Moving to weaning - 11>12 months

[ladymugg]

Hi there

I'm really sorry if this is posted elsewhere... my LO's EASY looks like this as an FYI

6/6.30 ish wakeup and bottle (about 200ml)
7.30/8 am breakfast - usually a piece of toast then some cereal (weetbix and milk)
9.30 am snack/morning tea
10 am - 11.30 sleep
11.45/12 pm lunch
12.30/1 pm bottle (200ml)
2.30 pm snack
3.00 - 4.00/4.30 sleep
5 pm dinner
6/6.30 pm bottle (200-240ml)
6.30/6.45 pm sleep

I am a little confused... I am supposed to be weaning her from formula in the next couple of weeks when she turns one.  How do I do this?  Should I try to get her to have her solids breakfast first in the morning?  Should I be feeding her a bottle at a separate time or just as a follow on from her meal?  Should I swap out one of these bottles for dairy milk so she gets a taste for that?

Please feel free to link to where this has been posted before, I do not like creating additional threads but can't find something else that specifically addresses this.

Many thanks in advance.

[creations]

Many people keep at least one of the milk feeds beyond 12 months. LOs do still need milk, but not in the same quantity as before.  As the advice is to drop bottles you might choose to switch from a bottle to a straw cup or sippy cup instead - but again many people keep a bottle feed for much longer than 12 months.  It's often the BT bottle that is continued (but do make sure you brush teeth after the bottle and not before) but I chose to keep the WU milk instead which worked really well for us.
I dropped the BT milk at 12 months by switching to a solid supper and a sippy of milk before the BT routine started. Then just water after bath and teeth, a few sips really (it was a gentle wean which took less than 2 wks).
The morning milk I continued in a bottle until 13 months and when I switched it was to a straw, he could get his full milk feed from the straw where as the sippy was more difficult and he'd take less and be unsatisfied with it at that morning feed.  He still (at 4yo) has a cup of milk first thing which is a short while before breakfast.

It's also fine to just switch from formula to cows milk. Mine didn't bat an eye at the switch. If yours doesn't respond well then you can gently switch by swapping 1oz of formula for cows milk every few days.

You could probably drop the lunch time bottle now without much difficulty by offering milk in a sippy cup or a yogurt after lunch instead. Then there's just the decision about the WU and BT bottles.
I should also say, it's fine to drop both WU and BT bottles if you want and have a milk drink with morning snack instead - where I am children are offered a carton of milk and a piece of fruit at nursery snack time.

[ginger428]

Ladymugg, is that you?! Haha. I was just asking creations about weaning bf/bottle so here to read her advice and ask a question if you don't mind. In the same boat are we? 

Creations, since I don't have stored BM and am not pumping, nor do we use formula, should I just keep offering straight milk at designated time?
Here is what I planning on doing... but after a week he's still refusing the milk. And like I mentioned, I tried different things. I guess we'll start over and stick to offering at certain times?

WU (drop week 4, offer sippy cup of milk)
Breakfast
Nap
Bf (drop week 2, offer sippy cup of milk)
Lunch
Nap
Bf (drop week 1, offer sippy cup of milk)
Dinner
BT (drop week 3, offer sippy cup of milk)

[creations]

What's your position on continuing to BF? Have you decided you definitely want to stop now/within 4 wks?

Your LO is 12 months now, or close to, yes?  You could drop the day time BFs (mid morning and mid afternoon) now really by switching to a solids snack and a drink of water. Although you don't want milk intake to drop to zero as they do still need dairy, they also don't need the same amount they've been having since they were babies, yk?
Personally I found mine could not take milk fast enough from a sippy to keep him satisfied so whilst it was fine to switch to a small sippy of milk with a solids supper when dropping the BT feed it was not fine for the big milk drink at WU. I think quite a few LOs are older before they can really guzzle milk from a sippy.
The straw was a success here for the WU milk although it took a month to really make the switch.

Otherwise (and if you cannot/choose not to continue to BF and need some milk intake from other sources) I'd make up the quantity in solids, yoghurt, milk puddings, cheese, cheese/white sauce, add milk powder to any recipes you can (eg if you make pancakes make with milk but also add a few tables spoons of milk powder which is fortified with vits too), maybe give evaporated milk a go (it has if I remember rightly about double the calcium of regular full fat cows milk) it is not sweetened just thicker and creamier than milk.

[ginger428]

I love BF, but yes, I have decided to definitely stop in about a month or two.

Yes, he is 12mo8d.  I see about the sippy... I'll keep trying with the straw.  He did drink about an ounce from the straw yesterday, so that's progress. He sips and stops though with the straw. 

Great idea about the powdered and evaporated milk.