Breastfeeding & Whole milk?

Question

I've asked questions about this before, but I'm still wondering if I'm supposed to offer Ian whole milk and continue breastfeeding. I know we'll keep breastfeeding for at least a few months longer (if he chooses) but I still don't understand if I'm supposed to offer whole milk daily or once in a while or not at all. I'll ask his pedi at his year appointment, but curious..what did you do with your kiddos?

Answer 1

I don't offer it to my 17 month old.  he does have cheese and  yogurt regularly, but the only thing we offer in a cup is water, sometimes flavored with a little juice.

Answer 2

If you still are ex. bf then you should not give him cow's milk at all . Dr.s say to give them milk until age 2. I have this same situation my baby is 14 months old and people are trying to pressure me to give her cow's milk.They say that she NEEDS it. She would only need it if I didn't have enough breast milk to give her. So I say no give him bm until you are totally done bf

Answer 3

I seem to recall that you are NOT supposed to feed an infant (<1yo) cows milk of any kind.  Their digestive tracks are not set up for it.  It's supposed to be breastmilk or formula til age one.

Answer 4

If your baby is still breastfeeding, you really don't need to offer whole milk if you don't want to. The whole milk is an alternative to breastmilk, and not the better one. You can still offer things like yogurt and cheese for extra calcium.

Answer 5

The only reason why i started offering Cohen whole milk was because once he reached a year it became really hard to pump for work (probably could have tried harder). he now really likes it though- you certainly don't have to offer whole milk at all if you don't want to. No one needs cow's milk, it's just yummy, and an easy source of calcium. breastmilk has more calories fat and nutrients in it so whole milk wouldn't amke a difference

Answer 6

I think that whole milk in a sippy cup at his age is fine. Most dr.'s recommend this starting at a year. I would not give him a bottle, as bottles are for babies who can't feed themselves. Try a sippy cup with a straw and he should pick this up fast, maybe a 1/2 a cup a day to start and see how it goes.

This will be nice when you take him out and he gets thirsty, you can just give it to him vs. stopping and breastfeeding.  

Answer 7

If he has been exclusively breastfeeding with no supplementary bottles, I see no need to push cows milk. Maybe as he gets older and starts to self wean you can offer milk in a cup, or offer it as a beverage at mealtimes. Your milk will continue to be an important source of nutrition for many months to come.