Whole Milk for Self-weaning Breastfed Baby?

I would suggest contacting the locacl La Leche League chapter or lactation consultants to get advice on how to continue breastfeeding. I would never give my children whole milk, but my girls never self-weaned. I also do not have advice on formula since I never used it, but maybe some others can recommend some non-dairy options.

Just a little note on the side. I see that you got plenty of advice on whole milk, soy milk, formula, breast milk. You have to try what you think is best and if your son responds with difficulty try something else.

My note really is about something else you said, "bottle." At 10 months old if he is self weaning, why give hima bottle that youare going to have to start taking away very soon, because they should be off the bottle at 12 months. If I were you I would get some of those spill proof cups tat they still have to suck on to drink, and start giving him a cup. You never have to worry about taking the cup away.

Good Luck on whatever you do.

My son BF until he was 14 months, so I didn't have to worry about this problem, but I know a few people who were told to go ahead and switch to whole milk before 12 months since their babies were weaning themselves. I probably would have just so I didn't have to switch him to formula, then milk. It seems like it would be harder to switch twice in such a short amount of time.

Unless you have seen signs of allergies, especially to dairy, I would think it is okay. Some docs say whole milk after 9 months. You can go ahead and give him formula, but I myself hate the stuff, so I try to avoid it at all costs-- but that's just me.

Also many babies "go off" breastfeeding at around this age, but not necessarily because they are ready to wean. Often, they can be encouraged back to the breast. See:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/babyselfwean.html
for some tips on how to do this.

If your supply has taken a hit because of his lack of interest, you might be able to get him back on board by using some herbal remedies or foods to bost your supply. See:
http://breastfeeding.suite101.com/article.cfm/increase_br...
and
http://breastfeeding.suite101.com/article.cfm/herbal_gala...

Good luck!

Hi E.,

I weaned my 4th child at 11 months and started him on whole milk. I chose the Publix brand because it doesn't have the added hormones, but that was a personal decision. My son is now 5 and is doing great. I would have to say that the pediatrician is correct and that you are safe to do that. Your son is almost at the 12 month mark, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Good luck!

Roz

Are you sure it is not a nursing strike instead of weaning? Ovulating can change the taste of your milk. If you think he is not ready for milk, go with your instinct. You probably have more milk than you are pumping. I would try to go back to breastfeeding, but congrats on bf 2 kids.

Are you sure he is really self weaning or is it one of the usual phases that kids go through where they reduce requests for a bit, then take back to it?? Is he still being nursed BEFORE he is fed his solids each meal? It is still considered more nutritional for him to nurse first, then use solids as a back up filler for kids up to at least 12 months... If he isn't being nursed and filled with breastmilk before his solids meal, then your milk will slowly decrease and he will be absorbing less nutrition too. If you are contemplating giving him formula or cows milk, then there is acknowlegdment that he still needs nutrition other than solid foods, so why wouldn't this continue to be breastmilk which is meant for a human baby? If you think your milk is decreasing it could also possibly be reduced by reduced nursing sessions (supply and demand!)ovulation, restart of your period, pregnancy, birth control, stress, etc. If you want to continue nursing and maintaining some milk, you could take fenugreek capsules (abvailable at any health food store), drink coconut milk (plain or in a drink), drink red raspberry leaf tea, eat oatmeal, and drink LOTS of water. -Also, don't be so quick to think that you don't have much milk just because you can't pump much out. That is VERY normal, as MANY women can only pump a small amount yet the baby nurses differently than a pump and can draw much much more out. Maybe you might want to talk to a lactation consultant for more professional advice? The one at Morton Plant is great and free. ###-###-####

Breastmilk is still very beneficial at this age and it is very rare for a baby to self wean before a year unless they are being offered other foods first and filling up....then they just lose interest, which also results in a decreased supply. Its a circle!

