My daughter is 11 months old, and I am trying to wean her from breastfeeding. The problem is she will only drink maybe one ounce of cow's milk, then gets upset and wants to nurse. Does anybody have any suggestions? I work full time, and really want to stop pumping.
Thank you for all the advice. I was giving her cold cow's milk in a sippy cup. Instead, I warmed it up and mixed it with breast milk and she drank it out of the bottle. I'll continue mixing it w/ breast milk for a little while so she can get used to it.
Definitely mix the breast milk and cow's milk. Your baby will have an easier time adjusting to the taste and you can move to all milk over time. And make sure your baby likes the bottle/nipple you use. Or even try using a sippy cup. I found that once my son figured out that a bottle delivered milk much faster than my breasts, he went for the bottle and weaned himself. Happy trails!
I would start mixing the breast milk and regular milk and then slowly decreasing the breastmilk. My son would only drink about 2 ounces of formula the first few times, but then I got playtex bottles, with liners, fast flow nipples, didn't warm up his milk and he started drinking more and more of it. And then finally he just drank it regularly. But we went from BM to formula then later to milk. It could be a number of things. Just try to substitute milk in the morning when she is more hungry. She'll get the hang of it. I weaned at 10 and half months and it took about two weeks and trying a varying number of different things. My son would not drink his formula warm or out of certain bottles. It had to be cool. So try some different things. It does take about a week or two.
I agree with Liz S. My son is 11 months and we started weaning him from breastmilk. I send him to daycare with a bottle that has 3-4 ounces of breastmilk, and one ounce of cow's milk. He doesn't seem to notice the difference. In about a week we'll increase the amount of cow's milk to almost 2 ounces. I still nurse him at nite so I dont have to pump while he's home, but he seems to be handling this with no problem.
Hi,
I weaned around the same time with my daughter and I remember that she did not like milk at all. She is almost two and has loved milk for months now. Basically, it may tske a few weeks/months for her to get used to milk. In the meantime, add as milk as you can to her food. If she eats other dairy products, don't worry about the milk intake just yet!
Have you thought about breastfeeding, but not pumping anymore? If she takes a bottle you can offer water, cow's milk, soy milk, hemp milk... perhaps if you separate the connection of mama's milk to a bottle and that you are trying to replace mama with a bottle and maybe you'll have more luck.
Hi K.,
I just went through this with my 14mo. He wouldn't really drink much milk until I had almost completely weaned him. Once he was down to only one nursing a day he would drink milk later on. If someone else can give her the bottle that might help. My husband gave our son the bottle of milk for the first few days after the final weaning. Also, like the other posters said - add in full-fat yogurt or cheese. Even now my son only drinks maybe 1 to 1 1/2 c of milk a day but he gets yogurt and cheese too.
If she is not that interested in milk you could have her get the dairy through whole milk yogurt. My daughter only recently started with milk and she is 17 months old. I also stopped pumping slowly, starting around 13 months old. I did this gradually stretching out the times between sessions. My daughter still nurses a couple times in the evening and on the weekends and it has worked fairly well for us. Good for you for making it this long with pumping!!
Hi K.,
I am in the very same boat as you. Here's is what I've been told. It is not important that your daughter actually drinks milk. What is important is that she gets that calcium from other sources (yogurt, cheese, etc). As long as she eats 2 cups of yogurt a day, then she's met her required calcium intake. I, too, struggle with getting my son to take cow's milk. So, I asked our pedi and our nutritionist and this is what they have told me. So, don't stress yourself out trying to get her to take milk. Truth is, some people don't like it. I'd continue to offer it daily, but in the mean time give her yogurt or cheese. You could even give her a vitamin supplement. Hope this helps. Good luck!
J.
it doesn't have to be all or nothing. give her milk at daycare/with her childcare provider, and nurse when you are together. Your body will adapt beautifully. Don't stop pumping cold turkey though or your body will hurt. Stretch out your pumpings until you can go through the day without pumping, and nurse in the am and evenings. Many mothers do this for a long time very successfully. Nursing is a bonding element that only moms can do and a nice way to greet eachother at the end of the day. I think you will find you can meet both your needs to stop pumping (I give you credit 11 months is a long time to pump!), and her needs to continue nursing.
