If you bf your baby - when it came to weaning what milk did you use in cereal etc?

[Caz10]

dd is 6.5mths and has started on some solids, mainly BLW but I'm trying a bit of (very respectful !) spoon feeding too. She's had some toast but I'm conscious of not giving her that all the time when she starts to have more regular brekkies, so wanted to try weetabix, porridge etc.

I've read/heard conflicting things re cows milk, and don't know what would be "best" at her age - she will eventually have to get some day time formula feeds when I go back to work, but somehow making up cereal with formula seems wrong. But I also don't want to do damage by overloading her with dairy.

Could anyone else advise/tell me what they decided for a bf baby? Thanks!

I tried expressing but found it hard going tbh, I think my supply is pretty static and it was taking ages just to get a few drops.

I sometimes make up weetabix with a bit of warm water and lots of fruit puree and other days I use full fat cows milk (as recommended by HV) and dd seems to really like it. I also mix it with yoghurt sometimes too. I figure since dd is still getting all of her normal breastfeeds, she is not losing out on getting any milk so cows milk/yoghurt is complimentary, if you see what I mean.

DD is 7 months by the way.

I used expressed breast milk.

Cow's milk is fine from six months though, in cooking and on cereals. It's not suitable as the main source of milk because it doesn't have the right balance of nutrients, but the small quantities you will use in cooking are absolutely fine.

I used cows milk - I am too lazy to express as it takes me hours and hours

only expressed for the first few times, have been making porridge and rice with water and fruit puree but I may start with cow's milk some time soon. my DD is also 6.5 months

I expressed milk for breakfast for about 1 month until someone told me that cows milk in breakfast cereal was fine from 6 months! I've never been so glad to put the pump away! (Ds was nearly 7 months)

I remember I was expressing every other morning, half for that morning and half for the next day. I'd have to wake up early to express as my milk was best in the morning, that was the worst thing tbh, DS was still sound asleep and I was labouring away to get 5 oz out!
Now, DS gets a breastfeed when he wakes, then about half an hour later has breakfast.

Don't mess about with formula, just start with the cows milk!

Although... another tip is rather adding milk to food then offering water, add water to food and give DS a breastfeed! Not for me personally, but an idea nonetheless!

Can get baby porridge that you can make with water.

I just make porridge with water .. zap some oats in the microwave with some water, mix with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some raisins, et voila, breakfast. He usually wangles a BF before and after this (I draw the line at during).

At this age, I would express from one breast while DD was feeding on other breast so that DD could have something to soak her shreddies in.
A month later, I came to the conclusion that maybe formula wasn't that evil, especially as I was feeding her all sorts by then. Probably has more nutrition than water ?

just cows milk (and semi-skimmed at that as I didn't want to buy full fat for just a wee splosh in her weetabix every day ). All the info I got from the HV said that it was OK in cooking etc, just not as a main drink.

I've always used cows milk too. I stopped being able to express at around 7 months and didn't see the point in using formula when she was getting all the nutrients from the breastmilk anyway ...

Thanks all for your answers, v interesting.

She's had porridge with mainly water then a dash of cows milk in it so far...mainly because I couldn't remember how to make up the formula and didn't want to get it wrong!

Like the sound of the greek yoghurt stuff (for me too!)

Thanks!

PFB - EBM
NSC - cows milk

I gave mine cow's milk from 6 months on cereal, when making cheese sauce etc.

you can make any porridge with water. i prefer it so. should think the amount of milk you are going to use won't matter. formula is cows milk so no point in paying a lot more for it.

good point fishie

I am using breast milk for my 6 month old cereals. But I have just started formula feeding at night, so when I get up in the morning, my breasts are very full and I can express about 10oz in about 15 mins! So I do that in the morning and keep a bottle in the fridge for mixing with foods and freeze some if I have alot. I have started freezing in ice cube trays too so I can just defrost a tiny bit for food if needed.

You can use full fat milk though and I will do if/when I cant express so easily or whatever

Thanks for this post. I was looking for just this advice on milk etc.

So confused by all the conflicting advice and practice out there. I don't feel anyone has given me authoritative advice on weaning and I'm totally feeling my own way. Have been quite quick to give DS (6.5 months) wide range of foods inc. meat, dairy and eggs and then I read things that suggest waiting for some of these things until 9 months. All such a worry. I just want him to grow as he's small at the moment and I don't want to be filling him up with veg all the time.

it's hard isn't it sebbysmum? lots of conflicting advice everywhere

i think that if you have waited till 6mths, pretty much anything goes other than honey, nuts and shellfish, although obviously you might want to be cautious if there is a family history of allergies.

We've certainly been trying anything and everything! (not much going in though!)

I just used cow's milk for cereal. I even used semi skimmed until she was actually having milk to drink as i wasn't going to buy the whole milk just for splash on cereal.