What comes after BM? if you don't want to offer Cow's Milk?

[keeweekid]

My 15 month old seems to be disinterested in nursing anymore, and only really nurses as a ritual or for comfort right before bed time, naps, and when she wakes in the morning. When I offer it to her during the day, she often explicitly states no with a shake of the head and moves on to something else. Often, when she does nurse, she'll barely wait for the letdown and then it seems like 30 seconds and she's off. She's not drinking much else...juice or water, and I'm not thrilled about offering cow's milk. I'm concerned about her getting enough liquid ... the wet diapers are barely wet.

What do people start to give their toddlers either after breastmilk or to supplement it if not cow's milk? Or, am I being silly and should I just trust that if she's thirsty/hungry, she'll accept or ask for milk? (We do baby sign language, so she full well knows the milk sign).

Any suggestions?

[annettemarie]

Moving to Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy

[natty529]

[keeweekid]

Goat's Milk?

Has anyone heard that goat's milk is unsafe for babies? The latest issue of Parent's Magazine had an article stating as much. It mentioned high and unsafe levels of sodium and possible bacteria in fresh goat's milk. Parent's magazine has always has a certain fear factor to its articles in my opinion, so I was wondering if anyone with any expertise might want to weigh in on the matter.

I am still looking for suggestions on what might be good for babies to drink instead of cow's milk?

[jimblejamble]

I make a smoothie for myself in the morning and blend up the extra that doesn't fit into my cup with a little water and give that to Jude in a sippy cup. It consist of spinach, strawberries, banana, and sometimes either peach or fuji apple and some water. I'll also give him rice milk. He does nurse more often than your (keeweekid) baby but those are just a couple ideas.

[jeminijad]

Hmmm.

I am not normally one to push a bunch of juice, but that does sound like it isn't enough liquid. What does she do when you offer a sippy of 50/50 juice/water? Reject it, or just quickly lose interest?

[keeweekid]

I will make a sippy cup of 50/50 juice/water available to her almost daily. (I change up the type of juices too, making sure it's always 100% juice, and not those drink cocktail juices..) She will sip from it here and there, and during the course of the day maybe take in 2-3 ounces. I also make sure there's a sippy cup of water hanging around her play area and sometimes I'll see her go for it. Again, she's just a bit of a sipper though, which also describes her at the breast. But because she only will nurse about 4 times a day for just a few minutes, I still worry that it's not enough.

[PGTlatte]

Mine were both dairy allergic, so I introduced a calcium-enriched milk substitute that has calcium equal to cow's milk. I chose soy. I realize not everyone wants soy in their children's diet. I personally would avoid rice milk due to arsenic concerns and that it has no fat and almost no protein in it. Oat milk, almond milk, and hemp milk all come in calcium-enriched varieties. IMO when breastfeeding tapers off, that calcium needs to be replaced with calcium-rich foods in the diet (usually dairy foods) or a beverage that contains as much calcium as cow's milk.

[LadyCatherine185]

When my milk started drying up at the beginning of this pregnancy, I started giving DS Coconut Milk. It has tons of good stuff in it, and he LOVES it. If she doesn't take to any particular milk, I would just focus on giving her water, and lots of healthy solids. Yogurt and cheese can give her lots of calcium, etc. I wouldn't give juice. Maybe offer her a cup of water with a piece of fruit in it. Try different cups, she may not like the type of cup you have. DS will always drink out of a "big cup" (regular open cup) because he thinks it is "cool."

[3 little birds]

We gave soy milk to the first two (twins) and realized it made their tummies upset. The next three got water and a daily smoothie of just fruit (to keep the fiber), occasionally some snuck-in greens (no dairy or milk substitutes). They are great water drinkers and when they are hungry they eat whole foods. They have had almond and hemp milk in the occasional (like a few times a year) bowl of cereal but it isn't something they drink.

[Shanny2032]

With all of her allergies DD and I both drink rice milk. My pedi suggested almond milk if she were nursing less and needed the fat. You would also want to watch for constipation issues with rice milk so I'd try the almond milk first.

Also, have you tried different kinds of cups straws, lids, water bottles. Anything to peak her interest like open top cups etc. might work from time to time to get more liquids in her.

