Breastfeeding to cow's milk - how much?

[Flopsy145]

My DD is just turning 1 so I'm moving her onto cow's milk (6 teeth and I almost lost a nipple last night made that decision for me) and in the last few weeks have given her a cup or so as well as breastfeeding. She's a great eater and drinks loads of water, eats a really varied and healthy diet and loves it. My only problem is that I've been breast feeding on demand (mostly nighttime, she can go a whole day without breastfeeding and does 4 X week when she's at nursery where they have given her cow's milk), but as a result I'm not really sure how much she drank from me and also if she was drinking from hunger or comfort. I'd say she would do about 3 big gulpy feeds and then the rest snacking.

So my question is really how much cow's milk should I be giving her and how often (in one sitting she'll do 100-200ml). Also how do I break her from the comfort association, she doesn't need to feed to sleep, sometimes she'll fall asleep but mostly she's rocked or settles herself in my bed.
Thanks all!

The advice is about 2 cups a day of cows milk, or the equivalent amount of other dairy products (yoghurt, cheese etc). That about 16 - 24 ounces, or 400 - 750 ml.

I BF all mine until 2 years, and didn't limit their feeds, so I'm not sure how much they were gettu g, but I think the above advice will ensure your baby is receiving the correct amount of nutrients etc from dairy.

Probably the milk as comfort association will gradually decline after stopping BF anyway, as it's the delivery perhaps, as much as the milk itself that is the comfort. If you'd like to break the milk as comfort association, you could give the milk to your baby in a cup in a practical way, rather than bottles and cuddles, if you see what I mean.

Dairy is not a necessity after weaning off mothers milk...thats how mammals work. Its more of a comfort thing.I wouldn't worry too much over volumes as long as the diet is varied

@Selma22

Dairy is not a necessity after weaning off mothers milk...thats how mammals work. Its more of a comfort thing.I wouldn't worry too much over volumes as long as the diet is varied

The baby is not self-weaning. OP wants to stop, so the situation is not as simple as you describe. The baby is only 12 months old.

Surely then its follow on milk?Babies and calves don't really have much in common as far as nutritional needs go.
P.s.Sorry if it sounds off not meaning...:)

Following as were the same!

@Selma22

Surely then its follow on milk?Babies and calves don't really have much in common as far as nutritional needs go. P.s.Sorry if it sounds off not meaning...:)

With all respect, which mammal do you think follow on milk comes from?

I'm aware it contains milk but I know it has been designed for human babies.All the added vitamins etc...cows milk on its own is not the same as formula as if that was the case we would simply give cows milk from birth and not bother with infant formulas

Around 300ml of cows milk/dairy products is fine after 12 months.
So a 100-200ml cup morning and evening
And then so milk in cereal or a portion of cheese or yogurt during the day will be plenty.

@Selma22. Sorry if that sounded snippy. To be more clear (and hopefully more helpful), after 12 months, babies are able to take cows milk as it comes, although if parents prefer to use formula, that is OK too of course. It just means the option is there. Follow on milk is completely unnecessary and came about entirely because of the ban of marketing of infant breast milk substitutes. It doesn't exist in other countries, where no such ban exists.

Breastmilk is the ideal of course, but in reality, very few women continue past a year, so the other options are outlined. But saying babies no longer need milk once they wean, is only really the case if babies have self weaned, not if the mother decides to stop BF, as is the case with OP, whose baby has started biting her.

@Selma22

I'm aware it contains milk but I know it has been designed for human babies.All the added vitamins etc...cows milk on its own is not the same as formula as if that was the case we would simply give cows milk from birth and not bother with infant formulas

Follow on milk is just a marketing ploy from formula companies. A toddler can have cows milk as part of a varied diet. The NHS recommends under 5s also have a daily vitamin.

@Somethingsnappy

The advice is about 2 cups a day of cows milk, or the equivalent amount of other dairy products (yoghurt, cheese etc). That about 16 - 24 ounces, or 400 - 750 ml.

I BF all mine until 2 years, and didn't limit their feeds, so I'm not sure how much they were gettu g, but I think the above advice will ensure your baby is receiving the correct amount of nutrients etc from dairy.

Probably the milk as comfort association will gradually decline after stopping BF anyway, as it's the delivery perhaps, as much as the milk itself that is the comfort. If you'd like to break the milk as comfort association, you could give the milk to your baby in a cup in a practical way, rather than bottles and cuddles, if you see what I mean.

16-24oz is more like the amount of formula needed by a 6-12 month old.

Thanks!I'm currently breastfeeding so looking into all these things :)

@thebabynanny, a couple of different sources recommended the amounts I stated in my first reply.

I breastfed a lot until 1. Then just morning and evening, just morning and eventually stopped around 18 months.

Despite Ds feeding almost hourly the first year , he’s not a huge milk drinker now. I give him porridge most days so he gets a good amount of milk in that, he eats cheese and yogurt. And gets milk in the afternoon in a cup, maybe 100ml? But doesn’t always drink it.

[quote Somethingsnappy]@thebabynanny, a couple of different sources recommended the amounts I stated in my first reply.[/quote]
I’d always recommend going to the NHS for advice on feeding.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/what-to-feed-young-children/

@Selma22

Thanks!I'm currently breastfeeding so looking into all these things :)

How old is your baby and how long do you hope/intend to breastfeed for? If you stop breastfeeding before 12, you'll need to substitute with formula. After 12 months, you can continue with formula if you like, but cows milk is also considered fine at that age. My babies all self weaned at about two years old (more or less). They never really had other milk after this, but did/do have yoghurt, cheese etc.

@thebabynanny. Yes, it says at least 350 ml. It can be more than this, as I stated in my first reply.

Nhs actually says at least 350ml OR two portions of dairy based food.
So you could just give cheese and yogurt, or porridge/ cereal with milk and none in a cup if you prefer

Most people will give a mixture

For reasons I'm not going to go into i have been exclusively pumping and I have an oversupply.Planning to go for a year ,then use up my freezer stash for 6 months or so and then go to follow on

@Selma22

For reasons I'm not going to go into i have been exclusively pumping and I have an oversupply.Planning to go for a year ,then use up my freezer stash for 6 months or so and then go to follow on

You've done brilliantly to exclusively pump for so long! Such a commitment, well done! After 18 months old, you will have a wide choice of what to give your toddler x

Thank you!Wouldn't recommend it to anyone ;) bit of a nightmare!;)

@Selma22

Thank you!Wouldn't recommend it to anyone ;) bit of a nightmare!;)

Yes! I had to exclusively pump last year for two weeks before my newborn's tongue tie was sorted. It was very taxing, emotionally as well as physically. And that was o ly two weeks! Amazing that you've done it for so long.

I started introducing cow's milk at a year too. Was doing 3 feeds a day then and swapped each one for a cup of cow's milk once a month. Didn't ever measure it. Just poured some in a cup and they usually drank it all. Sometimes not, sometimes had a refill.

Thanks all very helpful replies, she has a yogurt every day most days, and loves cheese, so think that on top of probably 200-300ml across the day of cow's milk should be plenty. I'm sure I'll still breastfeed for a few weeks anyway as a gradually cut down but glad to hear I don't need to replace like for like and offer it as much as breastfeeding.
@Selma22 well done you that's a tough old job pumping, and a great stash! Good luck with it all 🙂