Help! Feeding Issues

Hi! Sorry it's a week later but my son has been sick. I hope you still need advice. I had my son on soy milk at 8 or 9 months. The Doctor didn't sound too thrilled but since he was healthy and gaining weight like he should, she said it was ok. My son really like the very vanilla soy milk. it tasted like a melted vanilla milkshake. Plus it has more vitamins in it than the regular. I hope this helps!

hi just wanted to say don't worry as long as he is eating he's fine. my son was allergic to all dairy, and when i started him on h20 and juice he wouldn't take milk anymore. As long as he's drinking he won't get dehydrated. Great Luck

My daughter did something very simialar. My doc told me not to worry too. When she was a year old I started giving her cows milk and she took right to it. if he is eating table food pretty good, just make there is something with calcium in everything he eats. Cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream! Caylin did just fine and now she is a healthy almost three year old who has to have milk for dinner every night!! As for why he decided to wean himself from the breast, I am not sure. It might just be that table food is more appealing as hard as that can be for mamma who really enjoys that specail time with him. Good luck and try not to over worry!

I had a similar experience with my oldest son, right around 10 months. My pediatrician told me to go back to the old food group pyramid, and go from there. It actually has taken alot of the hassle out of feeding him even to this day, I just "mental inventory" what hes had and how much. Yogurt and cheese are good, and have you ever noticed HOW much foor is "fortified" with various minerals and vitamins?? Any sudden change is disconcerting, but I would view it more as decisiveness on his part. best of luck!!

Soy milk is good for babies too. Just get some extra liquid calcium vitamins for him. My son is 20, it's been a while since I had a baby, but I do have a little medical training. So I say try the soy. Good luck...W.

He should be fine with just table food at this point. 9 months plus is okay for no milk. If your truly concerned try some pedisure in his cup. If the pediatrician isn't concerned and the baby is healthy and growing on chart. He's fine.

My advice is there is no "I" in T.E.A.M. So if he isn't trying to be part of the team anymore then it sounds like it is time to give up on breast feeding. As for the milk issue my now 17 month old daugther wouldn't take milk for a little while. When she was 9 and 10 months old I couldn't give her the formula she was currently on anymore and she couldn't take any other kind of formula. So I had to try to get her to drink milk, which she wasn't happy about, so I tried warming it like the formula and she would drink some of it and then figure out she wasn't getting what she wanted. So I tried some Nesquik,(think that is how it is spelled) because it is calcium fortified, first I warmed it then she finally started drinking it cold and drinking regular cold milk too. Also, try some Pediasure or some type of drink like that. Don't give up he is just going through some type of picky stage. I hope my advice helps.

J.

Hi S.,

Both of my boys weened at 9 months. But, like your son, wouldn't take any milk of any form after that. With my older son, after 3 days of drinking nothing, the doctor told me to find anything he would drink. He found a juice he liked. Never really drank milk again. Yes, I tried until I almost drove myself crazy. Doctor looked at his diet and told me he'd be OK without it. Well, he's 5 now and we just had him allergy tested. He shows sensitivity to milk and soy. Not fully allergic, but if we had insisted years ago, we may have caused him more problems. He eats cheese and some yogurt, but milk only on cereal. They can get what they need in other places. If you're concerned, try talking to your pediatrician about vitamin suppliments. Your son will be fine and can be totally healthy getting his nutrients elsewhere.

Good luck!!

I have a 9mth old too and know this must be hard for you. I haven't had any problems in this area but I would suggest going to a lactation consultant. We have some great ones in the area. If you can, stop by the Summerville Medical on a Tuesday between 12:00 and 2:00 for the Best Fed Babies group - their is a free lactation consultant there. I am sure other hospitals have these groups too.

A lactation consultant is going to be much more concerned with this issue than a doctor - and you are right. The APA states that until 10mths 75% of a little ones diet should be bm or formula and should still be the main stable until one year. My doctor has insisted that we only stay on 2 solid meals a day to make sure ours takes in enough milk as possible (he is a bit overweight)

I have heard that one reason little ones stop is because of supply issues which is sounds like you already have. I would take measures to increase your supply right away. Pump after all feedings and in between feedings for a while. Once the supply is back, it might solve your problem.

My daughter had to stop drinking milk when she was 12 months due to chronic consitpation..... Sometimes if she wants milk I give her 4 ounces of milk with 4 ounces of water ( half and half) with a little chocolate or strawberry syrup... not only does that keep her from getting constipated but it makes the milk not taste watery and she gets her fluids. The doctor said not to worry about milk as long as she eats because milk is not as important as people believe. He also said that the syrup idea is fine by him! Good luck!!!

