My son will be one at the end of the month and he has been breastfed since he was born. Currently I pump so I can have milk to mix with his oatmeal in the morning. I'd like to substitute the breast milk with whole milk so I can cut out the pumping altogether. I will continue to nurse him in the morning, at afternoon nap and before bed. He loves yogurt and cheese and hasn't had any problems with it so my question is; if he does well with dairy products, will he do well with whole milk itself? Also, since I will mix the milk and cereal together, should I mix it with the breast milk to ease his tummy into the transition? I always get a bit nervous offering him new stuff (the only thing he can't tolerate is rice products). Thanks!
He did well with the transition, altho he doesn't eat as much as he used to when it was only breastmilk in his cereal. Hopefully that will change as he gets used to the taste. I used the breastmilk I had frozen to mix with the cow's milk. I only buy organic milk and I found that I can freeze portions of it since the 2 brands I buy don't have quart sizes.
Hi!! My son was 1 yr old when i quit breast feeding. He absolutely loved eating cereal when i mixed it with breast milk or juice. However, though he accepted dairy products, milk was an issue. Soy milk gave him gas so the only milk he was able to drink was Lactaid. He is 3 1/2 now and I'm finally able to buy regular whole milk for him. Good luck!!!
Put a little mineral oil just a 1/2 tsp in the whole milk and it will ease the transition and he wont have digestive problems. Mineral Oil is good because you can't taste it and it is a natural laxative. When you stop the breast milk it will be easier for him to adjust if he can digest it comfortably. Good Luck!
I nursed my daughter until she was about 15 months old. However, when she turned one I did go straight to whole milk in her sippy cup (she stopped eating the cereal long before, her choice not mine). I had also introduced dairy products prior and she had no issues with any. She also did not have any problems with digesting the milk, however, it did take her about 3 months to get used to the new taste and actually drink the entire cup. That being said, every child is different. If you have serious concerns then combining breast milk with the whole milk and eventually weaning out the breast milk altogether is the best way to go and will put your mind at ease. Good luck.
He should do fine-- I'd do 75% brestmilk, 25% cows milk for a couple days, then reduce the breast milk and up the cows milk until you have him on all cow's milk. Cows milk can be a bit constipating until they get used to it, so don't be surprised if he's a little backed up. Transitioning him with breastmilk should help that, just make sure he's getting plenty of fruits and veggies too.
Wow-- rice intolerance is pretty rare. Hope that clears up over time!
if you are worried about the whole milk try soy milk. my son did and still likes it and he is almost 19 months old. he likes the vanilla soy. he eats a lot of yogurt also. i think the soy has as much calcium and protein and less harsh on the system. another thing you could try is the lactaid milk since it is lactose free. this would help if you are worried about gas pains from milk.
Let me preface by saying that I did not nurse as long as you - good for you!! But, I think you sound like a smart and reasonable Mom who gradually introduces new foods to her child. That is the best way to handle all new foods. Your son should be fine if you keep doing what you have been doing!
Good luck!
I nursed both of my daughters and went straight to whole milk, no mixing of any kind. We had no problems at all. I think you'll be fine, but if it makes you feel better start by mixing it with breast milk and gradually decrease the amount of breast milk until it's just whole milk.
Hi T.! If your son does fine with yogurt and cheese then he should have no problem with whole milk as yogurt and cheese are made from whole milk. Try the whole milk on his ceral...he may balk, but it would most likely be a taste issue not a tolerance issue. All three of my girls went from soy formula to whole milk (after having no problem with yogurt, cottage cheese and other dairy products) by the time they were 9 months old. Best wishes.
I would do a mix for a couple days. I would only offer organic milk.
Non organic contains formaldehyde, trace steroids, antibiotics.
I never really paid much attention to whole commercial milk until I lost my large intestines and became sensitive to milk products. I have little to no issues with milk as long as it is without all the junk. It was not all the milk fat as my surgeon indicated - but the junk. It was an eye opener for him too.
I would definitely hold off on the regular whole milk until as long as possible (for various reasons, see below). But since you state that he does well with yogurt and cheese, the transition to whole milk should be pretty smooth. But transition slowly, especially since he is only used to breast milk. Start slow. Mix only breast milk with the oatmeal for like 2-3 days, then move to 3 parts breast milk to 1 part whole milk. Do that for 2-3 days. Then 2 parts breast milk to 2 parts whole milk for 2-3 days, and so on, until you have transitioned him to only whole milk.
Good luck!
(PS- If you are open to natural/alternative milk methods (which are MUCH easier on baby's belly), send me a private message! I would love to fill you in!)
First, check with your pediatrician.
That said, my boys did really well with yogurt b/f turning one and took to whole milk when they turned one without any problem. If you're concerned about how he'll react to whole milk, you could cook his oatmeal with soy milk. I do this for my boys (now 5 and 7 years old) and I. It adds extra protein to the oatmeal (same as using milk instead of water) plus you get the benefits of soy in your diet. I'm not a fan of soy milk by itself, but when cooked in oatmeal it gives the oatmeal a vaguely nutty taste, very yummy. I've been doing this since my boys were 3 and 1 years old and they like it and much as I do. Cudos to you for still nursing!
Since he's already eating yogurt and cheese, he'll be able to handle whole milk just fine. He may or may not like it right away though, many kids don't like new things right away.
I nursed my son until he was 1 1/2 years old and when I introduced the whole milk I started by mixing it with the breastmilk and once I realized it wasn't making a difference I moved on to the whole milk completely. I do organic though and still to this day, milk is his absolutely favorite drink.
Hi! I nursed my son as well and when it was time to start phasing in whole milk, I mixed it with the breast milk and then put it in cereal/bottle. Then when it was time to wean, i just slowly increased the amount of whole milk till he was completely on milk. Lucky for me, he never noticed a thing. Well, he's two now and i made the switch over to 2% milk just as easily!!! Hope this helps, and good luck!!!
Give him the whole milk in his oatmeal. You'll save yourself the effort of pumping and he probably won't even notice the difference.
When I transitioned my son from formula to whole milk, I did it gradually and I would assume the same principle would apply with breast milk.
Buy organic milk because it is safer and it has a really good taste.....
