Almost 1, still mostly on breast milk.

[tattlebaby]

So LO is just 10 days away from turning 1 yr old. I was hoping to be at that beautiful stage where I could start weaning her. I do plan to continue BF her in the AM and PM before bedtime, but I'm just hoping to ditch the pumping sessions any time soon, especially because its just so tough to try and do so at work and I work full-time. LO does eat some fruits/veggies here and there, loves yogurt with fruit and occasionally has tried meats. I haven't yet introduced her to grains, cheeses, don't know if I should..perhaps that might now actually help with the transition I'm thinking. Does this sound familiar to anyone? When did you wean your LO? Did you stop cold turkey or did you follow your LO's lead?? I'm even more concerned because Dr. and everyone keeps telling me I should be transitioning her to cows milk too. People tell me I'm exhausted from BF because I want to be, and that LO is now at the perfect stage to stop and switch to cows milk. The thing is..LO doesn't really seem too interested in foods that much still. And when I do make the transition to cows milk…How am I suppose to do it??..Do I do half and half???

 

[staralfur]

There's reallly no need for cow's milk if she's still getting breastmilk but if you're hoping to wean her then introducing it maybe in place of one feed per day to start might help. My LO took a long time to really take to solids, I was pumping until she was 15 months because she still relied on breastmilk throughout the day. I don't think she even tried cow's milk until she was 1.5-2 because she was still nursing a few times per day.

I haven't weaned completely yet but I feed my LO once a day in the morning. To cut down the rest of the feeds I just had to say no whenever she asked unless it was a time I had designated for nursing (I started by cutting down to mornings, nap time, and bed time, then dropped the bed time feed, then the nap feed). It was a really long process but I wasn't really in any rush, I'm sure you could do it quicker.

As for the food, yes, I'd be offering grains and cheeses - everything, really, you never know what she'll like. One of the first things my LO ate regularly was cheese and crackers.

 

[sethsmummy]

i dont see the need to stop bfing.. there is no need really as long as shes getting her calcium from elsewhere. At 1 they "should" start eating more or less everything.. but the day children do what the professionals say they "should" is the day a pig will fly past my window The advice given by PP is fab regarding BF.. ive never bfd (bar the first few days) so i have no info on that. But foods is just a case of trying to get her into having breakfast, dinner, tea and a snack inbetween them aswell.

After one your "supposed" to do food and then milk so that theyre not filling themselves up on milk and therefore "should" be more interested in the food side of things. But i really would just ease into it gently

oh and yeah some people do half and half when changing to cows milk and some just go straight for it. They need two small beakers of cows milk a day once theyve swapped over so even if you wanted to introduce cows milk she could maybe have those through the day and still have a morning/nap and night time bf if she wants??

 

[MommyJogger]

At 1 my first was still mostly breast milk, with a few tastes of things here and there. It's purely anecdotal, but from a lot of moms who let their kids guide their own solids, I hear the "my child started taking better to solids closer to 15 months" story pretty often, and that was true for our first as well.
In the US, doctors go under the assumption you're going to wean at one, so offer the cow's milk advice, but it's really not necessary. You can keep nursing if you want to, just while you're around lo if that's the kind of nursing relationship you feel up to (it sounds like you work and pump?). I will say that it was a huge load off when I stopped pumping in the day. Pumping isn't fun by any stretch.
Either way, I definitely don't suggest cold turkey-- for your breast comfort or your toddler's tummy. I'd say to ease out of pumping-- reduce by 1 session and wait until your breasts are comfortable, then cut down again. Then you could just try morning and evenings and see how you feel about that. You don't have to have a solid plan in place-- you can just ease in and see how it all feels.

 

[george83]

I didn't breast feed so I'm not sure if that makes my experience completely irrelevant - apologies if it does.

With my second (he's only 14 months so I can remember him more clearly than his brother) he already had a varied diet but would still take a bottle over food every time. When he got to 1 I tried to make food the priority and gradually cut down his bottles. He would be offered a proper breakfast, lunch and tea and to begin with milk afterwards and then slowly as he ate more I stopped offering the bottles with each meal and just gave them to him when he was grumpy (typically mid morning and mid afternoon). Now he tends to only have one to go to sleep mid morning. Once he was used to his meals then I tried adding in different foods. I hate weaning babies I wish they could just stay on bottles for ever.

 

[Itsychik]

My DD is nearly 13 months and still breast fed, but she's 'only' on 3 - 4 feeds during the day (in the morning, in the afternoon, and before bedtime) but she's been waking up anywhere from 2 - 4 times at night for the past several months as well. I was pumping twice a day while at work but since last week I've reduced this to once a day (only because DD is refusing to drink ebm in anything except from the boob so there's no point in pumping, and I'm just doing it to keep up my supply in the afternoon)

We started introducing solids at 6 months and she just naturally started increasing the amount she ate and refusing the amount of bf's she got (or going a longer time in between milk feeds). DD gets cereal (weetabix) for breakfast and for the past couple of weeks I've started just using cow's milk to mix in with her cereal but we haven't yet given it to her to drink. I second the other responses and as long as your LO is still breast feeding often there's no "need" to introduce cow's milk unless you want to start replacing breast feeds with other milk. I would definitely start introducing more filling foods though, such as bread/grains etc. My DD doesn't really like eating/chewing on most meats but she likes rice/pasta and eats a sandwich at lunch (cut into bite-sized pieces), she likes cheese, etc. She's pretty much offered whatever we eat for dinner (mostly).

Good luck

 

[noon_child]

You don't have to transition to cows milk unless you want to, and if your LO doesn't eat much food I'd say it is important to keep breastfeeding or use follow on formula as cows milk isn't a food like breastmilk is.

Is there a reason you haven't introduced LO to all the food groups? Carbs and fats will give her the calories she needs to grow so if she's just having high fibre veggies she'll definitely continue to drink lots of breastmilk for the fat and protein in it.

Cheese, beans and pulses (like kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, even baked beans), fish and chicken (if red meat seems too difficult) are good protein foods and starchy veg like carrots, parsnips, potatoes, yams etc. are good for calories if you don't want grains for some reason.

My LO absolutely demolished meals like spaghetti bolognaise, shepherds pie, root veg casserole, grilled salmon fillets and cauliflower cheese etc. at that age but was still breastfeeding 4 times a day and once (sometimes twice at night)

I think as long as you offer her a full meal with balanced ingredients every time you have a meal then you can be baby led when it comes to breastfeeding. However she can't just get up and have a meal when she feels like it so it is your responsibility to ensure you are giving her enough opportunities to eat if she wants to.

At 1yr I went back to work and LO refused bottles or cups of any kind of milk (she'd take them from me just not anyone else!). She was fine on morning, pick up and before bed breastmilk, but she was eating three very decent sized meals by that point. She just started adding a 4th in to replace the nursing sessions she lost!!!