Advice please on stopping breastfeeding in the daytime

[northerngoldilocks]

I'm going back to work in April when my son will be 13 months old. I'm happy to continue bf mornings and evenings.

We've been doing BLW and bf on demand - I thought he might have dropped feeds by now, but he generally feeds once in the morning about 11am and sometimes again at 3pm ish (although this feed is the one he's more likely to skip). I also feed him to sleep for his naps in the am and lunchtime. I'm not sure how much he feeds when I feed him to sleep (I know I shouldn't but thats a topic for another thread!), but at least one of his other daytime feeds is a proper feed.

I'd planned to offer cows milk in the daytime when he's 12 months old. Does anyone have any advice on how i do this pls? For example, should I just offer it in the afternoons first - then drop the morning bf later on? Any tips on how long I should allow to do this would be gratefully received too. He's never really had a bottle / formula. I went out last week and my DH offered him formula in a sippy cup but it was repeatedly rejected so I'm not expecting him to enthusiastically accept cows milk on day 1!

northern From your point of view its best to drop one feed a week, anymore and you may be risking mastitis.

If he's not keen on the formula could you offer ebm at this stage and then gradulaly mix it with cows milk nearer the time? He may be more willing to try that. He may also take it better from someone else if you're not around.

Think you may have more problems with dropping the before nap, there's nothing wrong with doing that but you may want to try to find other ways to get him to sleep so that he is self settling in the day before he goes to another carer whilst you are at work.

Once you've done that I would suggest offering milk and a snack first in the morning and then in the afternoon although of course you can do it the other way around if you wish.

Are you planning to still bf morning and evening? Don't forget that they only need 300 mls of cows milk a day from 12 months so if you still bf him there is no worries at all if he refuses all other milk .

Yep. I started this at 9mths readying up for returning to work and was also bloody terrified. I cut out breakfast and mid morning first. Swapped that to a doidy cup (amazon.com) of cows milk warmed up. Went down well. I moved to water in a beaker/sippy cup thing for during the day and meals - one with handles so she could pick it up and play with it herself. She loved it. Still carries it everywhere.

Im now down to a 4pm bf (assuming Im near her at 4pm she will go without if Im not around quite happily). I found lukewarm tea worked instead for nanna/grandad and or warm milk at this point. She's offered a 125ml bottle at nursery too if she's there. All other daytime drinks are water as I say.

I give 200ml formula and a bf at 6:30 for bed and 125ml at my bedtime at 11pm. These are formula plus me for comfort. Then at 630am when she comes into bed first thing I gain a bit extra sleep by attaching her to my boob usually to 7am. Im not rushing further. Just waiting for dry up now really. Been going since xmas so sooner or later I expect....

If switching to cows milk only don't forget vitamins. I combine formula & bf as I always did. Good luck!

Also the carer will get them to sleep in their own way. My dd sleeps quite happily self settling or back patting there. With me its cuddles. I don't mind Im hoping one day we will be reading stories in bed so this just seems to be the earlier version of that to me....

Emma I only work two days a week and did almost exactly the same as you. Should have checked with OP really what she will be working, assumed from her post that it would be fulltime.

LC "If switching to cows milk only don't forget vitamins" as NGL's LO will be 13 months when she returns to work, if she gives cows milk (with or without continuing bfing) and a balanced diet there is absolutely no need for her to worry about vitamins and minerals, including iron, despite what the formula companies would have you believe.

Thanks everyone , thats really helpful. I am planning to continue to bf mornings and evenings and was hoping to avoid formula altogether and go straight to cows milk, I just wondered if waiting until 12m was too late. I'm going back to work 4days a week so not sure I'll be able to feed as normal 3 days. My preference is to stick to mornings and evenings (and hopefully less of the 'all through the night feeds' )

I do currently give him vit drops as he only has bf so would plan to continue with that