My daughter is 13 months old and we are in the process of weaning. She is only nursing once a day right now and up until a few days ago was doing perfectly fine with the process and drank cows milk 2 times a day. This weekend she started throwing a fit when I tried to give her the sippy with the milk and started pulling on my shirt and wanting to nurse. When I try to give her the milk she screams and cries and is angry with me. At this point my milk is dried up and we cannot go back. I don't understand why she is doing this now and not when we first started weaning. Do you think she will get over it and drink the milk? She is very stubborn and has gone on a food strike before to make a point. For example when she wanted to stop eating baby food and switch to solids she just stopped eating baby food until I figured out that she wanted solids she didn't eat baby food for 2 weeks. This was at 9.5 months. She eats solids very well now and I think she is getting enough food but it I think she needs the calcium and nutrients from the milk and it's a quick fix when she's hungry in the morning and before nap in the afternoon. My daughter is small, 19lbs at 13 months.
Please do not tell me that I should not have stopped nursing. This was the best thing for both me and my daughter. I won't go into details but just know it was time for us to start weaning. I believe breastfeeding is each womans choice and they can choose whether to do it or not and when to stop. Please respect that.
Thank you all for your support and helpful comments! I really appreciate everyone being so positive. I had a dentist appointment yesterday morning and my husband gave her the sippy with milk and she drank it so I think it may have something to do with me. Also, I am mixing cows milk and almond milk and she seems more interested in that. I know we will get through this!
Have you tried flavored milk chocolate or strawberry. When my daughter was ready for regular milk she wouldn't take it so the doctor told me to try chocolate or stawberry. She still drinks Strawberry and she is 4 but its 1% and she is getting milk in her diet. Good luck!
We did goat's milk. Now my kids are on almond milk (original). I don't think soy milk is very good for little ones, but I could be wrong. Even if she never drinks milk, she's old enough it will be ok. If she tolerates OJ ok, then get the kind with vitamin D and calcium. FYI, almond milk has more calcium than cow milk :)
I wouldnt worry too much about the milk...IF she is getting other dairy products and a good healthy, balanced diet of solid foods. Maybe it is time to start introducing the idea of a straw...instead of the sippy cup...something different than what she has been refusing. She does need liquids...so she doesn't get dehydrated...will she drink water...100% fruit juices? Maybe you could freeze some juice into popsicles for her and that would work.
She is not wanting to nurse so much for food...but for comfort...but of course you know that already!! Give her lots of love and cuddling...maybe you could even use a bottle for a while...so she gets the sucking gratification.
I know this is hard...for you and for her....it WILL get better...I promise!!! And I agree...breastfeeding is a personal decision...but I want to congratulate you on giving your little girl a GREAT start in life by nursing for the first year of her life!!!
Good luck...
She will get over it. All babies do. Be sure she is getting calcium through yogurt, cheese and other foods. Congrats to your for nursing for so long! Just keep offering the milk. She'll come around.
My daughter is 3 1/2 yrs old & still does not drink cows milk. She weaned @ 31 months, I tried to transition her to cows milk & she did not like it. I didn't sweat it & offered her almond milk & she loves it. Plus, w/all of the added hormones in cows milk I'm actually glad she prefers almond milk b/c it is much cheaper than organic cows milk anyway. She'll be fine just make sure she's hydrated w/water.
Your daughter doesn't need the milk. She can get calcium from other foods, especially greens and those actually are absorbed better by the body then milk. Try making fruit smoothies with kale or spinach in them. They are very tasty and my son loves them. Put a little bit of yogurt in there for probiotics. My son just started to drink milk and he 2 1/2 and he only drinks it on occasion. I would keep offering her water, which is much better than juice. Great job on the breastfeeding. You did more than a lot of people do! An interesting fact is that the US consumes dairy products up the wazzu and yet we have a very high rate of osteoporosis, so dairy consumption doesn't seem to be helping us absorb calcium.
