Daytime milk for a one year old

[bookthief]

Ds will be starting nursery 3 days a week in a couple of months when he'll be just shy of 1 year. At the moment he's bf and doesn't seem all that keen on water or cups.

I was intending on giving up bf at this point but now I'm not so sure. He feeds about 4 times a day atm but the middle of the day feeds are short and he's not too fussed about them so I could envisage us being pretty much morning/evening by then if I can get him to take enough liquids from a cup.

What would be "normal"/average for a baby that age to be taking? My friends with older babies all ff and were still giving formula in a bottle during the day at that age. I'd rather not have the hassle with bottles if I don't have to.

My DS was totally formula fed from around 5 months. He has had no formula at all since he turned one. He has one drink of cows milk a day if we're lucky, also milk on his breakfast and at least one serving each of cheese and yoghurt. The rest of the time he drinks water and all his drinks are from cups.

So basically, I definitely wouldn't bother with expressed milk/formula and bottles. There's no need at all. I'd go with trying to encourage more water from cups. What have you been trying - spouted beakers or open cups? We use the basic Tommee Tippee beaker but we're trying to graduate to an open cup with mixed success. Being breastfed, your DS may find an open cup like a doidy easier.

it should be fine. lots of mums just do bf morning and night at that age. he'll only expect it when he's with you, so may want more when it's not a nursery day.

the nursery should be used to bf babies, so should have ideas of how to encourage him to sip water during the day. from experience, i found tomee tippee cups had too small a hole for my bf baby who was used to a faster flow. we used spouted cups with 3 holes, sometimes avent (green spout but without the valve, so free flowing) or sometimes the cheapo ones you can get from wilkinsons. she is ok with an open cup, but messy, so not ideal.

my dd has not had milk during the day since 10mo ish she just wasnt drinking it (ff) now at 15mo if she wants a drink she tells me perhaps if you start giving less daytime feeds or expressing it could work, plus when my dd wouldnt drink her milk (full fat)or water (in day) my mom suggested giving her water with some sugar in (better than giving squash you know no additives,colours)

At 10 months my DS was still bf quite a lot during the day, and like you I was a bit worried about what we would do when I went back to work. As it happened I went back 2 days a week and intended to bf morning/bedtime on working days and then on demand the other days. What actually happened between 10 and 11 months was that DS dropped his milk pretty much of his own accord, really got on with eating solid food and seemed to click with drinking water. We use a basic tommy tippee cup (introduced it at 6 months, but was messed with for ages before starting to drink from it) and sometimes a doidy open cup - this is more messy, but he will drink from it if thirsty.

Hope you work it out...

My ds is 9 mths old and we've just one from 4 milk feeds a day to 3 (ff)

I was worried about dropping the 4th milk feed as he too was rubbish at drinking water etc from any sort of cup.

However, since dropping that feed, he's become much more interested in water, from either a Tommee Tippee Basic cup, or an Avent one with the valve removed.

I think that he just wasn't that thirsty before, as he was getting so much fluid from the milk. Since dropping the milk feed, he's accepted the cups of water with no problems.

I'm sure you'll find that once you cut back on the breast feeds, he'll take more water on his own accord.

At the moment he has no real need or incentive for it.

HTH

I am in a similar situation but a few weeks ahead of you as DD has been to Nursery for 2 weeks now. She will only drink about an ounce of Milk but does have a big bf when we get home, I feed her while we are waiting for her tea to cook. She seems happy enough and is napping ok without a bf.
Hope that reassures you a bit.

Thanks for all the advice. I've been trying him with an Avent cup with and without the valve but he doesn't seem to "get" it. Went out and bought a Tommee Tippee cup today to see if it's any different and may try a Doidy as well.

I think you may be right Jojay that he's not too interested in other liquid atm because he's getting all he needs from me.

Good to see that it's not something to worry about and that he doesn't need to be sent with bottles. I'm sure the nursery will, as you say, have lots of experience with similar situations.