How Do I Ween My Son from Breastmilk to Whole Milk?

When moving from breastmilk/formula to whole milk I always started by slowly adding a bit of the NEW into each feeding. So, I would have a bottle with 3/4 breastmilk/formula and 1/4 whole milk for about a week, then go to 1/2 and 1/2 for a week, then 1/4 breastmilk/formula and 3/4 whole milk for a week, then all whole milk. So, in about a months time my baby's digestive system had become accustomed to the whole milk and their palate had learned to enjoy the flavor of the whole milk. It takes a little longer, but I think it is very effective and it worked great with all 3 of my boys.

My doctor told me to mix it together and slowly put more whole milk than breast milk. It worked REALLY well with my daughter.

Babies are not suppose to have cow's milk until they are a year old (per American Academy of Pediatrics). Babies main source of nutrition up until a year should be breast milk or formula (with breast milk being preferred). Babies will naturally drink less as they start eating more food. As someone else said, this might be a nursing strike or it just might be them eating other foods & not having room for milk. You might try decreasing the amount of food he is eating & see if that helps him w/ taking the breast milk.

For me, I wouldn't ever give my baby formula as it is second rate & can cause problems w/ their system b/c it is derived from cow's milk (which they aren't suppose to have until 1 year).

maybe mix reg. milk and the breastmilk together.. Slowly increasing the amount of reg. milk...
I am not sure about on his age though.. But if he is eating alot of variety of foods, juice, and water, he might just not need as much milk either.. I would just call and talk to his Dr. Which i need to do, as i am sitting here with my baby on my boob as i am trying to type...lol... Hope it helps..Hugs, T.

I had troubles with my son too. He would NEVER take a bottle or formula and when I gave him whole milk he spit it out. I started at about 9-10months putting whole milk and juice in a sippy cup because he wasn't nursing enough (I still contiuned to try and nurse while trying to get him to take to whole milk/cup). I started with a sippy cup that did NOT have the spill proof spout because he wouldn't suck hard enough to get any milk from them so I used a free flowing cup. (I helped him tip the cup for quiet a while!)The doctor's were saying I was starting whole milk too soon but he was only nursing maybe twice a day so I felt I had too. One day he just stopped nursing (I was pregnant again so my milk had changed)and took right to his cup with whole milk. It may take some work getting him used to it but he'll get there whether you use a bottle or a sippy cup. Also, don't stress, if he is eating well then he will still be healthy! My son now drinks whole milk like crazy but hated it at first. Just try giving it to him and even if he doesn't seem to like it keep offering. Babies frequently change their minds about what they like and don't like as I am sure you are well aware of.
If a baby will not take formula and will not nurse whole milk is the next step. Breast milk does not always offer everything a child needs that is why most of the time they are also put on infant multi-vitamins. If starting whole milk is needed to make sure he is getting enough of the "fat" needed for proper brain development and growth then that is what should be done. It is not putting your child at risk especially not at 9-10 months. And I don't see how any doctor would agree with not feeding your child food! They have you start solids because they are needed maybe giving less food or feed him and then don't let him snack between eating and nursing. Also I would suggest talking with his doctor to see if he should be on vitamins or if he has any suggestions.
Good Luck!

I am soooo confused here....has everyone forgot the guidelines about when you can give your child whole milk or do they just not care?? I Don't mean to sound rude but you are NOT suppose to give your child whole milk until they are 1year old! If some have done it early and it worked for them, then they should be very thankful that it didn't cause any health problems for their child.

Now with my experience with my kids, the more food I gave them the less they wanted my breast milk. This is not what they need either, It is important for them to get a certain amount of breast milk/formula. I would suggest you to talk to the baby's doctor about this he should be able to tell you exactly how much your child needs and until what age.

Hey!

I am also a breastfeeding mom & I know how hard it can be to figure it all out, especially when you're nursing. I nursed my son for just a few short months & even then it was supplemented with formula. This is my first baby that has been strictly breastfed & she will be 10 mos. old tomorrow (the 17th).

I know you've already gotten lots of advice but one thing that I'd like to add is if you're worried about your little one not taking enough milk, you may want to cut back on the amount of food he's eating at each meal. Offer him breastmilk first then his food (this is what I do & it seems to work). I've read that for the first year of life breastmilk/formula is the most important thing for them anyway. But, it's great that he is eating a lot of baby food but just make sure the milk is getting in there too. :)

If you try this & he still doesn't seem to want to nurse then he may be telling you that it's time to wean him. I think it's great that you are pumping & giving him the breastmilk in his bottle -- you may want to try it in a sippy cup too.

Good luck with everything - you're doing a great job!

Dear M.,

I breastfed my only child, a son, for 15 months. I don't endore that excessive amount of time, but it was rewarding. When I weaned him, I had been on birth control pills that perhaps reduced the amount of milk I was producing for him. He was also drinking whole milk at the time. I sent my son and his daddy to my mother-in-law, a four hour drive away from here, at a time the Farmer's Almanac had suggested as a good time for weaning. LOL. It all went very well. But I think there is a touch of resentment in my son for weaning him. I think I nursed him too long.

I am puzzled by your letter. Why are you pumping and putting your milk in a bottle?
Also are you keeping the pump clean, and rinsing it super-well, for the flavor of your milk may change simply because you are pumping instead of out-right nursing?

