Why Solid Foods, Less Breastmilk and More Whole Milk past Age One?

Hi.
Before I was a mom, I loved my Louis Vitton bag, high powered career, Prada pumps...in short not a crunchy person. having a child changed me. I breast fed as long as my son wanted...until he was 2 years and 4 months. I took his lead. Yes, we introduced solids SLOWLY after six months...but I did things his way. And he knew best.

Still love my bag, don't miss uncomfortable shoes and love teaching, my new career...and learning from my little one what is best for him, as well as from my inner voice.

HTH Jilly

Breast milk does not contain adequate iron to sustain a child beyond 9-12 months - so she will need to get that from something else in her diet (or I suppose vitamins). In other cultures, extended breast feeding is the norm (as in statistically most likely choice, not moral judgement) but in many of those cultures, a toddler would not otherwise have access to a varied, balanced, healthy diet. So I don't see that how other cultures do it should be a big player in your decision making.

How do you determine whether she will primarily bf or eat solids? The only way I can figure would be whether you offer the breast first or second when you feed. Otherwise I think it would be the child's choice. So I suspect that it will be a gradual child led transition from primarily breast milk, to primarily solids. The time frame will be in part determined by you (you can choose to stop whenever it is no longer a beneficial thing for you) and in part by her (she may choose to stop at any time as well).

It is important for her to try and eat a wide variety of healthy foods. A lot of current research suggests that whether we become adventurous eaters or highly limited eaters is a pattern set early. I don't understand why what the 'standard American diet' is should affect you at all. You decide what to feed her.

I never listen to the pediatricians. They seemed to have the perfect advice on how to fail at breastfeeding. I think it's because they know medicine well but not necessarily nutrition. I don't even think they read the pamphlets that they give to parents. I had to do my own research because the doctors kept my kids sick and seemed to want me to fail. Not on purpose but I don't think they even realized how much their breastfeeding and nutrition information was against common sense.

Mostly because normal breastfeeding is "novel" to this generation/this country.

"Extended" (aka normal) breastfeeding goes to 1.5-2.5 years old BUT some mom's aren't understanding that it's a MIX of foods (solid and milk) during the second half of it.

Now.... 6mo for solids is RIDICULOUSLY early (and is a holdover from back when formula was waaaaaaaaaay dangerous, and you wanted infants off of it as soon as possible)... only ABOUT half (some studies show about 1/3) of infants can digest solids at ALL at 6mo. ((Yet another thing being studied in conjunction with American Obsesity is "starving" infants, by filling them up with tablefood they can't digest so young. This isn't starving as in lethargic / not growing... but creating a deficit in nutrition, which sets their metabolisms very very low so they hoard every calorie that they ingest OR their bodies become incapable of properly putting nutrients where they belong. This study is going to be a long one... so look out for it in about 10 years... but prelim CORRELATIONS show that babies who aren't given table food until at LEAST 1 year tend to grow better and have healthier weights until puberty. THAT study (swedish) is long out, and finds an absolute correlation between dieting and puberty = life long weight struggles (overweight) but that's a different kettle of fish on the same fire.))

Yeah... there's no magic birthday "switch". It's a whole complicated thing. That would take pages and pages to go into involving growth rates (the faster they're growing the LESS table food they should have when breastmilk and formula are available... of course, older kids need to chow down ridiculous amounts of food to support growth spurts), activity levels, digestive maturity, etc.

Which you Ped PROBABLY knows some, but very little, about. Meaning... never take a Ped's last word on nutrition. Take someone with a 4 year degree in nutirion and an extra 5th year in infant/early childhood nutrition over theirs. Which is who they will send you to if there are honest to god problems (or medical need, like disorders, allergies, chemo, etc.)

I thoroughly agree with you that breastfeeding is great for babies, I nursed mine for 3.5 years and 13 months respectively, they chose when to wean. But they nursed much less and ate more solids (again, mainly their choices) and drank milk as they neared and passed one year as that was what their bodies were ready for and needed.

