Ready to wean

Hi Ladies,

My son is turning 1 next Thursday! I can hardly believe it. I know that it may not be popular to wean a child right at a year but I am ready and I think he is too. Right now he nurses 4 times in 24 hours but sometimes he only nurses 2 times. And sometimes he will take a bottle of goat milk(3-5oz) and sometimes he won't. My question is should I be concerned about how much milk he is getting consistently? Because it keeps changing...i  don't know what to do. And how can I encourage him to just go with a bottle of milk instead of back and forth? Do I just wait it out?

He does eat...a lot. He eats three big meals and snacks all day long. He also sips on water with his meals (maybe 4-6oz in a day). If my husband or I are eating he crawls up our legs wanting our food too. The funny thing is that he is skinny and tall. I would expect him to be huge because of how he eats.

Thanks for your advice. I would appreciate no judgement on wanting to wean now and my choice to wean to goat milk. That is just what we have chosen for him based on family allergies.

[Jaz1989]

he shouldnt even get a bottle he should get a sippy cup with a hard spout not a soft nipple type. The best way to wean is to stop the breast and goats and give him whole milk. if he doesnt like it plain add a little strawberry or chocolate mix to it. or you can get pediasure which is a great calorie great for kids that contains i believe 250-350 calories

[Spiket77]

Thanks for your response. He can't drink cow's milk so he is getting goat milk.
He will drink water from a sippy but he was refusing the milk that way. I will try it again. I know sometimes you just have to keep reintroducing things.
Flavoring with something did come to mind but I will have to research that. I'm kind of strict about about what he consumes as fas as artificial flavoring and sugar.

[trying43]

My oldest son weaned himself at 10 1/2 months.  He would not drink cows milk at all.  His pedi was ok with that because he at lots of yogurt and cheese.  My second son weaned at 14 months.  He wouldn't drink milk either.  You could try eliminating a feed once a week and offer a cup instead and see how it goes.  Good luck

[Spiket77]

Thank you trying43
That is what I think the deal is...I don't think he likes milk. I don't like milk so why should i be surprised? He does eat cheese and he eats full fat plain greek yogurt which gives him plenty of fat and vitamin D.

[trying43]

I don't like milk either so that's probably why mine didn't.  Now that they are 9 and 7 the 9 yo drinks it but my 7 yo don't at all.  I am still nursing my 10 1/2 month old baby girl and I guess time will tell if she will like milk or not.

[mum2beagain]

Drop one breast feed at a time with a week or so in-between dropping another, gives him and you a chance to adjust. Leave the last feed at night to be the last one to drop.
Although you don't give him cows milk there are plenty of other options; goat, almond, rice and soy milks are all alternatives that can be offered. If he eats a well balanced diet I wouldn't introduce supplements like pedicure. Sure they have their place and my son has had many feeding and swallowing issues in the past and so it was necessary for him at one time but it is incredibly bad for children's teeth and generally replaces food in a diet.
Continue to offer the milk alternatives in sippy cups and slowly cut back the breast milk. As and when he wants he will accept them, if he doesn't just male sure he gets calcium, vitamin d and good fats from other sources.
My 7 year old hasn't had any dairy for several years we give him other fortified alternatives such as soy and orange juice designed for those who don't drink milkmaid luck with your weaning journey.

[mum2beagain]

Sorry about the strange typo's I'm on my phone but you get what I mean I hope!!

[tiredbuthappy]

To get mine to take milk in a sippy cup, I had to go out and buy special Elmo sippy cups and let them know it was only for milk. Worked with both kids, although they were a little older by a couple of months. Does he have any favorite characters yet?
While my kids went to whole milk, I have heard great things about goats milk (even that it may be better for human babies than cows milk). Like others suggested, I would avoid adding flavoring because of all the extra sugar and additives. It also sounds like he is a very healthy kid- why introduce unnecessary empty calories if it can be avoided? Also, be sure to try warm and cold. My kids only took milk warmed.
Give it more time... he may have a change of heart. Right now he is still getting used to not being on the breast all the time. His preferences and tastes may change.

One final thought- have you tried pumping and offering that in a cup or bottle? At least that can give you an idea of whether the issue is the taste of the milk or the delivery system :)

[AndiJ78]

Mine went to straw cups, the ones with the silicone straws. They were never on a bottle or regular sippy cup so the transition was fairly easy. Only you know when to wean, if it feels right, do it but take it slow for your sake :-) If you taper down, you could wean comfortably within 2 weeks or so if he consistently is at less than 4 feedings. My only concern with his intake is whether or not the goat milk is pasteurized. If it is, go with what works. AVOID adding crap to it. I fell into that with my first and regretted it instantly. With my second I transitioned to Lactaid whole milk and he did well. My third went to regular whole milk and also did well. I would avoid putting the milk in the bottle just given how the milk sits on the teeth, but that is my opinion.

