Want to stop bf ds (1yr) but he won't drink milk - urgent help needed

[Booklover]

My ds has just turned one and I am still bf in the morning. Give him lots of milk in his food but he won't drink any milk at all (follow up milk, cows milk, diluted cows milk....). I would really like to stop bf now but I am worried that he does not get enough milk, he drinks water, tea, diluted juice etc, so it must be the taste of pure milk, likes it in his food though! Also, he usually wakes about 6am and if I stop bf it means I would have to prepare his breakfast, just seems to be very early?! Would really appreciate your comments

My dd was exactly the same - and I stopped breastfeeding her at 13 months. She has never liked milk as a drink and neither does her Dad or my Mum. I think some people just don't like it and that's fine.

When I stopped bfeeding dd, the last feed we dropped was the 6 in the morning one...that was because she would go back to sleep afterwards and give us all another hour's kip. It was hard for a week, she cried and was miserable but then she got used the fact that it was all over and forgot about it. I had to wear a t-shirt in bed for a week or two so she didn't see them and after that they just became another bit of Mummy, nothing special. Think I offered her water in case she was thirsty but I'm fairly sure it was batted away angrily. I didn't give her breakfast at 6, though if your ds seems hungry, maybe have a banana on the bedside table or rice cakes and juice or something? HTH

booklover, know exactly how you are feeling, i was in the same situation with my ds

i even went to the doctors as i was concerned but they all say the same...if he is getting enough foodwise, not to worry too much....but my ds i felt wasnt getting enough...i still some days feel like he isnt getting enough calcium!

so this is what i did...i stopped breastfeeding him in the evenings before bedtime at 14mths
in the day i would try my best to give him cheese as snacks, and yoghurts...infact ds loved the yoghurts

i started to give ds ready brek in the mornings...as this has a lot of calcium as well as other good vitamins

initially ds turned his nose up at the readybrek, but i persisted each morning, and now he has a bowl full every morning, ive managed not to introduce cornflakes, cocopops, etc etc..will stick to the readybrek as much as i can

by the way my ds is 2.8mths

also, i tried everything to get my ds to take cows milk but he was having none of it...so i used to break a little piece of white chocolate and give him it, this would make him thirsty and i would chase him around the room to give him a gulp or two of milk, which he drank cos he was thirsty..then id give him another piece of chocolate and give him milk...took a while but he soon got used to the taste of milk

he still doesnt drink cups of milk each day, in fact he has it in his ready brek, and he has quarter a beaker which isnt much of milk before bedtime

he does have a yoghurt and cheese in the day, but thats all the calcium he has

to anyone reading this and think its bad to give a piece of chocolate to a 13mth old just to get milk down them...trust me, i felt bad, but at least he got the milk down!

as for the 6am waking up...he probably wakes up for his feed...does he go back to sleep after his feed?

if he does, then i personally would drop the feed, and cuddle him up back to sleep,

my ds cried for a feed but i refused to give in, they are only crying because they want that feed!!!...so once my ds knew his feed was dropped and he wasnt getting any, he didnt wake up early morning...he wakes up at 7.15. 7.30ish now,

if your ds wakes up at 6 for a feed and doesnt go back to sleep, then i would take it from that, that he is an early riser, therefore, no amount of cuddling will soothe him, he will be hungry so you might as well go down with him and make him breakfast

hope this all helps, let us know how you get on

oh by the way, i never and still dont give my ds tea, but i mention you do, so in that case, do you put lots of milk in it?...you may be surprised how much calcium he is getting here and there...perhaps you should make a note of everything he eats in a week and look at it to see

good luck, i know you feel bad as so did i, but when they wont drink they wont drink, if you get yourself in a tizzy, they will sense it

Booklover

My friends son wouldn't accept milk at all from 10 months when she stopped breastfeeding. This was not a problem at all, and drank lots of water, ate yogurts, cheese, etc. He is now 2 and half and has never drunk milk since.

My son, however, wouldn't accept milk from bottle from 6 months, when I stopped breastfeeding. It took me 22 hours of going cold turkey off breast to bottle (had too because of going back to work), but my son has loved his bottle ever since. He still has morning and evening bottles and he's 2 and half also.

Maybe its a good thing your son doesn't want a bottle, one less thing to have to cut out later?

At 12 months I tried to give my ds warm cows milk in a cup, and he wouldn't take it. WHen I gave him cold milk, he loved it!

Just wanted to thank you all for your helpful comments, they really made me feel much better and less worried as it seems to be quite a common problem. Will try to stop bf this weekend, ds sometimes goes back to sleep after the 6 o'clock feed but sometimes doesn't, so might have to face a very early breakfast for a while. He also gets Ready Brek for breakfast and loves yoghurt, so hopefully he is fine (he looks very healthy and is a very easy going little man)
Thanks again, I really appreciate your help!!!

Hi booklover, about the 6am waking.. you don't have to give him brekkie then if you don't want to.. try distraction techniques, read a book, play a lullaby music box, give him his favourite toy, or even bring him in to bed with you then. He may surprise you and either drop off again or you are starting to encourage him to play by himself in his cot when he wakes up. He may soon get the hang of it. HTH and good luck with the stopping, boobs can get quite sore so keep massaging and warm flannels.

Have to agree with Preggars - I just had to let my son (now 7) get on with it. I made sure he had a good balanced diet, and gave him milk in a bottle (why I will never know, because at 16 months it then took me another 4 months to get it back off him!). He would not take it off me initially - some people say they can smell the milk and are really just holding you to ransom! Cheeky little beggars but its just a matter of persevering. GOOD LUCK