weaning question

[lily528]

hey guys, my dd will be 11 months soon...when my son was 11 months I stopped nursing and put him right onto milk. I would like to try to do the same with her, and she has seemed to grow out of her dairy allergy so that will be fine.  I just can't remember how I did it with my son. She is still waking 1 time a night so I assume I will continue that feed until she stops waking for it...cause there is NO other way to get her back to sleep.  I am somewhat eager to do this because my dd has started refusing my milk from any source other than from me directly....no sippy no bottle no spoon no nothing. Right now I leave on my lunch break to feed her mid day (when she USE to get a bottle) but when my son returns to school in september and I will have to begin coming in late again with no lunch I will not be able to do that anymore. So for this reason I am hoping she will accept regular milk with no issues via sippy cup like she does juice and water.  IF she does how often does she get it?  does she need to drink it all?  right now I fill her sippy with 1/4 juice and the rest water...by the end of the day she has drunk it all for the most part.  If she is thirsty by the end of the day and has finished it I will give her a little water but with that its more she drinks it when she drinks it you know? she doesn't just sit down with it and down the whole thing you know?  any advice would be appreciated...thanks

[lily528]

I also wanted to mention...what if she won't drink the milk at all?  my pediatrician told me that if she won't i just have to make sure she gets things like cheese and yogurt to get her calcium and such...do you agree?  will it not be a HUGE deal if she still refuses it?  maybe I can start with trying milk for that one feed once she turns a year old and my son is back in school and just continue nursing for now?  i'm not sure what to do...

[~ Vik ~]

As los approach 1yo solid food is the most important nutritionally, and milk becomes more of a drink than a feed, kwim?  I honestly wouldn't worry too much about her through the day as long as she's taking her solids well.  You could offer a sippy of milk with meals or as a snack after nap and she'll drink it or not Are you still planning on bfing morning and bedtime, or are you weaning completely? 

I agree with your ped too that milk isn't the be-all-end-all for calcium - yogurt, cheese, leafy greens, etc. are all dietary sources, and you can always do a supplement too if you feel it's needed.

[lily528]

really?  i always thought up until a year breastfeeding/formula was the most important...I would like to slowly wean her off everything by a year but as I said nightwakings are probably going to remains nursing cause she won't go back to sleep any other way :/ I don't ever PUT her to sleep that way for naps or at bedtime but in the middle of the night she just screams til I do it.  so days like today she is due to nurse around 3ish...should i leave work and feed her or will she be ok to go until i get there around 5?  cause that would be a very long time between feeds...like 7 hrs..and that last feed she didn't take much at all cause she snuck in a snack feed a few hours prior...she does that sometiems...just comes up to me at off times and tugs on my shirt trying to eat...I never had that with my son...god she is SO different...i feel like an amateur

[~ Vik ~]

really?  i always thought up until a year breastfeeding/formula was the most important...

But you said she's 11mo now, and this change is happening in September when your ds goes to school?  So she would be over 12mo, right?  At this time you're right, and I would suggest leaving to go nurse around 3ish when she's due for a feed.  But when your DS is in school and that's no longer possible I don't see any problem with replacing that milk feed with a snack.

[lily528]

thanks good to know...I am pretty sure she still has a dairy issue...been trying a little here and there...yogurt...cheese...even tried a little milk...but not all at once..and very little...she did well at first...but this past week she has been gassy and loose bm's not coming out of the diaper loose but very mushy and unlike her usual bm's.  with the milk she MAYBE took in an ounce if that over a period of 1 day.  she didn't seem very interested.  does this sound like an allergy?  I cut out dairy when she was 3 mos because of how gassy she was and have ever since but was hoping she'd have grown out of it. her dr told me to try and see what happens.  so if this IS an allergy...what the heck do I do now?  dairy is important

[~ Vik ~]

Could be an allergy or an intolerance.  TBH though, Dylan's allergic reactions are severe and immediate (hives, swelling, itching) so I don't know digestive troubles so much.  Both allergies and intolerances can cause digestive symptoms so it may be worth starting a new post on the food allergies board to see what advice other moms may have for you.

dairy is important

Honestly, it's not as important as we are all led to believe.  Dylan has not consumed any dairy since he had his first reaction at 5.5mo when we gave him rice cereal with skim milk powder in it.  He is a tall, healthy, growing boy and doing just fine with no dairy at all!  We use organic soy milk as a beverage substitute and in cooking and baking (though there are loads of different substitutes, like rice, almond and hemp milks), we use a rice based vegan cheese substitute, and I make sure that he has loads of good fats in his diet (cooking with olive oil, using coconut oil as a butter substitute in baking, etc.).  Humans survived for millenia before the domestication of animals with no dairy in their diets at all!

[lily528]

ha very good point...just wonder if I am providing enough for her in other ways then...i posted in the allergy section so hopefully I can get more info if this in fact IS  a dairy allergy...i just struggle with giving her regular foods and what to give her over babyfood and not to have to cut out what I know to be healthy and good like yogurt and milk etc...its tough...like i have never even heard of coconut oil i am so lost in all this

[~ Vik ~]

You can get coconut oil in health food stores or in the allergen-free/organic/specialty section of a lot of grocery stores.  It's a fantastic substitute for butter in baking, you can spread it on toast, etc.  It's very high in good fats.  You can get coconut milk too, which has a nice creamy texture.  I have a beef stroganoff recipe that uses coconut milk instead of dairy cream and it is YUMMY   For Dylan I honestly just make a lot of stuff from scratch - because he has multiple allergies it's just easier that way.  I have read loads of labels and called lots of companies for information and I have safe standbys of packaged foods on hand for quick snacks/meals if need be (which does happen, with DH and I both working 40h/week!).  It can seem daunting at first, but once you get into a routine and know what's safe and what's not it just becomes normal.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves   Definitely see what kind of thoughts you get on the allergy board, and maybe even consult with your doctor to see if they have any thoughts.  Have you been keeping a food journal?  That can really help identify triggers.

[lily528]

i just keep thinking no rashes or eczema she sleeps pretty good no screaming gas fits like she use to have...i mean couldn't the looser stools be teething (2 teeth coming in..already had 6) or the fact that she has been getting more table foods?

It def seems daunting...i give you a ton of credit...i never know what to give her as far as table foods...i'd keep her on those perfectly nutritious baby foods for life if i could lol..my 7 yr old eats yogurt and sandwiches and nuggets and hot dogs and fish stix grilled cheese etc.  not all of those things are incredibly nutritious...wish they were...she has had turkey on wheat bread...organic yogurt...turkey meatballs...macaroni with a little sauce...papa's bday cake ...organic cereal bars (like those soft nutrigrain ones)...cheerios...blueberries...i snuck in slithers of cooked carrots and bananas on wheat bread one time...cause she wasn't interested with me giving them to her straight.  open to any suggestions