[nola0805]

Congrats on making it to a year!  I agree with the suggestions to drop one feed at a time gradually. The general guidelines at one year of age is for 16-24 ounces of milk (be that goats milk, whole milk, soy milk, etc), but in my opinion I would not worry so much about how much goat milk he drinks to replace the breastmilk - the important thing is making sure he gets enough quality nutrition. There is nothing that I have read or that any dr. has told me that has convinced me that milk of any form needs to be the primary source of nutrition past a year (unless the child is not eating well of course).  There are some things you can try - such as finding the right type of sippy cup that he enjoys, offering it warn etc. -  but if he is eating a lot of healthy food including yogurt and cheese, then I would not worry so much that he gets exactly 16-24 ounces of goat milk a day. In fact, focusing too much on getting him to drink may backfire.

My son is 16 months old and I am still breastfeeding but I also work full time and no longer pump - so we supplement with whole milk (we tried goat's milk as it was my preference but unfortunately my son did not like it).  Finn drinks milk out of a sippy cup with a silicone straw and his water out of a KleenKanteen.  His milk intake varies greatly from day to day but he lives on yogurt and also loves cheese and he eats tons of healthy food daily. He is healthy, gaining weight appropriately, and thriving.

Good luck with the weaning.

[Spiket77]

Thank you! My first breast feeding goal was 3 months...then 6...then 9. I am kind of shocked I made it this long with my crazy schedule. I don't pump and Im home with my son but I also run a small farm and freelance as a designer. I'm busy. I think that is biggest issue. I may be asking him to drink too much and it is making him refuse. I just thought he might be missing something if he didnt get the exact amount of milk you read about. He does have a diverse diet. And oddly his favorite thing to eat is kale and spinach. He likes healthy foods.
Last night I was away for the evening and he did take a few ounces of goat milk (in bottle) before bed from my husband. That was a big deal. Then this morning I gave him some in a sippy cup with breakfast and he drank some more. I think we might make it through this.

By the way... My son's name is Jasper Finn. Noticed your son is Finn. Cute!

[SunWorshiper_26]

I would agree with sippy cup, straw cup or regular cup, drop 1 breastfeeding per every 1-2 weeks and distract them during this time with something else. I would def get rid of the bottle at a year and certainly don't add things to the milk.

With such a healthy well balanced diet I wouldn't worry how much milk he consumes. I also want to point out that goats milk is healthier and easier to digest for humans so don't let anyone make you feel bad for using goats milk. I too have no intention on making my daughter drink cows milk.

Congratulations on making it a year. You should be very proud.

[Spiket77]

Thank you!
That is why we are going with Goat milk and it is the closest thing to human milk out there. I had to back off over the weekend because he isn't feeling well and really wants to nurse and be with Mommy (all of the time!). ha
Soooo I will be working on it as soon as his nose stops running.

[allmymarbles]

I don't exactly remember how I weaned my babies since it came so naturally. I think you might just find yourself occasionally unavailable (have your husband feed him a bottle) when he wants to breastfeed. He is a hungry baby so he is not going to starve himself. He will take the bottle. As you grow more and more unavailable - voila - he is weaned.

As for the variation in how much he eats - he is just like the rest of us. Don't push food when he is not hungry. That is how you get obese babies. But, also, don't deny him when he is hungry.

[nola0805]

What a small world - the other name we were really considering was Jasper!  And one of my Finn's favorite foods is kale risotto.  I am sure that Jasper gets plenty of healthy, great food living on a farm - I am jealous.

Good luck with weaning when Jasper feels better.

[mature_enough]

"I would agree with sippy cup, straw cup or regular cup, drop 1 breastfeeding per every 1-2 weeks and distract them during this time with something else. I would def get rid of the bottle at a year and certainly don't add things to the milk.

With such a healthy well balanced diet I wouldn't worry how much milk he consumes. I also want to point out that goats milk is healthier and easier to digest for humans so don't let anyone make you feel bad for using goats milk. I too have no intention on making my daughter drink cows milk.

Congratulations on making it a year. You should be very proud."

Ditto! Ditto! Ditto! :)  (sippy cup at age 1 is a great suggestion, and I completely agree about making it a year. That is a huge accomplishment!)

[mature_enough]

I quoted SunWorshiper and then realized I didn't only like what she said about the sippy, but goats milk too. I have Nubian goats (great milk and meat goats) and have done a lot of research on goats milk. :) It is easier to digest. Do you plan to give him raw or pasteurized goat's milk?

[amandamae1126]

Someone mentioned using a hard sippy cup lid....out of curiosity, why does it matter soft vs. hard top? Any one have experience to help me decide which is best for me and my little one? Thanks!

Also, not that I am ready to wean yet, but my little Ava has only taken about 3 ounces at a time (usually 2) at the peak of her feeding schedule. I try to get more in her, but that's all she wants and thus, all I can produce. When I switch or introduce cows milk, should I only give her small amounts?

She's 8 months now and eats a good amount of finger foods (apples, chicken, fish, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.) but hasn't been interested in drinking water or juice lately. As long as she is breastfeeding good, is that ok that she doesn't want as much liquids? I've also noticed that she has less wet diapers, but still has at least 4 wet diapers per day (if not more).

I know this isn't all related to breastfeeding, but thanks for your help ladies!