PS there are lots of foods out there that are calcuim rich now like Gold fish crackers and some orange juices. Not to mention dry cereals that are fortified. :)

HI, S.
I know that this seems really hard for you becasue you don't want to give up nursing. I know what you are going through. When my youngest daughter was weaned, she too refused to drink milk of any kind. I think this is just some type of preference in the child. She refused to drink it for a ful year after she was weened. I did yogurt, cheese and any other form of dairy that I could get into her in that year. My doctor said that this was fine as long as she was getting the calcium from some form. So if yours is eating yogurt, them it will be fine. It will not hurt his growth at all. Mine is 6 years old now and still right on track with her height and weight and very healthy. So, even though it may be hard to accept at first. It is not harmful for him/her to not drink milk as long as they get calcium from some other source. I hope this is helpful to you. C.

My daughter has weaned herself also. She is 11 mon. Try those nuby sippy cups. m y daughter will drink formula out of those only, they have soft nipples and you can get them at Wal-mart.

If he is hydrated(drinking plenty of juice and water) and eating yogurt and a variety of foods, I wouldn't worry about it. Yogurt, cheese and other dairy products are very good sources of calcium. Just make sure the yogurt he is eating is a full-fat variety because his brain needs fat to develop (a little extra butter on his toast?)

My guess is he just decided he doesn't like milk. I gave up milk completely when my mom finally weaned me from the bottle, and I guess I turned out okay. Count the blessing that he loves table food and drinking from his cup.

I think he can get soy milk because I know there are soy based formulas out there. I'd try a small carton first to see if he likes it. It comes in flavors, too. He might like vanilla; you could add some Pediasure to it if he likes it flavored. Or, you could ask your doctor about giving him Pediasure straight. See if he'll drink that. It is very expensive, so you might try adding a few ounces to milk or soy milk. Maybe he's just looking for a better flavor. . .

You can also sneak milk into his food, such as mashed potatoes. Or homemade whipped cream on his strawberries (very easy to make) There are lots of ways to add milk to food.

Hope this helps.

Hi there! Just try giving him whole milk and see if he'll take that. My daughter (now 6) went on milk at 8 months because she refused formula and breast milk - like your son she refused breast milk all at once and would NOT touch formula. My oldest child (now 8) was put on whole milk by the pediatrician at 10months because I was injured and couldn't take the meds I was prescribed and nurse. Both kids are just fine - remember, we were all raised on milk from much younger ages than 9 months!!

i wouldnt force him to do it does he use a sippy cup? start him on whole milk in his sippy cup he'll be fun my son was on milk at 10 months and as long as hes getting planty of fruits and veggies for vitamins i wouldnt worry kids usually know what they need.

Hi S.,
It's always so tough to figure things out with a little one that can't talk. Has something changed in your diet in the last few weeks that might have changed the taste of your milk? It could be that he's just not getting much when he nurses if you're only pumping 1 oz, which frustrates him. That's interesting that he'll drink water or juice from a cup, but not breastmilk or formula. Baby's are funny that way. The reason that doctors say babies should not receive milk until they are 1 is because they want babies to get the nutritional benefits of breastmilk or formula that are not in milk and are afraid that the milk will be used to take the place of breastmilk or formula. Also, I think there is some fear babies might develop allergies to milk and its proteins. If you and your doctor feel your child is getting enough nutrition from his food, then not getting the milk probably isn't that bad. There are other ways (and better ways) to get the nutrients that milk provides (like calcium-fortified oj, tomatoes, blueberries, 15 mintues of sun on bare skin for vitamin d). So you don't have to give milk. If you want to try to avoid the milk allergies, you might want to start with goat milk. It has different proteins and enzymes than cow's milk. Or even rice milk. If you are thinking about soy, please do some homework on this. Soy is not the wonder food taht it has been advertised to be. Most of it is genetically modified and enhanced. Certainly go for organic. Soy can have some negative effects on children. I just encourage you do to dome reserach on the sugject before going with soy. Good luck with figuring out his eating issues.

Hi S.. I understand how frustrating it is when your little one suddenly decides not to cooperate. Trying to get them to latch on while they're frantically squirming the other way will wear you out. I would say that there are a few things worth checking out before you throw in the towel on nursing.

Has anything in your diet changed? Any new medications? It could be that there is a different flavor or something to your milk. (My baby lets me know I've eaten something she doesn't like by biting my nipple!)

Could he have an ear infection? It can hurt to nurse with an ear infection.

Is he teething? Same issue - nursing can cause ear pain when teething.

Is he just too interested in what's going on? Nursing typically puts baby in a position where they can't see what's happening. Right now, my baby fights me like crazy because hunger is secondary to her curiousity. You could try a different position or go into another room where it's quiet.

Lastly, are his table foods making him gassy? If so, it might hurt his belly to lay down and nurse. Try mylicon drops and tummy rubs if he seems gassy. You can also try to nurse with him sitting up (sit him beside you on the couch facing you - you can put a pillow under him or even sit him straddling your leg if his mouth doesn't easily reach your breast).

Until you get it figured out - I would keep on pumping to protect the supply you have and drink plenty of water to try to boost it a little. Good luck!