Didn’t breastfeed toddler, to give him expressed colostrum this time?

[Tinata]

I had my first 20 months ago and got absolutely nowhere with breastfeeding/expressing so turned to formula pretty quickly. I feel fine about that decision but now I’ve managed to harvest colostrum for #2 much more easily I now feel guilty that my toddler didn’t get any (or almost none). Should I give him some of my syringes of expressed colostrum now, even mixed in with his cow’s milk bottle? Is that weird? 🙈 is it a waste of time? I feel like it can only do him good

I'm not medically qualified but.. firstly don't feel guilty about not bfing your toddler. Secondly there are probably more benefits from giving him a healthy varied diet now than giving him colostrum, which is designed for newborns.

@Likeaburstcouch i did think that but didn’t know if there was any sort of essential things in it he might still benefit from

I used to give my then toddler some expressed milk as I had had my first covid jab and wanted to give him a chance of getting some protection, but I would save all the colostrum for the baby if it were me.

It can't hurt him. I think I would prioritise the baby, but if you don't end up using it, there's no harm in giving it to your toddler and it might have some benefits.

Agree that you should not feel guilty. It's impossible to treat them both exactly the same, and that's totally OK.

Don’t beat yourself up about not breastfeeding him.

But also don’t give him colostrum now. Save it for your newborn. Your toddler will benefit from a balanced diet with lots of nutrients, which I’m sure you provide, but not really from colostrum at this point.

Thanks all!