[an_aurora]

I give DS coconut and goat's milk. He loves goat's milk. I haven't seen any fresh around here; I buy the powered goat's milk that DH mixes up like formula on he nights I'm away at work. He's had it since about 11 months or so.

[ssh]

Originally Posted by keeweekid

My 15 month old seems to be disinterested in nursing anymore, and only really nurses as a ritual or for comfort right before bed time, naps, and when she wakes in the morning. When I offer it to her during the day, she often explicitly states no with a shake of the head and moves on to something else. Often, when she does nurse, she'll barely wait for the letdown and then it seems like 30 seconds and she's off. She's not drinking much else...juice or water, and I'm not thrilled about offering cow's milk. I'm concerned about her getting enough liquid ... the wet diapers are barely wet.

What do people start to give their toddlers either after breastmilk or to supplement it if not cow's milk? Or, am I being silly and should I just trust that if she's thirsty/hungry, she'll accept or ask for milk? (We do baby sign language, so she full well knows the milk sign).

Any suggestions?

It doesn't sound like she's getting enough liquid. is she still peeing about the same amount? Is she getting teeth in? nursing could hurt if she teething. Canine teeth were very painful for my DD when they came in, so where molars. I gave her finely crushed ice to eat with a spoon. It helped alot. She also loved tomato and veggie juices when teething. I think acidicness soothed her gums.

[keeweekid]

Thank you for all these suggestions. In the meantime, I have tried giving her the open cup and although I believe she's drinking more because it is more fun, she is still not gentle enough and it goes everywhere and then she looks at me in surprise as if I'm the one that splashed her deliberately..Really funny. To not put her off, I end up putting a tiny amount in, waiting till she finishes, then do it all over again. I feel like a helicopter mom....

Also in the meantime, I have tried almond, rice, soy, and even cows milk to just see her reaction. All of the above she has tasted, then pushed away with disdain. Still haven't tried goats milk on the account of it being a little more rare and will have to make a trip to the specialty store. On a more positive note, she has picked up one or two nursing times again, which has encouraged me. (Just when I stopped worrying about it too...goes to show me that I just needed to relax about these things.) I'll keep trying the above suggestions too, thanks again everyone, and if anyone has more ideas, I'll keep trying them.

[maguvet]

kind of a late response, but i just thought i'd put in a plug for herbal tea. my ds loves it: peppermint, nettles, or chamomile. also, traditional medicinals makes tea blends for babies. since it is summer, i am offering it chilled, but in cooler months i give it to him warm. if my son is truly thirsty he will drink it completely unsweetened. if he is less interested, but just wants something to drink, he wants a little honey in it (he is 14 months old). great options if you want to limit his sugar intake, but give options other than water. as other posters have mentioned, he also likes unsweetened rice milk and almond milk (the rice milk is naturally sweeter than the almond milk).

[cchrissyy]

we are not milk drinkers. All my kids weaned to water and I swear, they're ok!

[Xerxella]

My kids love anything frozen. They love ice chips and popsicles. 100% juice makes a great popsicle.

[rvamommy]

We have been offering goat's milk & DD loves it. We still nurse about 3 or 4x a day, but they are not very long sessions.

The really important thing to remember is that you're not just replacing fluids. That is important too, but the crucial thing to replace is fat. About 40% of an infants calories need to come from fat - that is necessary for healthy brain and cell growth. While it is important to make sure that your little one is getting enough hydration, you must be certain that the options you offer also supplement the fat that she will no longer receive. This is especially crucial when/if they start to refuse most/all of the foods that we offer!

Good luck!

[princesstutu]

Water is good. Water is the only drink necessary.

I wouldn't do soy unless you already have it in the house. Too much processed soy isn't healthy. And, really, all the other options are gonna be overly-processed, too. Pasteurization isn't a good thing.

I'd just stick with water. I see she's coming back for more of your milk, so it sounds like she listens to her body. That's a good thing.

[Chamomile Girl]

I'm another one here voting for water. My kid drinks a ton of water...I guess we're lucky. I make sure I have him on a high fat diet though, lots of butter, coconut milk, and cheese (and salmon).