Weaning - Troy, MI

The general rule is "AFTER" one. However, if allergies don't run in the family you don't have to be exact. There isn't some miracle that happens at their one year birthday that suddenly makes it okay (if you know what I mean). We started at meals. I'd give her milk in a sippy cup with her food so she'd get used to the taste. I also warmed it up a bit in the microwave... not so it was warm or hot, just to take a bit of the chill off of it so it wasn't so shocking to the little belly. I stopped pumping at 13 months and that was it. She used my freezer stash for a couple of weeks at bedtime & in the morning and eventually was all on milk. Luckily, my daughter thought milk was extremely tasty! Good luck!

Hi A.,

It's great that you've been meeting your daughter's need for your milk.

To avoid mastitis, gradually drop pumpings. Drop one at a time, giving your body time to adjust to that one, before dropping another. If you feel full at any time, just pump to get the pressure off, not to empty. You're looking for just comfortable when pumping off the extra. It'll take about 4-7 days between dropping pumpings. Some moms can go faster. Some need to go slower.

Good luck and great job nursing.

You can start giving her cows milk now. As long as she is eating a good assortment of baby food or table food she can have cows milk. It is just that cows milk is not a complete food so kids that are not eating food need to stay on formula or breast milk till they start eating food.

Just offer her a cup or a bottle of cows milk.. My daughter loved milk from the beginning. my son did notlike it as well.

If she doesnt drink it just offer it again at the next meal.

I commend you for pumping. I didnt mind nursing but hated pumping.

you will need to reduce the frequency and duration of the pumping. If you normally pump long enough to get 4 oz.. pump till you get 3 oz for a couple of days. just gradually reduce the time of pumping and you shouldnt have any problems.

Hello A.---I would wait as long as possible to give cows milk to your daughter, if at all. I am studying to be a wellness educator and have learned that cows milk is not the best food for humans, even though some would have us believe that. Please go to www.strongbones.org to read for yourself. Cows milk proteins can cause severe allergies and has been implicated as the potental cause of type 1 diabetes for many people.

The decision to stop drinking cows milk was not an easy one to make. Our family drank nearly 3 to 5 gallons a week. Your daughter, and family, will get all of the calcium she needs if she has a varied diet including lots of leafy green veggies. There is much more absorbable calcium in broccoli, kale, edamame (immature soy beans found in the freezer case at most grocery stores) and bok choy. Another good source is fortified rice and almond milks, orange juice, etc. Soy is another good option but it MUST be organic and I wouldn't eat too much soy in any one day.

I have accumulated a bunch of information on the topic and can share resources with you on how to get calcium from sources other than cows milk. This recommendation also includes cheese and yogurt as these products concentrate the proteins, and the proteins are the problem.

Lastly, I would like to invite you and any other mammasource moms to a health education event that my group is sponsoring this Friday, November 14, 7 pm at the Troy Community Center. Dr. Valerie Miles, a pediatrician from Florida, will be speaking on how to optimimize the health of your family. She practices complementary medicine along with traditional medicine so I'm sure she'll be able to share important information not known to most doctors. Feel free to contact me for a flyer or more information. You can reach me at ###-###-#### or ____@____.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

In health, D.

It is not recommened to give cows milk before a year because your babies digestive system is not mature enough to digest the milk protien. I would wait until she is 1 to give milk.

I never game my kids anything but breast milk or formula in their bottles and everything else was in a sippy cup at meal time. She is old enough for a sippy cup and it will help wean her off the bottle completely.

I would recommend dropping 1 feeding per week. This is a very slow process but will lower your milk supply slowly without causing engorgement.

Hi A.,
I did pretty much the same thing - pumping since 8 mos...and yes, it's a full time job!!! Our little guy just turned one and we've been putting 2-3 oz of cows milk into his bottle with the breast milk for about two weeks now. I'm just slowly doing it - for my sake, and for his little digestive systems sake as well. I know some Moms just switch to cows milk though so do what works best for you and your baby! Good luck!

If you do start giving it to her before 1 (which isn't recomended by drs, but happens all the time)do not EVER put it in a bottle.... The only thing that should go in the bottle is breast milk. Juice and milk in sippy cups. This makes it so much easier on you since you don't have the whole how do I stop the bottles thing...
I always just gave them straight milk. Or mixed a slight bit of hersheys syrup or ovaltine in with it. Never had a problem with it. They do have to get used to it since it does taste different than mommys milk, but just keep offering.