Hello, can anyone give me some ideas on how to start weaning my almost one year old from nursing? I have nursed my daughter from the beginning and have not used anything else but breast milk. I work full time and pump 2-3 times a day to have enough milk for her each day. She will be one in a few weeks and I would like to start giving her cows milk and would like to pump less at work. I would also like to do this gradually and still nurse her when she wakes up and goes to bed.
I also was told that you should mix the cows milk with breast milk so she will get adjusted...is this correct?
Thanks for your help!
The Avent bottles are the best if you want to make a switch. My son was weaned at about 6 mo and he didn't even know the difference. It might be a little different with a one year old, but, is she drinking juice or anything out of a bottle? If she's drinking other liquids from a bottle the switch might be easier. Just try it and see what happens!
I also only nursed (or pumped) with all 3 of my children. My youngest is only 3 months so I'm still doing so with her. My daughter just gradually lost interest as she was eating more table food and using a sippy with water. We were down to just a bedtime feed and then she kind of lost interest in that too at 13 months so it was gradual and she initiated. My son had an allergic reaction to cashews around 19 months and I had eaten them as well so he could not nurse and I had to "pump and dump" for 48 hours. By that point, he was basically nursing only at nap and bedtimes. Neither of my children would take cows milk after finishing nursing. My daughter refused any type of milk - rice, soy, cow, goat. She ate plenty of cheese and yogurt though. My son gagged and spit out cows milk when I tried it so I gave up quickly. He did accept soymilk and my daughter then started as well. He had still been very attached so it was a difficult weekend. He did return to nursing briefly the 48 hours but only minimally for a couple weeks. They both still only drink soymilk at 2.5 and 4.
Gradual will be good for both of you. I have heard different things - some say to mix milk and others say you don't have to. My ped said it wasn't necessary. I would start by skipping a midday feed that is not associated with nap or bedtime. Reduce your pumping by 1 time. Instead of this, you can offer a sippy with cow milk for lunch or snack. I wouldn't put the milk in a bottle so that you don't end up having to wean that too. Once you are not having engorgement from skipping that pumping/feed and your daughter is ok with it, move to the next feed that your daughter is the least attached to. When you eliminate a feed, eliminate a pumping too. You can stretch this out as long as you want in between dropping feeds - couple days to weeks. Then stop reducing once you and your daughter are happy with the amount of feeds. This is basically what mine did until the allergy issue with my son. It was very gradual and didn't cause discomfort on either side.
Hi C.,
Congratulations on nursing your daughter for 12 months! That is great!! Pumping at work can be very time consuming and energy consuming and it is great that you have been able to do this wonderful thing for your daughter. I stopped pumping at work with my son when he was 15 months old.
My suggestion for getting her to like cows milk would be to mix it with breastmilk at first. Try putting in 90% breastmilk, 10% cows milk at first and then gradually work up to 50-50 and then finally to 100%. It will probably take a few months to get there - but doing it gradually will help your daughter to get used to the taste. You can also try Rice milk or Soy milk if she doesn't like the cows milk. Rice milk is very thin and sweet - kind of like breast milk. Soy milk is much thicker and not as sweet - but a very different taste to cow's milk.
For you, you will also want to gradually wean yourself off of the pump so that you don't get engorged or an infection. My suggestion would be to start pumping only 2 times at work, instead of 3. Do this for about a month, then go down to pumping only once. Do this for about a few weeks to a month and then pump, but only enough to relieve any pressure - don't fully empty your breast - after a few weeks of doing this - you can wean yourself off of the pump. All the while, you can still nurse your daughter in the AM and at night. And if you want to, you can nurse her more frequently on the weekends. Your body has a very well-established milk supply by now and will adjust to whatever amount of nursing your daughter needs. I pumped for 15 months because I wanted to be able to nurse whenever my son wanted it on weekends without having to supplement. I spoke with a lactation consultant and she said that I could wean myself from the pump during the week, but still nurse on weekends. Just to drink lots of fluids on Fridays in preparation for it and that I might feel slightly "full" on Monday's when I went back to work. Our bodies are amazing things - and they will adjust to whatever your daughter needs.
Good luck!
J.
When I weaned my oldest son, I put cow's milk in the bottle, warmed it and gave it to him when he was at his most hungriest point of the day. (For him it was morning) He LOVED it and has loved it ever since. I was planning on mixing it with breast milk but since he took right to it I didn't have to. I think all babies are different with how they adapt to changes. My pediatrician told me that the most important thing when introducing your child to ANYTHING different is to watch YOUR reaction to it. Babies take cues from their Mom's reaction--if you are very emotional about weaning your baby then your baby will pick up on the stress that you are feeling. Weaning my child off of the breast was emotionally difficult for me but I kept that emotion away from my son. He didn't deserve to shoulder MY saddness.
Another idea that the pediatrician gave me was to have my husband or someone else give him a bottle of cow's milk so that he didn't smell breast milk on me.
C.,
If you're really interested in using the cow's milk, I highly recommend using raw milk to switch. It gives you the ability to allow it to come to room temperature which with many babies makes all the difference. It will not go bad by doing this and can be kept a room temp safely for several hours. As well goat milk is the best option for switching babies from breast milk to traditional animal milk. It resembles the make-up of breast milk more closely than cow. There is a state certified supplier of raw goats milk in New Hopewell. We go there for ours weekly. For the cow's milk, Sonnewald carries Swiss Vally cows milk, as does J&L Organic Foods in Red Lion and there's a wonderful source in Glen Rock as well that I use for my family called Swissland Acres. I have been using raw milk (both cow and goat) with my family for over 2 years. My oldest is now 5 and my youngest is 20 months. They have all drank it, as have myself and my husband. And my husband was intolerant of processed dairy, and handles the raw dairy wonderfully.
You have gotten some great advice for weaning your little one and for helping you through your pumping as well. I wish you all the best.
Blessings,
Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend
