Weaning to milk

Trista - posted on 06/13/2009

Thanks to everyone who posted. My daughter LOVES dairy products, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese. After talking a bit more with her doctor, we did decide to start whole milk. At her lunch time feeding, I started with 2 oz whole milk in a sippy and finished her off with a breast feeding. She's done fine it and is up to about 6oz of whole milk at lunch time, so I've been able to cut out that breast feeding. I'm planning to wait a little bit before switching another feeding over to whole milk, just because I know that the breastmilk is best and I enjoy doing it for her. I just was having trouble pumping so much at work recently so I had to cut out a feeding for her, which is sad.

Melissa - posted on 06/04/2009

I put water in the sippy cup. My daughter has never had anything but breastmilk and water. She doesn't know what she's missing as far as juice.

Shawna - posted on 06/04/2009

Quoting Cassie:

 He seems to like to have a sippy cup and cheerios for breakfast. I also give him some of those graduates yogurt melts.

What do you put in the sippy cup for breakfeast if you are brestfeeding? I hope not juice...my pediatrician said to hold off on juice as long as possible....

Shawna - posted on 06/04/2009

Quoting Shannon:


To the mom who is still nuring only 4 times day.. I commend you on that. When I am home .. my son still nurses 5 to 7 times a day with 3 full out meals (gerber graduates and whatever we eat!) and two snacks each day!! Ohh.. and that includes the one to two times a night he wakes to nurse still...

I also want to commend the person for still breasfeeding 4 times a day....it may seem like it is a lot, but really is not, and it is SOOOO healthy for the baby. If you can continue to brestfeed your baby till 1 year there are sooo many benefits.....when I am home from work my son still nurses 5-6 times a day...which include his 2 nightly wakings.....boy am I tired. There are some mornings I am so tired that I am ready to just switch over to formula, but that is really hard since I have made it so far.....

when we do decide to wean how can we switch to less milk when we brestfeed? If we don't have a pump you can't just put it in a cup and mix with milk....do you give the milk first????

Jennifer - posted on 06/04/2009

At my son's 9 month appointment the doctor told us to start 6 weeks before he turns a year old. That was because my son takes 6 oz bottles. The first week is 1 oz whole milk and 5 oz formula. Each week increasing the whole milk by 1 oz. As for other milk products, I have tried baby yogurt, but he didn't like it.

Stephanie - posted on 06/03/2009

i tried it with my daughter and her tummy couldnt handle it. but on some babys they can. just slowly and if she starts acting different stop. thats what i did

Shannon - posted on 06/03/2009

We do milk based products.. but no milk.. I will continue to breast feed as long as possible anyway... but our pediatrician told us no actual milk till he is a year... in things is one thing since then it is small doses, but much before a year is not good for their little tummies and can according to my allergist.. cause a milk allergy.
To the mom who is still nuring only 4 times day.. I commend you on that. When I am home .. my son still nurses 5 to 7 times a day with 3 full out meals (gerber graduates and whatever we eat!) and two snacks each day!! Ohh.. and that includes the one to two times a night he wakes to nurse still...

Cassie - posted on 06/03/2009

I had been breastfeeding 4 times a day also. I have decided to wean down my son so that I can be done when he is about 11 months old. He is not yet 10 months. I first took away the feeding he was less interested in. I took away the morning one. He seems to like to have a sippy cup and cheerios for breakfast. I also give him some of those graduates yogurt melts. Then each week take one feeding, the one least interested in and save the night time one for last. I also had been pumping twice a day so I took out one pumping first and still pump in the morning. So far things are going well. Just the first day after you take one thing away your breasts feel a bit goofy. I had pumped a lot ( 3 target bags full) to use up now. Then when that gets almost gone slowly add a little whole milk to it to switch over to that. Plan it out when you decide to wean from nursing. It takes awhile for your body and baby to adjust. Good Luck!

Melissa - posted on 06/03/2009

From everything I've read milk products and milk are different. Milk products have the lactose taken out of them. Milk still has the lactose in it. It's not that you can't give a baby whole milk before one, it's just not recommended until then b/c breastmilk and formula have all the vitamins/nutrients a baby needs, whereas cow's milk does not. Cow's milk can't keep up with the fast rate of growth that a baby is going through until the end of the first year.

I am still breastfeeding (4 times a day) with three solid meals mixed in. I was thinking of dropping one of the nursing sessions soon. If anyone has done this, can you let me know how you did it? Thanks!

Megan - posted on 06/03/2009

At our 9 month appointment the pediatrician said to start introducing milk in a cup at 11 months so that he can get used to before we switch over at a year. We haven't tried it yet but we have tried cheese and yogurt and he loves both of them.

Jackie - posted on 06/03/2009

I took my daughter for her 9 month appointment and the pediatrician said to start introducing her to milk products now. I started by giving her yogurt, which she loves! We also started putting Vitamin D milk in with her formula (7 oz formula, 1 oz milk and slowly increase). She is doing very well. We tried giving her straight up milk in a sippy cup and she wanted nothing to do with it.

Hope this helps!

Amanda - posted on 06/03/2009

sorry i cant help with this... i was going to ask the same question... one chart i got from the doctor says 12 months and another one (from the same doctor) says 9 months... i havent tried it yet, probably between 10 and 11 months...people think i am crazy for not switching yet because they used to do it around 6 months... let me know how it goes when u do try it... thanks