Weaning 12 Month Old to Whole Milk

Updated on October 16, 2008
J.M. asks from Los Angeles, CA
12 answers

I am looking for tips or suggestions for weaning my baby to whole milk. He's a breastmilk baby and drinks from a sippy. Do I just give him whole milk, or should I be mixing breastmilk and whole milk? Also, my milk supply is starting to dwindle a little since I'm at work part-time and not pumping like I should and so I really need to be careful about not "wasting" any breastmilk. Thanks.

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J.Z.

answers from Denver on

As everyone else suggested I would mix it. Then maybe a treat for him try either chocolate or strawberry mix (Nestle Quick has added calcium) that worked for my daughter. The only downfall being you may have to wean off the flavored milk, but that's pretty easy.

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A.G.

answers from Pocatello on

I never mixed I just went straight to whole milk. I breastfeed my daughter until she was a year but started to wean her at about 10 months. I just cut out one feeding and gave her a sippy of whole milk. She liked it right away and did fine with it. Just remember to take out feedings slowly so it's easy for both of you.

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J.N.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Just wanted to add: his milk intake over the day should be around 24 oz. Keep track of about how much you give him (you can't really from nursing, but you can make a guess that its around 4 oz probably), and make sure he gets a well balanced diet of toddler friendly foods. The goal is to not fill him up so much with milk that he won't eat anything else. (Cow's milk, of course, isn't a perfect food like your milk is.)

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S.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Just give him the whole milk in the sippy. Make it easy on yourself. Mine just take it with their meals.

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S.B.

answers from Boise on

I mixed half breastmilk half whole milk for about a week then did 3/4 whole milk & 1/4 Breastmilk for a little bit then went straight to whole milk in a sippy cup.I started doing this around 11 months or so (I know they say I shouldn't) then time his the weekend before his Birthday he was all the way on whole milk in a sippy cup.I still have to warm his morning sippy cup of milk (just enough to take the chill off) then the rest of the day he will drink cold milk. Hope it helps.

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J.S.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I never mixed it. If your baby takes a sippy, that's half the battle. I just replaced one daily feeding each week with whole milk in a sippy. I gave it to them cold - didn't want any other habits to break. It worked really well - no problems.

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S.B.

answers from Boise on

I just added breastmilk to the sippy of whole milk to get him used to the flavor, then phased out the breastmilk. Replace one of his feedings with a sippy of milk and a snack of real foods, and when he's used to that do another. It's easiest to go slowly, so that you don't get uncomfortably full.

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M.M.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I have an 11 1/2 month boy too and we just weaned him to whole milk. The doctor told us to mix it starting with 1/4 milk, 3/4 breast milk...then to 1/2, 3/4 etc. This also gets them used to the temperature change. My little Jack did just fine! Good luck and Happy Birthday to your little one!

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M.S.

answers from Boise on

What I did was each couple of days add a sippy cup of whole milk. Because breastmilk is warm, I also warmed my kids up a little bit, not as warm as breastmilk, but just a little, it made an easier transition for my kids. Each few days add another milk sippy until that is all your child is drinking. Then you can work on giving them cold milk if you want to.

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P.N.

answers from Denver on

I breastfed my daughter until she was just over 13 months old. She never took a bottle and I was never able to get her to drink breastmilk out of a sippy. However, we had been giving her small amounts of juice in a sippy to eliminate constipation after she started eating solids. Once her pediatrician cleared her for whole milk at her 12-month appointment, we started putting trace amounts of whole milk with juice in her sippy. I gradually increased the amount of milk until she was pretty much getting whole milk with a trace amount of juice, while I was slowly eliminating one feeding at a time. Within a month, she was down to nursing only before bed time, and drinking 100% whole milk out of the sippy. Once I was satisfied that she was getting close to 16-24 oz of whole milk per day, I cut out the night time nursing.

Oh yeah, I tried heating the milk, even tried heating it with fresh bananas and stawberries then straining it, for a sweet bedtime treat and my little one didn't like it. She pretty much has gone for milk straight out of the fridge.

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R.A.

answers from Provo on

I just don't understand giving babies body whole milk. It is extremley hard to digest.Causes more problems that it's worth. I use a soy formula by Baby's Only that has been tested time and time again to be the perfect food/milk next to mothers milk. Has the perfect balance of nutrients and is easily digested. You decide. I get tired of fighting mom's who insist. Sorry. I just have experience and knowledge that would help mothers who would listen. Hope things work for you. There are bottle nipples that mimick the natural nipple and work.

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J.C.

answers from Casper on

With all my kids and I too have an 11 month old that we are starting to wean, I have just taken them to whole milk. I haven't mixed it, just straight milk. I even try to eliminate a step by taking them straight to a sippy cup instead of a bottle, because then you don't have to wean from that later. Good luck
J.

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