help weaning PLEASE!!!!

[soontobe]

I can't get a hold of my lactation consultant and I really want to start weaning ds. He is almost 13 months and I am still nursing him almost full time. Every once in a while we miss one, but I don't know what to do! I would like to get down to morning and night and drop all the other ones.

I guess I have a few questions.

1. how do I stop the nursing
2. what do I replace it with? this has a few parts-I would prefer not to give him tons of cow dairy. Is there anything else I can give?
Also if I do need to give him some sort of milk how do I get him to drink it? He takes a sippy cup of water sometimes, but he isn't so into it. he has never had a bottle and I don't want to start with that now.
3. Also I am hoping to start ttc with in the year so I need a plan to stop morning and night if I do get pregers.

Thanks for all your help!!! I really need some guidance here and my pedi is once again not much help:bowdown:

[Swimfreak78]

I can't get a hold of my lactation consultant and I really want to start weaning ds. He is almost 13 months and I am still nursing him almost full time. Every once in a while we miss one, but I don't know what to do! I would like to get down to morning and night and drop all the other ones.

I guess I have a few questions.

1. how do I stop the nursing
2. what do I replace it with? this has a few parts-I would prefer not to give him tons of cow dairy. Is there anything else I can give?
Also if I do need to give him some sort of milk how do I get him to drink it? He takes a sippy cup of water sometimes, but he isn't so into it. he has never had a bottle and I don't want to start with that now.
3. Also I am hoping to start ttc with in the year so I need a plan to stop morning and night if I do get pregers.

Thanks for all your help!!! I really need some guidance here and my pedi is once again not much help:bowdown:


I nursed DS until he was a year. Congrats! You need to slowly start dropping 1 feeding at a time -- with a three to four day period in between. We used frozen BM mixed with cow's milk in a sippie at first for DS.

I found this kellymom site very helpful (http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/index.html)

HTH

[Katigre]

Ok, I'll do my best to help:

1. How much is he eating? If he's eating regular meals of solids 3x a day plus a snack or two, it will be easier to wean than if he's just picking at food and nursing for most of his nutrition (both are common at this age, and depending on where he is at will determine how easily you will be able to wean)

2. If you remove breastmilk from his diet, you will need to replace it with something that is nutritious, calorie-dense, and fatty. Cow's milk or toddler formula are the two most common alternatives to breastmilk during the toddler years. He'll need 16-24 oz of that milk (or formula) a day in addition to his solid food intake.

3. If you do decide to continue nursing while he's a toddler, he just needs 3-4 nursings a day to meet his nutritional needs and then you don't have to worry about cow's milk.

4. You can set nursing boundaries and limit the times he nurses. I think that it would be a good idea to do that if you're feeling overwhelmed (like only nurse in the morning, after each meal, and before naps/bed). Because that way you get a bit of space and he still gets the nutritional and immune system benefits and you still get the health benefits of nursing for you.

5. If you get pregnant, weaning will probably happen naturally. You don't need to worry about that now. My DS was still nursing when I got pregnant with DD and due to my dropping milk supply he weaned easily without any fuss partway through. Don't let your desire to get pregnant in the next year affect your situation now - in a year his nursing habits will be very different, and pregnancy is a natural 'weaning tool' for many babies b/c the milk changes taste, the milk supply drops, and they tend to lose interest.

I hope that helps! Please let me know if you'd like clarification of anything. I'm typing with a fussy baby.

[o_mom]

1. Lots of distraction. :) Be on the go, busy, etc. Saying "yes, but later" is sometimes effective. Figure out which is the first one you want to drop, maybe a mid-morning one, if he asks say "we can nurse at lunch/nap/whenever the next session would normally be". Offer snacks and drinks very frequently. I found that if they got to the point of actively feeling hungry/thirsty, they were less likely to accept a substitute, but if I pre-empted the hunger/thirst I could stretch the times between sessions.

2. Water, milk or whatever beverage you want to use long term. Don't forget snacks as well as nursing provided calories as well as hydration. I flavored milk to get them used to it. I used vanilla quik, but something like carnation instant breakfast or other milk flavoring would work or BM if you have some pumped. It doesn't take much, but since BM is soooo much sweeter than milk they took some getting used to it. Once they liked it flavored, I cut it down until they were drinking straight milk. If you decide to use soy milk, it comes in flavors anyway, vanilla is usually the closest to BM. Same thing with water - a splash of juice in it can encorage them to try and then cut it back after they are used to it.

3. Is there some reason you need to stop nursing if you get pg? I was able to nurse through the first half of my second and third pregnancies and they weaned very easily as my milk supply dropped.

[soontobe]

thanks for the relpies.

so does anyone use rice or soy milk instead of exclusively cow's milk? also should the cow's milk be full fat? AND how do I get him to drink it? Is it at meals? He isn't such a big drinker right now.

Also if I drop 1 session how much liquid needs to replace it?

thanks so much!!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

When ds2 weaned at 17m he really wasn't into cow's milk. I just gave him water along with a healthy diet. I couldn't get him to drin milk even if I mixed it with something yummy like yogurt (ds1 loved whole milk+ yogurt, shaken together in a sippy cup). So, don't despair or distress if you can't get him to drink milk. They recommend milk because it is a quick, easy way to get a lot of nutrients and most kids like it but it is not the be all and end all.

I think the AAP said a few years ago that whole milk wasn't necessary but I disagree. For years they were telling us how important fat was for brain development. Their reasoning for not suggesting it anymore was for reasons like obesity. My little guy is not in danger of that down in the 20% range and even if he were, I would make other food choices before I cut out whole fat milk.

Beth

[Katigre]

Rice milk does not have enough fat for a toddler - it should be viewed more as a juice than as milk. Brain development is huge the first two years of life, and the brain needs fat to accomplish necessary growth. Cow's milk should be full fat. I don't know about soymilk, but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable giving it in 16-24 oz quantities to a toddler b/c of the estrogenic properties (hormonal concerns).

Does he eat yogurt or cheese? You could get him full fat that way too.

How often are you nursing now?

[soontobe]

that's what I thought about the rice and soy milk, but i just wanted to be sure. I am nursing him 4-5 times a day including morning and night. he eats pretty well food wise, but some days are better than others. I think I'll go to the store and see what dairy products i can find organic. dairy is pushed just because it is high fat right?

[Katigre]

Dairy provides fat, calcium, protein, and some vitamins. It's a convenient way for little ones to get all of those nutrients.