Extended breastfeeders only please...At what point did you introduce other milk products?

Question

I plan on letting my daughter self wean, however, I know that at some point, I should introduce either whol milk or forified soy milk so that when she does stop nursing, she is getting the nutrients she needs. When did you introduce other milk and what kind was it? How much did you give your baby? What was the nursing pattern at that point? Thanks!!

BTW, she eats yogurt every morning.

Yeah, formula ain't gonna happen. She's a year old. I'm with you on the soy milk though. Did you know that we are the ONLY species that drinks the milk of another? Eeeew.

all_my_armour_falling_down's, I am completely with you! I don't like cow's milk at all, but love rice and soy milk. We eat alot of ice cream in this household though, so I can't deny the baby ice cream when she's old enough and she loves yogurt too. I've read so many gross things about cow's milk too...

Answer 1

I really don't think it's necessary to make her drink milk past weaning. My daughter is 11-months and is a marathon breastfeeder, we're going to go the distance too. Congrats on breastfeeding. You might want to read this link before adding milk. You might have to take some of it with a grain of salt, but a lot of it really makes sense and rings true. I'm not going to make my baby drink cow milk, I don't even like it myself. But I'm not going to freak out over ice cream, yogurt, cheese etc.. Especially when I eat it all the time.

Answer 2

I weaned my baby about three months ago. She is 19 months old now. During the day I gave her fresh milk from a bottle. For the first few days I mixed the fresh cow's milk with water in equal quantities. Gradually I increased the milk and decreased the water. By the end of the second week it was full milk. Not had any problems. I used to offer her the breast at night but she refuses it now. Totally on the bottle but eats her meals as well.
Hope you succeed.

P.S. I did this with all 4 of my children.

Answer 3

You are correct - humans are the only species that drink the milk of another mammal.

However, babies don't NEED to drink another mammal's milk if they are allowed to wean all by themselves. There are no nutrients found in cow's milk that cannot be found elsewhere, including calcium.
Many people never drink cow's milk and they are perfectly healthy.

If you CHOOSE to give your baby dairy products, it is best to wait until she as about a year old to minimize the risk of allergic reactions. Of course, if you have a family history of milk allergies you will want to avoid dairy altogether.

Many mothers start with yoghurt, and then hard cheeses. These are the most highly processed and so the least likely to cause problems.

If you offer your baby plain cow's milk, make sure that it is whole milk (4%) as babies need the fat. After she is 2 yrs old, you can switch to 2% milk. You can give her just a little in her sippy cup, adding more if she likes it.

Until six months of age, babies only need their own mothers' milk.
After that you can start offering other foods as well, but they are just tastes for fun. It is only after a year of age that babies start to need other foods in any quantity, and of course you can continue to nurse for as long as both you and your baby wish.

Lots of great links below.

Answer 4

I did at a year and regret it. My kids were(are) low weight and I let the doctor talk me into giving them milk at 1 year. I would have liked to wait until they asked for it. Even with the milk both were nursing 6 times a day at a year. Down to 3/4 times a day at 18 months, then 2-3 times a week by 22 months and weaned by 2 years. I would have liked to nurse longer.

Answer 5

I breastfed both of my children (now ages 6 and almost 3) for a year, at which point they were both no longer very interested in nursing. At that time they were nursing 4 times a day (morning, noon, after nap, before bed). On their first birthdays I replaced one feeding with whole milk, replacing another feeding every three days until they were drinking only whole milk. The childrens' doctor recommended 30 oz. of milk a day, so each cup had 7-8 oz in it. Again at the doctor's recommendation, the children were switched to 2% milk on their second birthdays, and to skim milk on their third birthdays. Both kids are very healthy, average weights for their heights and ages, and neither is allergic to milk or milk products.

Answer 6

I introduced other milk at around 12 months. First I mixed it in their baby cereal. I just used whole milk. Then I started putting milk in a sippy cup. I did not use a bottle at all with three of my kids. When I did wean, I would substitute one feeding a week with baby food and the cup. I would usually take about 5 weeks to wean with the nighttime feeding being the last to go.

Answer 7

You never *have* to give any "milk" (animal or imitation) if you choose not to. If you will be giving your daughter yogurt or hard cheese, they have the same nutritional value as cow's milk. In any diet plan, you can replace 1 cup of milk with either 1 cup yogurt or 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of hard cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, etc.). Soft cheeses (cream cheese, cottage cheese, etc.) are *not* the nutritional equivalent of milk.

Even if you *never* give dairy products, a child can have a well-rounded diet. The primary nutrient of concern is calcium; the other nutrients in dairy are readily available elsewhere. The two most common non-dairy sources of calcium are almonds and sesame. You can eat the nuts/seeds whole or ground, use the "butters" as a spread on crackers or bread, or drink almond milk. (Soy and rice milk are *not* the same nutritionally as real dairy; any calcium in either is from supplementation, and you can as easily give vitamin supplements directly if you choose--but it's *healthier* to get it in food.)

If, however, you are looking for a substitute "milk" for pouring on cereal or similar, you can use whatever appeals to you.

Answer 8

I introduced formula at 6 months (Carnation brand..Quick Start I think it was called), because I had to go back to work. She had the formula during the day and I continued to breastfeed evening/nights until she was 1 1/2 years old.

Answer 9

I never used real milk, I used soy milk instead. I cannot give an exact point since I am sure that sometimes my ex and/or babysitter slipped and used soy while I was working instead of warming up breast milk.

Answer 10

My wife breatfed my children for almost 2 years. After one year and 3 month she used to give One breast feed in the morning and one at the time of going to bed and during the rest of the period some solid food (crushed banana, squized grapes without skin and other soft fruits)