Personally, I would continue to nurse before each offering of solid food and I do not recommend cows milk. It is becoming more well known (even by pediatricians) that cows milk is not as good for people as once thought, and in fact has many negative factors to its constant consumption. Sure, once in a while -ie. on cereal or when baking won't be bad, but bottles or glasses of it daily aren't nutritionally necessary. Most people think of it's benefit being associated with the need for calcium...but calcium is needed in much lower levels in kids (especially an infant) and can be provided EASILY in their regular diet without the need for drinking cows milk. There is lots of good advice on the web about calcium rich foods :-)

There are many other good drinks, water being one of them, but if it were me I would increase your breastmilk supply (if it is really even low) and continue to provide the very best nutrition you can for your infant...breastmilk. Best wishes with everything :-)

If he is only 2 months away, and perhaps at a 12mo old weight?? If hte Dr said ok, Im sure it is ok.
But I'd not go told turkey! Do 1/4 whole milk 3/4 breast for a week then 1/2 and 1/2 for a week
then 3/4 and 1/4 for a week
then 100% whole milk after that
This will make it easier for his body to transition to the change from human milk to cows milk. You may need even a couple extra days on each step since he did not have formula (which is based on cow's milk protiens)
And jsut to ease your worries, i did this started weaning with my daughter at about 10 1/2 months and by 11 1/2 mos she was fully weaned ot whole milk.
@}~>~~

My pediatrician okayed both my kids to start on whole milk at nine months, although neither of them weaned until later. He just made sure their iron was high enough. They were eating well and everything--I was surprised the first time he said it, but they did fine.

Really, formula is just modified cow's milk, it's just got a little extra in it. I would use organic, though.

My kids are both totally healthy to this day! Hope that helps.

Hi E.,

A year is just a guidance .. nothing magical happens that day .. Right ..if the child is happy and healthy, nothing worng in starting whole milk around 10 to 11 months of age. My older son nursed till 9 months and slwoly weaned (almost 10 years ago)to whole milk (I had the same concern -- two months of formula and then make a switch again). The twins (almost 7 years old) did nursed for 5 months and were on formula for 8 or 9 months .. they switched to regular milk around 14 months of age (no hard rule .. just I used up the supply that I had bought). So, don't really worry about it too much. If you think that your son is easy going and can make the switch easily, you can give the formula and then change. There is no harm though, if he can digest the regular milk, to give the regular milk either.

Take Care.. and enjoy the beautiful babies.

Hi E.
My milk started drying up around 10 months so I faced the same decision. I'm not sure I have the answer you are hoping for. My son was a 'gassy' babe so I was concerned about dairy and I wasn't keen on formula.
I weighed the choices and decided to mix formula and pumped breast milk (as much as I could get) for 2 months. I did this because I thought formula would be easier on his tummy. I switched to 2% milk at 12 months and slowly introduced it with formula and 2% milk mix until it was all milk (around 13 months).
My son seemed to manage the transitions fine. Good luck.

Well, I just know that my mom fed me regular milk since the day I was born (or soon after), and I am fine 35 years later. I guess they didn't have formula way back then! :) You should be safe going to whole milk. I would try and use organic for the first few months anyway. I am not sure flavored soy milk is the best way to go since it does have added sugar but sometimes it is a trial and error and you have to figure out what he will drink. Good luck and try not so stress over it!

I have read somewhere that coconut milk is actually the best replacement for mother's milk. I have no personal experience with it, but think it bears checking out. We make our own rice milk, which is easy,but I am not sure if it is what you are looking for. Is your baby eating solid foods? If so what is your goal with the milk? We no longer do dairy, especially milk because frankly it isn't nearly as healthy as the dairy council would have everyone believe. Have you checked out the La Leche League website for advice?

Best wishes,
Victoria, mother of 2 daughters aged 6.5 and 4

I started both my girls on Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk at 10 months old when they quit breastfeeding. Neither one would drink formula or regular milk, but they loved the Very Vanilla Soy Milk. It never caused any problems for them.

I have two sons- one just turned three and the other is 18mos. I nursed them both for 10 mos and they both decided to stop nursing at that time. They also had different pediatricians- When my 3yr old stopped nursing we lived in Jacksonville, FL. The doctor checked his iron levels and said that we could start him on whole milk if we wanted. Beacuse he was used to eating yogurt and cheese, etc we went ahead and gave him whole milk. Same story with my 18mos old- different doctor and no iron test, but same advice. And we haven't had any problems. I would say that if your child is eating other sources of dairy and there isn't any sign of allergy, then you'd be fine in switching to whole milk. If not, there are always those "in-between" formulas for toddlers that you could try. Hope that helps!

S.

I checked with my Mom and she said that it is fine to give him whole milk. She said it would be better than giving him formula. She raised eight of us so I guess she knows what she is talking about.

Although I'm a grandma,I still remember when my boys were babies and back then,it was perfectly O.K. to switch them to whole milk as soon as it seemed that they were done with breast feeding or formula....and they seemed alot more satisfied with the whole milk.