At one year BM doesn't offer enough nutrients for continued body development (bones, organs and muscles) or fats for healthy brain growth and development (the first five years comprise the most rapid period of brain growth outside the womb) as it did in the first year. This is why whole milk fats and solids are then necessary. Solid foods help to meet a baby's increased needs for iron and protein. Doctors should want our children to have the best opportunities to grow and develop and consider themselves an important tool to that end, so I'm thinking this is why yours advised what he or she did, not simply because your baby is a year.

You can still use your stored breast milk, mix it with the whole milk, your doctor said to "introduce" it. And your little one and you can still benefit from the closeness of nursing occasionally as you said you do. As a matter of fact, breastfed (not exclusively) toddlers from 16 to 30 months of age continue to enjoy better health than their non-nursing counterparts.

I never asked a doctor to tell me how to feed my daughter, and if they tried, I didn't listen. In my opinion and experience, doctors are trained to deal with illness and injury, I am in charge of caring for my child. I can read the research and I am informed about nutrition, so I just made my own decisions about feeding my child. There is no magic about them turning one, that their diet needs to be changed suddenly.

You could change doctors, but you're right that you might continue to hear the same things. Use your own judgment and feed your child how you choose.

My ped would have encouraged me to breastfeed for as long as I and baby wanted to. (His health issues changed that plan, but you do the best you can.) Obviously I don't know what your ped said, but more often than not, I think people are asking their ped how much longer they have to breast feed or formula feed, rather than how long can they.

People don't always hear the rules correctly. They hear the one year rules about breastfeeding, formula feeding and bottles and tend to group them all together rather than truly understanding that the AAP encourages us to breastfeed or formula feed for at least one year and not have bottles past one year.

Another thing to keep in mind is that growing kids need more and more caleries. It may not be realistic for your child to get their entire caloric need from breast milk, hence the reason your ped may ask information about how much food he/she is eating.

Finally, while I've heard that moms in many countries breast feed for a few years, I've never heard that they exclusively breast feed for two years (though, of course, I could be wrong). I did hear that the world-wide organization (like our AAP) recommends breast or formula feeding for at least two year rather than one, but I've not heard anything about that being exclusive.

Most peds won't tell you to stop bfing. But they will suggest solids (your baby is ready to eat them and should start). Also, breastmilk doesn't have Vitamin D or iron, so they suggest solid foods and/or milk to help get these nutrients. You could always use vitamins instead.

And, whole milk is suggested for those going to cow milk because of the fat content. The fats are necessary for brain development up until the age of 2.

My dr said up to one yr ALL nutrition comes from breast or formula. Baby food is just practice for eating later. At one year the baby is ready to digest milk and eat a table food diet. There is no problem with nursing longer. My son nursed till 3. Nusing wss comfort. Breakfast lunch and dinner were for nutrotion

Babies can eat more solids and drink milk after a year because their digestive system is more mature. I have not heard a pediatrician say that a mother should nurse less and that solids are the main source of nutrients. My grandchildren's pediatrician said that they continue to benefit from breast milk.

It's a societal suggestion, based on popular opinion, to switch to milk and stop formula/breast milk. I suggest that the pediatricians you're talking about would tell you, if you asked that continuing to breast feed is good.

I suggest that solids are more important past 1 because their body is larger and is in need of more calories than milk of any kind is able to provide after that age. Their body also need some additional nutrients not found in breast milk/formula. So yes, nurse less so that baby will eat more solids.

There is formula specifically engineered for toddlers. So I take exception to your understanding. Solids is an addition to breast milk if you want to continue breast feeding. If not, then you have a choice of formula for toddlers, milk, or alternatives to cow's milk. It's your choice. The pediatrician may give the societal norm but if you ask (s)he'll most likely say it's good to continue with breast milk as long as they are getting sufficient nutrition from solids.

Whether or not to eat unhealthy is a choice. I'm sure the pediatrician would say to feed healthy foods.

