yogurt, cheese, ect. I also have mixed yogurt and milk to make a milkshake!! Did you try half breastmilk and half regular milk? Good luck.
First of all, congrats on being able to breastfeed for so long. I admire that...I only made it about a week breastfeeding my daughter. I could never to get her to latch on correctly, so I had to bottle feed her. Anyway, in regards to your problem. First of all, you should probably talk with your pediatrician for advice, but it sounds like your child may be allergic to cow's milk. Have you tried soy milk? I see where you have tried the Lactaid milk, but that would only help if it was a lactose intolerance instead of a milk protein allergy.
Hi M.-
Ditto what the other posters said. I would stop giving milk until you get to an allergist. Your pediatrician would be able to give you a referral. My son has a milk protein allergy, and since I'm allergic to soy, we started him at 3 months on a "hypoallergenic, amino acid-based formula". There are two on the market called Neocate and Elecare. They are elemental formulas for children with "gastrointestinal tract impairment" but also for kids with a milk protein allergy. These formulas have made all the difference for my son.
Until you figure things out, you are risking having problems EVERY time you give your son dairy, particularly if he has a consitent reaction.
It's absolutely not the end of the world for a child not to have dairy. Your pediatrician would advise you on things to do to ensure a balanced diet for your son.
My son wouldn't take milk from a sippy cup for a long time, so I started adding like 1/8 teaspoon of grape kool-aid to his cup of formula. I know, I know, but I knew it wasa only temporary and once he started taking milk consitently, I just weaned it. He liked the taste of grape Motrin, so I just stuck with that flavor. Start to finish, it only took about a week, week and a half tops.
Good luck!!
J.
Good luck!
As far as making the milk taste better, Nesquik (spelling?) has strawberry (my son's favorite), vanilla, and of course chocolate flavoring for milk - the strawberry and chocolate come in a syrup, but i think the rest is all powders. Another company that i can't remember the name of has some berry flavors and such - at walmart these are all in the coffee/tea isle you can look for all the new ones - my son only likes strawberry so i don't really look for anything new often. Also you may want to try Pediasures - they are kind of expensive, but we give them for nutrition because my son doesn't eat enough - but they come in orange flavor (kind of like a orange cream push up- remember those) and then the usual vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Hope this helps.
It sounds like he is allergic to cow's milk. You can take him to a pediatric allergist & find out for sure. We did this with my son & found that he has an allergy to milk & egg. We give him purple Silk vanilla soy milk. He seems to like it ok.
Hi M. - I can sure relate to your situations. My son is 3 1/2 and still nurses...but only at night and usually only for 5-10 minutes before he goes to sleep. I keep trying to get him to give it up...but I think at this point it is security blanket type issue. I too am at a loss at to how to get him to give it up. My son has had allergy issues, not necessarily from cow's milk...it has been a sinus problem...when he drinks regular milk he produces an incredible amount of phlegm. So he has been on Soy Milk for almost a year now. He loves it. I too now drink it instead of cow's milk. It comes in regular, vanilla, and chocolate. There are several brands, even Walmart has their own. The chocolate is a bit high in sugar so I usually dilute it with regular. I also buy Ovaltine to mix in his vanilla or regular as it is lower in sugar per serving than Hershey's and Nesquik, and has viatmins. My son is also a finicky eater off and on; he goes thru phases that last weeks and he tends to lose weight quickly, so he has also been drinking a chocolate Ensure every morning for about 10 months. You just have to experiment to find what works for the both of you. You should also check with your pediatrician about his possbile allergic reactions to foods; just so you are aware of what to look for and how to respond or treat when these reactions occur. The best of luck to you.
the only way my daughter will drink milk is if it's chocolate...
Many people would probably frown on this but my two and half year old LOVES chocolate milk. I only add like a teaspoon and a half to his sippy cups. We use nesquik, it doesn't seem to make him more hyper and he hasn't had any problems with it. Actually between milk and water thats all he will drink now. And yes he still drinks plain milk occasionally but hey if hes getting the milk with choc i figure its better than none at all.
Hi that stinks that you are having this much trouble. I would pump if I were you and just stick it in bottles. That way he gets his breast and you get your rest... or sippy cups would be better because he is at the age where sippies are better for his teeth. I wish you luck.
M., I have added Ovaltine to my 2 year old's milk to make it more appealing. You can put in just a little to give the flavor of chocolate without all the sugar, and it has vitamins, which is an added bonus. Good luck with getting his allergies diagnosed, his pediatrician should be able to test and see which milk is causing the reaction.
Congrats on making it to the 2 year mark! I do understand your feelings of being ready to wean.. For advice on weaning you may want to search out a local chapter of the Le Leche League in your area. They usually have monthly meetings (kids welcome) and you are likely to get some wonderful advice there..
I do agree with the other posters, I'd take your son and have him tested for allergies, just to know for sure. If he is allergic to cow's milk, you'll need to start avoiding it. Some toddlers just don't drink milk. But there are other ways of adding calcium to his diet.. *hugs* Good luck!
