I have 11 and ½ month old twins that I want to start weening from nursing to whole milk. I know breast milk is best, but I have nursed my twins for a year and I am very happy I was able to do so. I am going back to work and want them to be on their sippys. They have been taking a sippy for almost 5 months now, so they are pros at that! My question is, what is the best way to ween off of nursing. I am nursing them in the morning and bedtime right now. They take sippys at lunch and dinner. I pump very little and it is barely enough for their 2 servings in their sippys. I know the doctors will tell you to wait 1 year before introducing whole milk, but if I started one serving of whole milk instead of nursing, can I do that now? Has anyone done this? Any suggestions?
J.:
Congrats on bf twins this long.
Your children do not need cows milk... water is fine for them.. they need water for hydration and food for nutrition.
P., IBCLC, RLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions
Yes, you can start introducing whole milk now. 2 weeks isn't going to be a big difference in their development. I started my third on whole milk way before he turned one and he was fine. Just look for any allergic reactions, like hives or rashes.
Congratulations on nursing your twins! You should be SO proud of this!
I recommend this website
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning_faqs.html
I would also recommend talking to your local La Leche group. They often have really great advice on how to do this if this is what you want.
Another thing to think about is that you can continue just nursing them when you are home and have them drink from sippy cups or bottles when you are not home.
This is what I have done with both of my children and it has worked well for us.
J.,
Congratulations! I nursed my daughter for 13 months and my twins for 12 months. I know the accomplishment you feel and I know it's something to be very proud of! I did start whole milk at around 11 1/2 months with my twins. I gave them about 2 oz at a time and they rarely finished it. I realized that those last 2 nursings (mine were also morning and bedtime) were more of a comfort routine for them. This was the case with my daughter, too, so I had already suspected it. so I didn't replace those nursings with milk. Instead, I made sure that I got up before them and their breakfast was ready. I gave them sippy cups of milk then, and that was usually when they drank it just because they were hungry. At night, I also offered them their bedtime cup of water that they still (just turned 2) take to bed with them. We also modified our already consistent bedtime routine then. We sang a song, brushed teeth, and read the same book in their room every night. Then hugs and kisses and it was lights off. I expected them to want to keep those last 2 nursings a little longer and they didn't. It was a little sad for me at the time, actually, because it meant they weren't my little babies anymore! But the weaning went amazingly well and I still got all kinds of extra love and lap time to make up for the special closeness we shared in 12 months of nursing. As far as the cow's milk early, I don't see anything wrong with it. My pediatrician recommended introducing it to all 3 of my kids around 10 1/2 - 11 months old. Good luck. You already have hit an amazing milestone!
