Does My 13 Month Old Son Need Cow's Milk for Fat Intake If He Is Still Nursing

I think the pediatrician is worried about not having enough fat in his diet, which is why whole milk is recommended for the first two years. Breast milk is whole milk, so you are fine. The other things you listed that he eats also has fats, so again he is fine. Children under two need the fat for building blocks for their developing brain. Without enough fat their nerves can't grow properly. I know of an extreme case where the parents fed their twins very little fat because of their nutritional beliefs. At two years old they could not walk. Their nerves didn't have the building blocks they needed. Very sad.

Nope. He's getting human milk made for humans. It's got what he needs. It changes as your child changes to make sure it has what he needs.It doesn't loose it's nutritional value as they get older. I've got 3 kids, nursed all of them longer than a year. Far too many doctors have out of date information and only know how to treat formula fed babies which is what the "standard rules" are made for. Congratulations on breast feeding for this long!

that's ridiculous. you might need to find a new pediatrician - if they are that misinformed about such a basic concept what else will they give you bad advice about?

you sound like you are doing a great job!

NOPE!!! Cows produce milk for other cows. So unless your son is a cow, he doesn't need cow's milk...hahaha. My son is 23 months and has never had milk from any animal besides me!!

Valisa T is wrong, your milk is not thin and lacking fat! In fact as your child grows, your milk changes with his needs, and if he's nursing less, your milk becomes more concentrated and at this time is filled with everything is little body needs. No milk from another animal is necessary. The fat in your milk is what is body can digest and use. Its the perfect food for him whether he's 1 month, 1 year, or 3yrs old. Your body knows exactly how old your child is and your milk will match his needs day by day.

For what its worth, my boys do not drink cows milk. They are 8yrs old and 5yrs old, the picture of health, and neither is lacking anything health wise because of not drinking cows milk. Cows milk is for baby cows. :)

My kids refused cow's milk until they were weaned - both at 19 mths. I offered it very regularly, they just didn't have any interest. They are both super healthy and super smart (of course every mom thinks this :)) They ate cheese and yogurt though - if it is really a concern you could offer Yo Baby yogurt (it's made with whole milk).

No, he does not need cows milk. Your breastmilk is the perfect food!

I would start the cow's milk, at least as a supplement. While I am a firm believer of breastfeeding at least a year, even longer if possible, the bottom line is your breastmilk nutrition does change as they get older. By this age, your milk is very thin and does not have much fat in it (if you ever pumped, you can see the difference between your milk now and how rich and fatty your milk was when he was a newborn). So while there are so many nutritional benefits to your milk still, he's definitely not getting much fat from it. Even if you don't believe that it's a benefit nutritionally, I would start some milk at least once daily just to get him used to it. He won't breastfeed forever, and at some point he WILL need the milk for nutrition. You could substitute or supplement one to two feedings a day just to get him used to taking the milk so it won't be a tougher battle later when he actually needs it.

I've recently heard that doctors suggest cow's milk to make sure children are getting the vitamin D that their bodies need. You could ask what other foods are rich in vitamin D(I don't think breastmilk is).

I was allergic to milk as a child. You do not need milk for calories- peanut butter and almond milk have healthy fats. So does Soy milk and coconut milk is also high in calories. I do give my little, little son (12 1/2 mos) organic whole milk yogurt and cheese because he likes it. Breast milk has iron and immunities that cow's milk does not have. It also has the perfect fat and calorie balance for your particular little one. It is truly the miracle food. So be sure that if the milk your son is getting is from you- it is heads and tails (no pun intended :) above cow's milk!

My doc hasn't advised anything yet but I agree with you. Maybe you could give him some yoghurt. Just sayin.

If your child is progressing as he should I would not seek out the doctors opinion...if they see a problem they will ask more questions regarding his diet. I agree that breastmilk is the best if you can keep up the production...you can get advice from all directions but at the end of the day you gotta listen to your mommy instincts and do what you feel is best for your child.

Nope.If your son is gaining weight and he is still nursing more than 4 times per 24 hours which is to be the minimum i need to nurse for me (and a lot of my nursing moms friends too )to keep up with supply.There is no need for milk.
For us however there was a problem with my last child when he went from nursing four time a day to just twice(one in the morning and one at night).He was tested slighty positif for anemia.A vitamin supplement corrected that.I don't know however if it is the decrease in nursing or the fact that i am 30 weeks pregnant (so my milk component changed) that gave this result.Just thought i will share.And my son does eat and loves meat ,cheese and yogurt,so i was very surprise when they told me his blood test result for anemia.And yes doc are unfortunately not well informed about breastfeeding issues. I have more than one telling me that it was impossible to still have breastmilk while pregnant .Euh ,I have done it twice(i tandem nurse my first too) and i have no intention of weaning my just turn two year old unless he wants to wean before the baby is born.My son was hospitalized last year and for once the doctor at P.V.H. were actually so happy that it was still nursing as it is all it will took for that all week it was at the hospital.And he did gain weight with just breastmilk may be six time a day .He was nursing more often in the hospital.He was 16 months then and breastmilk only did sustain him for that week.And yes ,i got tired of dealing with not very supportif and too traditional pediatrician ,which seem to be all what our insurance will allow.So as far as right now ,my son pediatrician (which is a woman by the way)doesn't even know that my two years old is still nursing .Got fed up to hear that i should wean him to make room for the other baby when i was just a few weeks pregnant.Euh don't we have two boobs?.Mom instincts can be and is often stronger than the docs advices moreover if you have had children before and so a lot of experiences.Trust yourself as i agree with you too if he is still fully nursing that much.When he decrease his nursing may be then a change his needed .Good job on your nursing relationship with your son.:-).
Hope this help.
N.

I find it amazing that a Dr. would think that milk from a cow would be better for a child than milk from his Mom. As long as you are eating a healthy diet and using good supplements then your milk will provide for him what he needs in addition to the foods he is eating. I will say that most Americans are deficient in Vit D so you might take a look at that for yourself. The other issue would be Omega's and DHA. Does your son eat fish? This is an essential brain nutrient. Let me know if you have any additional questions.