It is now nationally recommended that you nurse for a year. But I don't think that should be a motivating factor in how long you nurse. I think it has to be mutually satisfying for both the child and the mother. If one wishes to stop nursing, then nursing should stop.

In the meantime, sage reduces lactation production, as do lots of other herbs. Handy to know when you are weaning. Handy to know if you like those herbs and are trying to nurse. So when you really want to wean, make some chicken or turkey dressing a touch heavy on the sage.

A little about me:
I am an older mom (46) with an only child, a son, age 6.

try a mixture of both for a while and slowly take the breastmilk away

You could always try mixing formula and your breastmilk in the same bottle once he's gotten used to the formula. I breastfed for three months andmy Dr. suggested replacing feeding with 1 bottle for a few days, then two feedings, etc. Of course, my son was three months old and still drinking a ton. I know by 9 months his formula intake drastically went down, and continues to with the more food he eats during the day, which totally makes sense since his "food" before was only the formula, and now its being replaced by real food. I think the very best advice is to call your pediatrician and find out what they suggest. Also, maybe your son is ready for a sippy cup now andjust doesn't like the bottle, or maybe he needs a larger sized nipple on the bottle (bigger whole in the top so the liquid comes out easier and faster).

Hi M., Oh girl, I experienced the same thing with our son. At about 8 months it was like he had no interest in breastfeeding. Like you, I wanted to assure he was getting the best nutrition. Talking with our pediatrician we tried a few things, cut down on snack foods, limited fruits (because these give the kids a taste for sugar) but in the end at 9 months we let nature take its course and our son went to drinking cow's milk from a sippee cup (because he refused a bottle). Certainly you will want to talk to your pediatrician. The way I look at it tho, if your son is getting lots of healthy solid foods and gaining weight, then let him have milk.

Hope that encourages you a bit.....
L.

I breastfed both of my girls for 9 months. That was about the age they decided they didn't want to nurse anymore. So, I started giving them a bottle of formula for every other feeding and just gradually increased until they were only drinking from a bottle.

I agree with another mom who stated that only children 12 months in age or older should drink whole milk. Formula is a much better substitution for breastmilk.

Hope that helps!
J.

You really shouldn't be trying to switch him to whole milk for another 3 months. Then you just substitute one feeding a week with the other milk. The next week add another. Until he's completely off the nursing/breast milk.

This applies to your pumping schedule to eliminate one pumping session each week until you're completely stopped, down to nursing him before bath time instead of bed.

Well drs say not to give babies whole milk till they are 1yr old well I started giving my son whole milk in a sippy cup when he was 10months old, he loves it, and I am still nursing him, what I did was gave it to him in a sippy cup at lunch and dinner time, actually I was giving him 2% milk really didnt start him on the whole milk till he turned a year old, just ween him slowly I started weening my son at 8months cutting out certain feedings at a time, I never did the pumping to a bottle, I would pump and freeze it for later so if I needed to go somewhere daddy would be able to feed him, but that was only when he was a newborn. He always preferred the breast over the bottle.

Hope that helps

G.

I don't think that babies are supposed to have cow's milk until they reach a year. I'd ask your pediatrician what he or she recommends.

I think that 9 months is a little early to wean completely from breastmilk. You might try mixing it with some formula...or try different bottle nipples. I would keep offering your breast. Especially if you're not WANTING to wean him, do all you can to continue. I'm a member of a yahoo support group for breastfeeding moms that's really great and can offer you a LOT of different and very good advice from experienced breastfeeding moms! You should sign up for it. Or you can email me personally and I can get you on the list...

You really haven't given enough information. From you have said it sounds like a nursing strike. The standard advice there; is stop everything else and just nurse. This, of course, works only if you can actually do it. If you work outside the home it's littler trickier. But you need to look at what other sources of nutrition your son has and limit his choices to breastmilk for a few days. That usually fixes it. At under a year though if the choice is baby food or nursing ditch the food, and reintroduce it after a year.
If you do wish to wean from nursing you need to go to formula for the next three months. Whole cow's milk doesn't have a whole bunch of nutrients your baby still needs and the fat content is off. The proper fat content is important in brain development.

It is possible that he is only drinking like 10oz a day because he is full on other food or liquids. Are you giving him juice and water as well? I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you are worried about him getting calcium and that stuff feed him baby yogurt. It's the only kind that's made with whole milk.

When some babies get old enough to eat more foods they may take less bottles, At age 9 months I wouldn't think he would be ready to break completely from bottle, but I have seen some at that age be broke. you may try giving him a sippy cup may take a little bit to teach him how to drink from it. Or maybe you can talk to your pediatrion bout trying formula til he's a year old.

This is the age when my daughter weened herself. I cried! I loved breastfeeding. She went from breast to sippy cup. Try putting the breastmilk in a cup. Talk to your doctor about putting him on whole milk and the La Leche League.

I say start with a sippy cup adding some breastmilk and some whole milk, then slowly decrease the amount of breast milk. I've heard its best not to switch them straight to whole milk. When we weaned my son off of formula we mixed 1/2 formula-1/2 milk and he drank it fine....within a week he was on straight milk! As far as sippy cups go, I suggest the Nuby brand(walmart sells them) because they have a soft "nipple" type spout which will be easier for him to get used to.
Let us know how it goes!

I would suggest contacting your local La Leche League group or finding them on the web! They are the experts when it comes to any issues in breastfeeding. They will give you wonderful support, information and suggestions to help you along! Good Luck!