I am sure you did a tremendous job nursing, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I nursed my son until he was 13 months and even before I stopped nursing I tried to introduce cows milk. He NEVER drank cows milk. Every time he took a sip, he opened his mouth and let it fall out. He doesn't even drink juice which I am thankful for, he only wants water. He is now 16 months and I have given up trying to give it to him. Every now and again I will give him a sip, but he still does the same thing. He eats a lot of yogurt and cheese. My pediatrician said life goes on. She said I can't force him so I just need to make sure he gets calcium from other sources. Just feed her a healthy balanced diet and she will be fine.
Our pediatrician bascially told us, when they get thirsty enough they will drink. Just give it to her and ignore her fits. She will break soon. I dont blame her for not eating baby food, its disgusting. Once my kids got their hands on real food, they would never go back to baby food. I had to make my sons baby food. I felt bad making him eat that nasty junk from a jar. Anyways, just keep trying. She probably sort of misses breastfeeding too. Good job for breastfeeding for so long!!
PS- Dont do the flavored milks! Its not a healthy solution. And its more than ok to give her water. The only thing I let my kids drink is milk or water. Them getting too much milk will interfere with eating food.
Mine went from nursing, to formula when I got sick, to goat's milk, to lactaid then finally cow's milk when he was two. At 14 he has switched to 1% and 2% milk, and occasionally goes on chocolate Silk binges.
Maybe try another milk - there is goat, soy, almond, rice, and I know more. She may not like the taste of the cow's milk anymore - I know I can't stand cow's milk now after 30+ years of being a milk drinker. :) It was a novel new taste at first, I am sure, but she may just have realized she doesn't like it.
Don't go the added flavours route - then she will not drink anything but flavoured milks - I had a friend who did that and her daughter at 11 years old still has trouble drinking plain milk.
And it is probably a wanting Mommy thing. I think nursing is more than just food for our babies - it is warmth and closeness, our scent, and our heart beat. Try holding her on your lap when you give her the cup to drink from - associating being close to Mommy with drinking the milk from the cup, not from Mommy.
Most of all, just be patient. She will adjust no matter how strong willed she is.
Good Luck and God Bless
She might be getting a cold or not feeling well for some reason and that it why she is trying to get to your breast. My daughter occasionally tried to bf several weeks after we had stopped. It was usually when she was tired or sick so I think it was her way of seeking comfort. I dont' think it has anything to do with her not liking milk. Give some extra attention and cuddling, and gently remind her that you're "all done" with nursing. I think once she gets over the lack of bf'ing she'll go back to milk. I don't think it's at all unusual that she was previously fine with not bf'ing and now suddenly wants it. She'll eventually move on!
Actually, cow's milk isn't very digestible by humans. Interesting that she will drink it mixed with almond milk. I agree with the other poster, almond milk has more calcium than cow's milk. Some of it certainly may just be that she is angry about the closeness, but maybe, just maybe, she is having a physical reaction to pasteurized cow's milk.
Check out www.mercola.com and see what he says about cow's milk and soy milk, then decide. I know it's controversial, but just consider it.
Soy is now almost 100% genetically modified and it is a plant estrogen. They are now finding that boys who had soy milk tend to be less aggressive men....not gay, but certainly softer than the norm. I don't know if it's true but I have personally seen some evidence that would support that theory.
I used to take soy a lot, but now don't go near it because of the GM status and they are finding that it promotes cancers.....I don't know for sure, there is so much controversy and opinions flip flop daily it seems. Again, check Mercola.com about soy while you are there.
Goats milk may be a good option or just the almond milk - unsweetened of course.
Good luck.
Spend cuddle time so she can be with you.