My DD was definitely wanting solid foods before a year. She was still nursing quite a bit between 12 and 18 months and nursed up to 2.5 yrs old. But she had solid foods as well. While I feel that your milk is still beneficial (nothing helped DD better when she was sick) I'm scratching my head a little on the not feeding solids before 1 thing. I also have never heard that parents in other countries nurse *exclusively* to 2, 3, 4 yrs old, though they may still nurse their children some til those ages. In fact, friend's son was born with feeding issues and he's 5 and still struggling to eat normally because he had a feeding tube as a baby/toddler and didn't learn to chew and swallow like most children do.

Our pediatrician had no issues with my extended nursing of DD or even that DD didn't like milk (still only drinks it if flavored, but will eat cheese, yogurt, etc). But had I also not given DD any solids before a year, I would likely have gotten the hairy eyeball you got from your child's doctor. When my DD had meals in the 12-18 month range, it was offered WITH pumped milk or in addition to her nursing. I nursed on demand whenever I could (not working), but she still wanted solid food.

Edit to add that up to 1, breastmilk *should* be primary. I do agree with that. But it didn't mean that I didn't give DD *any* solids.

Your breast milk is still a wonderful source of nutrition, but I really believe it should not be the MAIN source. Their stomachs are completely ready (unless their are digestive, or gastrointestinal issues) digest food at one year. I don't believe that's an accident. I don't think that switch just coincidentally goes off, for no reason. Your "baby" will not be a baby much longer, and will have the activity and lifestyle changes to go a long with that. By your logic, we should ALL be able to be on breastmilk as adults, and not need many solids, because breastmilk is complete nutrition. Your baby needs MORE now, to sustain her body. Your breastmilk can't compare to your newly active baby/early toddler eating a tangerine, lean meat, avocado, etc. Her body now needs more, than what your breastfeed can give. It does not mean, that breastmilk doesn't have a place!! It simply means, that your breastmilk should accompany a well rounded solids diet. They can work hand and hand, as well. My son can't have milk, he is allergic. He never gets milk. He gets his nutrition from other healthy sources. Your child does not HAVE to drink milk, at all.
It is my understanding, that most developed countries also do not have breastmilk as the main nutrition past one year. They breastfeed beyond a year, but do not rely on that for a main source of nutrition. (I could be wrong, but that is what I've read.) Very poor countries breasfeed far past a year, out of necessity. There is not enough food to go around, and they rely on that as a means to feed their little ones. I lived in Washington (VERY "crunchy" area) for a period of time. It is no different then anywhere else. Sure, they may breastfeed longer, but they still feed their children more solids starting at one year. I have never met a woman who breastfed exclusively past one year, for a reason other then a serious health one. Not even in a "crunchy" area.

I don't feel I can adequately explain their thinking either. I know one of the concerns is that breastmilk does not have vitamin D while whole milk does. But that is a solvable issue with vitamin D drops. I think our culture is very uncomfortable with breast feeding children once they can walk, I can't explain why. I do think there is some advantage to exposing kids to different textures and flavors before they hit age 2 because at age 2-3 is when kids will often start rejecting a lot of foods and become very unwilling to try anything new. It is actually a natural built in safety measure because kids at age 2 are more likely to be wandering around and grabbing strange plants (at least before we mostly live in cities).

I never worry too much about what my ped says. I just nod my head and then go home and do what I want. My 8 yo son eats a super healthy diet with lots of fresh, home made foods. So when my ped asks if he is drinking skim milk now that he is older, I just say no and move on. 2% and whole milk are an important source of fat for him because he doesn't eat other fatty foods and eats almost no meat (because he doesn't like it). Contrary to what the medical profession makes us think these days, fat is actually a critical nutrient.

I think we need to do our own research and make our own educated decisions as parents. Power to you.

If the LLL near you has a toddler meeting I HIGHLY reccomend it-- nothing like getting a group of like minded moms together to share ideas! I'm going to cut and paste here from an earlier answer of mine

"nursing a toddler/preschooler has been one of the more relaxing aspects of motherhood so far.

