Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

As DS's birthday quickly approaches, I've started to think about weaning. I'd like to continue nursing in the morning and possibly at night. Right now, I'm nursing/pumping 4 times per day. My supply has dropped a lot over the past few months and I can go at least 12 hours without feeling really engorged. I'm a little worried about only nursing 1-2 times per day and possibly developing problems from weaning.

How exactly did you wean?
If you continued to nurse 1-2 times per day, did you drop the other feedings right away or gradually ease into it?
How did DC react to weaning?
How did you introduce cow's milk?
Did you use a sippy cup or bottle?

DS drinks water out of a sippy cup, but he likes to spit the water out and it gets all over his bib and sometimes his clothes. I never really know how much he's getting. Will this be a problem when giving him milk in a sippy cup?

Do you have any other advice for weaning and/or transitioning to milk?

Re: Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

I introduced milk in a sippy a bit after DD was 13 months. I did it straight - no mixing with BM. IMHO, you introduce new foods without mixing them with old foods, so no need to do that with milk, but that is JMHO.

I gave her one sippy with whole milk, BF AM & PM Mon-Fri and bottles w/ BM the rest of the day, then BF whenever she wanted on weekends. She eventually (about two weeks) refused the bottle and went just to a sippy. Then I alternated BM & whole milk. She stopped BFing during the day on weekends on her own, then stopped the PM session on her own, and then the AM session on her own.

By the time I completely stopped BFing she was 21 months. She completely self-weaned.

Re: Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

How exactly did you wean? Slowly over time I just went longer and longer between nursing sessions until I was only nursing once a day. We just stopped the night nursing recently.

If you continued to nurse 1-2 times per day, did you drop the other feedings right away or gradually ease into it? See above.

How did DC react to weaning? She had no issues whatsoever. I had thought the before bed one would be more difficult, but she gave it up no problem. Now I give her a sippy of milk and we read a book while she drinks that. Then we "brush teeth" and time for bed.

How did you introduce cow's milk? I started giving it to her in a sippy. I mixed some BM in at first (because the BM is sweeter than cow's milk) then gradually just moved to straight cow's.

Message edited 12/1/2009 1:13:04 PM.

Re: Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

I started the weaning process by hopping a flight to Barcelona for the weekend

He had no choice but to accept a bottle in my absence (He wouldn't transition to the sippy cup, only the bottle ). I had been leading up to this by leaving him for longer stretches with others to make sure he would drink milk.

I brought a pump with me to relieve pressure. When I got back, I would offer the bottle first and nurse only if he absolutely refused the bottle (generally only at bedtime, and in the morning). As time went on my supply was diminishing and he wasn't being satisfied nursing so he stopped asking for it. Took about a month.

Re: Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

Charlie will be 18m next week and we're still BF. We're down to 3 sessions - when she wakes, at naptime & bedtime - and she self-weaned. I'd like to continue to nurse her through the winter and am hoping she self-weans again. However if she doesn't I plan to have her fully weaned by 24m.

I introduced milk just prior to her turning 12m and it took a while for her to like it. Now she can't get enough of it! I never mixed it with anything (as I stopped pumping over a year ago) but I did have to try different brands with her. She prefers Horizon Organic over the other organics (but will drink them in a pinch ).

She never "got" the sippy cup - she couldn't figure out the sucking, I guess - and she took a bottle less than a dozen times prior to introducing milk - so we went straight to a straw cup. She actually started on one around 6 or 7m (when we started introducing water).

Re: Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

I just wanted to thank you for asking this question.. Ive been thinking about it a lot the past few weeks.

Re: Moms who BF for at least 12 months: Talk to me about weaning/transitioning to milk

I'm exactly where you're at right know. nursing/pumping 3-5 times a day. DS hasn't had much success with sippy cups but he does great with regular cups! he has not been bothered by weaning, he'll take his food any way he can get it...lol