My son wasn't a huge white milk fan, so I did 2 things. When he was young, he LOVED the yogurt drinks. I hated buying them, so I got cheap yogurt (it can't be the kind with fruit chunks in it) and mixed it with milk so it was still thin enough to go thought the sippy cup and he LOVED IT! Got him some milk and vitamins all in one shot. As an older child, he likes choocolate milk. Again, I make it myself so I can control the amount of chocolate...I don't think the small amount of sugar in the chocolate syrup makes it unhealthy. He still gets milk and vitamins when he drinks his chocolate milk.
You should talk to your ped about it, but neither of my kids drink or drank milk. They are 5 & 7 now and perfectly healthy. We just made sure they got a lot of dairy in other ways, and gave calcium supplements. Our pediatrician is/was fine with that. I've never liked milk myself, so I guess maybe I was more willing to find alternate calcium sources since I can sympathize.
Anyway, my personal advice is don't fret, don't force it, and just let your pediatrician know your daughter is getting plenty of dairy other ways, and make sure she does. Ask about supplements too - we found these calcium gummy bears that worked well for us, and my kids go through yogurt like it's going out of style. It may not be the traditional, or most popular opinion, but it's the quality of the food she eats, not necessarily the specifics of it. (Helpful to remember when she goes through a picky phase and will only eat certain things too.)
Good luck!
Oh and I want to say, congrats on nursing so long! My oldest weaned at that age too :) (It took me MUCH longer to convince my younger son to give it up and let me tell you, that was horribly trying!)
in addition to giving her lots of other sources of calcium, please be sure not to offer juice/water instead of the milk. Just keep strong & keep offering that cup of milk! When she's really thirsty, she'll drink it!
My son wasn't a fan of cow's milk either, and still only drinks it if i make it chocolate. He looooves soymilk though, but i have to limit him to one glass a day because it gives him wicked poops. They really don't need cow's milk or any other kind of calories from liquids when they're eating solid meals. And good for you for weaning when you needed to--I respect you for putting this disclaimer in there and for doing what you knew was right for you and your daughter.
I weaned my son at 17 months because I hated nursing at that point (was also 5 months pregnant). I really wish I could easily transition my 6 month old to formula/bottle also because I'm just kind of over breastfeeding. Just thought I'd throw that in there so you knew that we aren't all on the Hardcore Breastfeeding Brigade :)
Try giving her other attention. Nursing is more than milk. It's comfort. If she's teething, give her medication and cuddles. If she congested, snuggle her in the bathroom with the shower on for steam. Think about the times she does it. Maybe snuggle her when she gets her sippy.
My DD never took well to cow's milk, but the pediatrician said as long as she got her calcium from other sources she'd be fine.
Maybe you should forgo milk all together - and switch to goat's or just watered down juices and water. She can get calcium from broccoli, yogurt, cheeses, ice cream etc.
Going from Mommy's breastmilk to a cow's breastmilk is kinda gross and most humans have varying degrees of lactose intolerance anyways. Cow's breastmilk is not a necessary food staple for any kind of nutrition.
And just an FYI... Your milk will NEVER dry up - you will always be making a very bare minimum even 10 years after you stop nursing. She's nursing or - trying to desperately - because you DO still have enough milk to satisfy her. Just letting you know.
First of all, you did a great job nursing. 13 months is very admirable (and to me just the right amount of time). She does not have to have milk, just water in any form including food - fruits and vegetables have lots of water in them. If you do introduce juice, I would cut it with 50% water. Juice is all sugar and relatively empty calories (although obviously better than juice drinks, soda, etc.). She can get calcium from cheese, yogurt and even broccoli. Wanting to nurse is about comfort so I would up the cuddles and contact to compensate for the loss of nursing. She will come around. You've got a fighter on your hands - my 3 year old is the same. Be prepared to get creative about everything.
My youngest, 19, hates milk, he says it always tastes sour to him. Try adding flavoring to her milk, chocolate, banana, strawberry. You can also make more creamed food items. Instead of using water in condenced tomato soup use milk ect. You can try soy milk also. If she won't drink milk make sure she is getting enough vitamin D.