How many times as a Mom do you get to NOT worry? When nursing a toddler you do NOT have to worry about supply or hauling a ____@____.com pump to work because they're eating good and drinking from a cup. On the days they don't eat good you do NOT have to worry because you know they'll nurse more that night. On the days that involve a drive thru you can feel less guilty knowing the junk is balanced out with nature's perfect health food. If you have a comfort nurser, when they're sick you do NOT have to worry about dehydration. I think my son is FINALLY realy weaning-- he was sick a couple of weeks ago and for the first time he didn't comfort nurse through it so I had to actually WORRY about pushing fluids and dehydration."

And we could get into a whole nother rant about how doctors feel free to push so much PARENTING and NUTRITION advice when their training is in MEDICINE!

I'm a strong advocate of exclusive breastfeeding until about 7-8 months and only then introducing solids. Solids may have more unhealthy fat to gain weight, but it is NOT the better food for your infant or young toddler.

I'm also an advocate + follower of child led weaning... so when it comes to mainstream FADS that pediatricians follow... I stick to what I KNOW is better and healthier for baby and child. My daughter is 6 y/o and we rarely drink milk milk... it's mainly for recipes and cereal only. My first born nursed until she self weaned at 4.5 y/o and baby #2 is just at 3 months and breastfeeding strong!!

I notice a lot of misinformation being posted on here about breastmilk. If the Mother's levels of iron and vit D are within normal limits... the breastmilk will have enough to use for the breastmilk. Breastmilk is the main function of the body in nursing Moms. The milk will get the first choice of all nutrition and vit/minerals, NOT the Mother herself. It's also the first to be filtered out when Mom is on medications or drinking.

My thoughts are that a lot of foods have milk products in them so if a baby is not using whole milk the foods can really upset their digestive system. So if you are going to breastfeed and not introduce whole milk you might want to make sure you aren't feeding your baby foods that have a lot of whole milk in them.

All Ped's have their thoughts.

Me: I breastfed both my kids and let them self-wean.
My daughter self-weaned at about 2.5 years old.
My son at about 1 year old.
I nursed on demand. Even if they were on solids from about 6 months old. During the 1st year of life, breastmilk or Formula is a baby's primary source of nutrition. Not solids and not other liquids. Solids, is not as nutritionally dense, as solids.

Now after 1 year old, I still nursed. My kids were on WHOLE milk at that point. Too. Whole milk is important for a Toddler, because the milk-fats in it, is an important nutrient, for brain growth.
But I still, nursed.
In the case of my son who self-weaned from breast at 1 year old... I gave him a bottle of my milk or whole milk or Formula. He was a very picky eater. He grew like a weed and was/is very, healthy and solid.

I just did, as I felt, was important for my kids.
But after 1 year old, both my kids were getting a variety of things... liquid wise and solids.
Even if they still had breastmilk and/or was nursing.

to answer your question.. because doctors in the us are not taught about all the benifits of breastfeeding and are very influenced by our culture and advertizers. Look at the breastfeeding rate in the US. It's terrible. Breastmilk is best, and cow's milk wasn't made for humans (don't get me wrong, my kids do drink cow's milk). I felt pressure with my first to be giving her milk all the time, but by #3, I've relaxed and don't feel that pressure. Breastfeeding is NORMAL past 1. Humans weren't meant to wean so early. I do recommend LLL, like others said, also to find a better pediatritian!

K.

I just bought my son his 2nd carton of whole milk...he is 18 months old.
Both of my kids had issues when I drank milk.
I didn't have a plan. Just seemed the thing to do. And I finally found a milk that I felt more comfortable giving him.
There is no magic switch on the day baby turns 1.
He/she is still just as much in need of you as they were the day before.
I think what you are doing is perfectly a-ok.
Of course, I am not a Dr., but I have 2 healthy children. (My 1st hated milk-could never get her to drink it!)
:)