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Parenting

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Original poster

Do 12 month olds really need milk before bed?

21 replies

sunflowerandivy · 05/01/2023 18:54

My 12 month old is currently breast fed but I want to stop. She's not into it much before bed. She eats really well, plenty of dairy and a cup of formula a day. Does anyone send their baby to bed without milk?

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thirdtimeluckyorwhat · 05/01/2023 19:06

I think most babies are given milk before bed either breast or bottle. If you want to stop the breast you could offer cows milk instead.

SmileWithADimple · 05/01/2023 19:15

I stopped breastfeeding my babies around 12 months and didn't replace it with anything else at bedtime. As long as she's getting enough calcium it doesn't matter what time she gets it.

dementedpixie · 05/01/2023 19:17

Could you do a cup of milk downstairs before bed or during stories before bed?

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Screwedupworld · 05/01/2023 19:20

My 3 year old will not go to sleep without some milk before bed. He has it downstairs before we take him to bed. If your DD is not bothered for it though and eats well through the day I wouldn’t worry.

watchfulwishes · 05/01/2023 19:21

Why do you want to send her to bed without milk? It is an important source of calories at such a young age. Only 1 is pretty young to be restricting her diet.

TheOldLadyOfThreadneedleStreet · 05/01/2023 19:27

We switched to a sippy cup of cows milk at about that age, which was given downstairs. Routine was bath and into pjs, downstairs for milk and CBeebies, then going upstairs to clean teeth and story before sleep.

loveandwarmth · 05/01/2023 19:31

At one year old, they don't need milk anymore so as long as she gets enough dairy and calcium in the day it's fine.
However if she wants it, she could have a cup of cow's milk or plant based milk instead. Completely up to you. You know her best!

CoalCraft · 05/01/2023 19:31

I think my DD stopped having milk before bed at 13 months so pretty similar. She was fine.. just make sure she's a getting enough water throughout the day.

Mummyboy1 · 05/01/2023 19:32

No they don't. My 12 month old doesn't and hasn't since 10months old. I do offer water though.

worriedmama202 · 05/01/2023 19:32

DD stopped wanting milk before bed around that age I think it's quite common, I switched to giving her a cup with her dinner instead. A few months later she started asking for milk at bedtime again and still had a cup before bed now at 3.

Original poster

sunflowerandivy · 05/01/2023 19:35

watchfulwishes · 05/01/2023 19:21

Why do you want to send her to bed without milk? It is an important source of calories at such a young age. Only 1 is pretty young to be restricting her diet.

I don't want to stop a milk feed. I just want to stop breastfeeding when she doesn't seem that bothered anymore. I'm not restricting her calories. She eats well all day and has a good evening meal and then isn't much fussed about a milk feed before bed. She has a cup of formula in the day, milk with porridge and about 2 breastfeeds (when waking and before bed) I was just getting stressed that she needed milk before bed but I can't force her to drink it! Like tonight she had a bowl of cheesy pasta, some mashed up sweet potatoes and 1/3 banana. She's full at bedtime.

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Original poster

sunflowerandivy · 05/01/2023 19:38

thirdtimeluckyorwhat · 05/01/2023 19:06

I think most babies are given milk before bed either breast or bottle. If you want to stop the breast you could offer cows milk instead.

She's not bothered by any milk. I've tried breast (1-2 mins each side before pushing away), cows and formula at bedtime but she's not into it.

OP posts:

Choconut · 05/01/2023 19:38

Make sure you clean teeth after milk and don't leave them in bed with a bottle (where it can pool in their mouth and is most likely to cause decay.

Judgyjudgy · 05/01/2023 19:41

Choconut · 05/01/2023 19:38

Make sure you clean teeth after milk and don't leave them in bed with a bottle (where it can pool in their mouth and is most likely to cause decay.

This. Only give water before bed (unless it's breastmilk), but if they're not fussed with breastmilk, now would be a good time to sto that habit too

GeorgiePorge · 05/01/2023 19:42

I stopped breast feeding at 12 months... my son wouldn't take milk or formula after that either in a cup or bottle.

he definitely isn't missing out on the extra calories - has a varied diet and eats plenty of dairy and calcium so I've never given it any more thought.

if you are happy with their diet and calorie intake there is absolutely no need to have cows milk on top.

mondaytosunday · 05/01/2023 19:44

Nope they don't 'need' it. My daughter stopped the night before she turned one. I didn't give her anything then - if they are eating their meals they don't need anything just before bed. ( just googled it and several sites suggested it was good to stop bottles and milk at bedtime after babies turn 1).

Twizbe · 05/01/2023 19:49

My youngest self weaned from breastfeeding. At 12 months she was down to 2 feeds a day - morning and night.

Around 13/14 months maybe she lost interest in the bed time feed. She didn't want it so I didn't offer it. She did have a cup of soya milk like her big brother but she wasn't much into that either.

At 17 months she dropped her last feed and basically refused to breastfeed anymore. Again we offered her a cup of soya milk like her brother.

She's never really been into drinking milk since.

She doesn't need milk once she's 1 so if she doesn't want it don't force it

Twizbe · 05/01/2023 19:50

watchfulwishes · 05/01/2023 19:21

Why do you want to send her to bed without milk? It is an important source of calories at such a young age. Only 1 is pretty young to be restricting her diet.

There's always one 🙄

MGee123 · 05/01/2023 20:09

They don't need it but lots like it. Nice belly full of warm milk can be quite soothing! And milk contains high levels of tryptophans which are thought to help sleep. Up to you whether you give it or not. It's recommended from 1 year old they have 500ml ish of dairy products, that can be milk or yoghurt etc. Up to age 5 they should have a multivitamin - I use a liquid form and put this in her milk so if you're not giving milk make sure she has a multivitamin in another form.

dementedpixie · 05/01/2023 20:14

They only need 300/350mls of milk from age 1 and that doesn't all need to be in drink form so milk in cereal and dairy products count too.

And yes its advised to supplement vitamins A, C and D if taking less than 500mls of infant formula.

Birchtree1 · 05/01/2023 20:28

I exclusively breast fed both my children. By 10-12 months they would have had cows milk in the mornings, plenty of other calcium with their food and breast only for bedtime and in the night.
they both self weaned at 12/13 months and I didn’t replace this with extra milk. Just water in a sippy Cup.

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