Breastfeeding After Age 1.

No, god, don't introduce milk if you don't have to! Breastmilk is still best at this age, don't decrease! Start introducing healthy foods like avocado, sweet potatoes, mushy bananas(not too many they are constipating at first!), grains like quinoa or millet and other easy to digest foods. Start your baby off right, don't introduce any junky foods and be weary of diary (especially milk). As a health Counselor and mom, I hypothesize that introducing foods too early (and the wrong foods) can have negative effects on digestive function later in life. Check out http://askdrsears.com and http://www.llli.org/ for more information. Good Luck!

They don't actually need cow's milk for nutrition. I never introduced it. DD drinks breastmilk and water at 2. If you are planning to actively wean her, then I guess you should start milk, but if breastfeeding is going well for both of you, keep doing it. Seriously, it is a wonderous substance for toddlers. It definitely helps cut down on tantrums (in my house at least) and with all the bumps and bruises they get as they get more active, it is a wonderful comfort for them. And all the immunological benefits are still there helping your baby.

So if you are just considering it because "they" say to introduce it at 1, don't. No need for milk if you are breastfeeding. Just keep breastfeeding. It's really great for her even at this age.

Breastmilk is for babies...cows milk is for cows! :)

If you want to continue to nurse that is GREAT! No supplement needed. You can give your child milk with meals if you so choose, but you don't HAVE to!

Don't introduce milk... keep breastfeeding for as long as you can... it is the healthiest thing you can do for your baby!!!

My son is 15 months old, and I breastfeed 4 times per day. The WIC people told me to give him milk after he turn 1, and when I asked them how much I should give him if I was still breastfeeding, they were completely clueless (Im guessing most WIC mothers dont breastfeed past 1 year). So I tried milk, he hated it, it made him constipated, so I stopped. He now has cheese and yogurt, and I make his morning oatmeal with milk instead of water. Thats 2-3 servings, which is all he needs. I am pretty anti-cows milk in pourable form, because its easy to drink too much without realizing it, and I think Americans drink way too much milk.
So to answer your question, I dont think its about how much MILK he gets, but how much dairy. 2-3 servings should be good, even if you are breastfeeding.

If your continuing to nurse, there's no need to supplement. But, when your ready to wean, you may have to try different things. I nursed my son for 15 mos & my daughter for 14 mos. My son never took a bottle & refused milk for about a month after we weaned. He finally decided to try milk when I poured a drop of my tea in his sippy cup. Since then, he still only drinks flavored milk. My daughter on the other hand took a week or so & then just drank milk from a bottle without any problems. Just introduce it every so often like you would with a new food.

My advice would be to introduce the milk at meals and then take cues from the child as to how much the child wants to nurse. It will gradually decrease as he/she gets used to the milk. My experience is that toddlers still want the connection that breastfeeding gives them even if they are getting the calories from milk.

Good for you for continuing to nurse past a year.
Did you know that breastmilk changes as the baby grows. If you had a premie your milk would be specially designed to meet the needs of a preterm baby. A healthy fullterm newborn's mom has milk just right for that baby and as baby nurses into toddlerhood mom's milk changes again to meet the way that a toddler nurses and their needs. Our bodies are amazing. Remember that it is our culture that dictates for many women whatever age she chooses to wean her baby, wheather it is 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, whatever. Biologically, babies and moms are designed to nurse for many, many months and it is biologically normal to nurse well into toddler hood and even older.
The AAP recommends that breastmilk is the primary source of nutrition for at LEAST 1 year and then as long after as mutually desired. Unfortunately, people often interpret that as up to a year. The World Heath Organization recommends nursing for at LEAST two years.
If you feel that you need some added support for nursing an older baby you may want to find a local La Leche League group near you. The great thing about LLL is that they offer info and support for the early weeks and for as long as mom is breastfeeding. Some groups even have toddler meetings. Check out www.llli.org .
As a previous poster stated, human milk is designed for human babies. There is no need to give your baby the breastmilk of a cow if you do not want to. You can offer your baby whole milk yogurt or cheese if you want to have other forms of dairy in her/his diet. Nurse for as long as you are both happy. Also, just like when they were younger a toddler will have periods of nursing more frequently when teething or growing and have times when they are busy and nurse less. That is all normal. Enjoy this time with your little one at your breast. It goes by fast.

N.,

We introduced milk at mealtimes in a sippy cup. I still nurse as well (my daughter is now 15 months old) and it has not changed her want for nursing just that she doesn't nurse shortly after a meal. I also just weaned my daughter from her mid morning nurse since we got rid of that nap. She nurses anywhere from 2 to 4 times a day. Basically when she naps, goes down for the night and anytime during the night.

Good luck,
L. M

I would recommend offering a sippy cup of milk with her regular meals. This way you won't have to deal with bottles, and you will introduce milk.
I did this with my daughter and she ended up loving milk.
With my firstborn, I did not introduce cow milk until much later, and he was finally 4 by the time he started to like it.
Just keep breastfeeding at a pace that suits you and your baby. I feel one thing has nothing to do with the other.

We were lucky that my son took right to milk with no problem. I introduced it by making a "milkshake" with yogurt, milk and juice in a bottle every morning. He loved it and drank it for months every day for/with breakfast. 4oz yogurt, 4oz milk, 2oz juice (started with apple). We did organic till he was about 18 months. He's 20 months now and still BF 2-3 times a day, now more for comfort than anything else. Now he drinks straight milk with dinner and warmed milk with ovaltine with breakfast. Juice at lunch, water between meals.

I say if you are comfortable nursing still, then go for it. I nursed my first until he was 18 months old. It is not to often you hear of that in this country. But, if you and your baby are ready to cut back, then by all means start adding in the regular milk. It is totally up to you. I think breastfeeding is a wonderful thing, and it is great that you made it the first year!

Hi N.,

I nursed until after age 2. Breast milk is best for human babies.

Good luck,
: ) Maureen

i'm w/ carrie. my current one yr old is still nursing and we will keep it that way till she desides she is done. due to food allergies w/ one of my boys they drink soy or rice milk. my husband offered to her once, and she looked at him "like he had 6 heads" he said :) your milk will give her what she needs!!
both my boys nursed until they were 2 or older.
congrats on bfing this long!! go mommy power!!
:)M.

Here I go again...you Mums must be tired of reading this !!!
For all of history, before the year 2000, women nursed their babies until they were two. Two is the weaning year.
Not five weeks, not four months, not eight months or even a year.
DO NOT WORRY about nursing your darling daughter...it strengthens the mother/child bond as well as many other benefits ... comfort,a sense of safety, a self confidence..there is much more to nursing than milk.
That being said...offer her drinks in a sippy cup at mealtime or for snacks..juice, water, milk...whatever.
She is at an age to start to learn how to drink from a cup.
At a year I think I mostly nursed at naptimes and bedtimes and if they woke in the night.
Didnt keep track actually.
She will give it up when she is ready to give it up dear...
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

I continued nursing my son well over a year several times a day. Around age 1, I just started giving him whole organic milk in a sippy cup (he was used to drinking water from a cup by then), a few ounces at a time a couple of times a day. He didn't like it at first, but now he is a voracious milk drinker! I just upped the amount slowly, especially when my milk supply dropped due to the next pregnancy. I would say, just continue nursing as you are doing and give milk once in a while to get used to it. Your breastmilk still has more and better nutrition than cow's milk, so that's what you should be providing, as long as you can and want to.

I agree and strongly applaud Carrie D's response. I nursed each of my children well past 1 year and it's been a great experience. Still not done yet and I've been at it 10 years straight. Keep on nursing!!!