Breastfed to Enfamil Next Step or Cow's Milk?

Milk is okay after 12 months. I had to put a little grape juice in it to get my daughter to drink it, at first. Congrats on breastfeeding so long!

My Ped said I could do either one, but he felt that there was no need to spend the money on the Next Step when Whole cow's milk and well rounded meals would satisfy all nutritional needs.

There's no reason to buy expensive formula once they turn 1. For that matter, there's no real reason to give cow's milk once they wean, either. The US Dairy Association has done a great job of advertising and lobbying in this country. In most parts of the world, people do not drink milk once they are weaned, or they drink goat's milk. It's healthier and more readily accessible than cow's milk. The US is the only country that puts a big emphasize on drinking cow's milk... and yet we're way down on the list when it comes to 'healthy' countries. Go figure.

Anyways... offer cow's milk once you wean but don't freak if he doesn't like it -- many breastfed babies don't. All the nutrients you find in cow's milk are found in other, healthier, foods.

Isn't it funny that the formula industry decided that they hadn't duped enough women out of money for 12 months and that they needed to add formula for toddlers? I'm sure you can guess what my opinion is...go for milk. There is absolutely no reason to use any version of formula for a breastfed baby and you can start milk at 12 months.
PM me for info on extended nursing. There's no reason to force-wean. Breastmilk is as beneficial at 2 years as it is at 2 months:) The WHO and UNICEF both recommend AT LEAST 2 years!

cows milk at a year unless your pediatrician suggests otherwise.

We just talked to our Dr. about this at our one year check up a month ago. He said that it was a waste to go to the toddler formula. All the nutrition that your little one needs he will get from table food and cow's milk. He told us to use whatever formula we had in the house and then switch to milk all the time (we already do milk in sippy cups for all meals). That was our first step and now we are almost there. We give him his formula bottle in the morning and his bed time bottle is milk.

I'd go with whole milk at that point

You got some good advice from the other moms, but I wanted to add that if you decide to continue breastfeeding a little longer, he doesn't need any additional milk at all if he's nursing at least 3-4 times per day. Even if he's just nursing once or twice, he could get the remainder of his fats/calcium/protein/etc. elsewhere. (Of course, like someone else said, milk isn't really necessary anyway -- it's just a convenient source of a variety of nutrients.) http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/toddler-foods.ht...

With my first daughter, I started weaning her at a year and transitioned her to whole milk. She weaned fully at 14 months (when I was 6 months pregnant with my 2nd) and continued to drink whole milk for the remainder of the year with no problems.

With my next two, they were still nursing so much at a year that I didn't bother buying whole milk. I would occasionally give some of the 1% milk that the rest of us drink in a sippy, but since they were nursing so much, I figured they weren't in need of the extra fat. My 2nd child weaned at 2 1/2 years, and my 18-month-old son is still nursing 5-10 times per day.

I don't know much about the next step formulas, so you could see what your doctor thinks based on your individual child, but I'm inclined to say that formula would be unnecessary.

I breastfed exclusively until my son was about a year old and I switched him straight over to cow's milk. I started with 1/4 milk, 3/4 breast milk for about a week, then 50/50, etc. He took to it like a champ!
Good luck and kudos on nursing! It's tough, but I have the healthiest kid ever and I like to think it's part because I nursed him.

I believe that after a year, he should be getting all of his nutritional needs met by table foods, so cow's milk should be sufficient. There is really no nutritional need for the Next Step formula if he eats well.

I did 2% with both boys. We went from the breast to the cup. I didn't see any reason to take away the best and then soon after taking away a bottle.

There is no need for the toddler formula. Your child will get everything he needs from table food and Vitamin D milk. Our doctor also put our daughter on a vitamin when she was weaned from formula. It just made sure she was getting everything she needed. She has always been a super picky eater though. To aid in the transition between breast milk and regular milk, I would recommend doing half and half for a bit. We did that and it worked wonders. We gradually worked our way up to all milk. I think it helped her get used to the taste. Your little guy is only 10 months old, so there's no need to wean yet, unless you're ready. As always, ask your doctor if you have any questions. What worked for others may not work for your little guy.

There is no reason a child over a year old would need formula. Formula really isn't good for babies. Cow's milk is fine at one year, so you could try it, although I tend not to think it is necessary, and so many people are lactose intolerant. If you do go with cow's milk, make sure it is organic. Soy milk and rice milk, and some orange juices, are also fortified with vitamins and minerals.

Hello, I would suggest nursing him as long as you can until at least 1 1/2 years old. I had to give my daughter goat's milk which is in a can- at Wal-Mart in the baking aisle. She got very sick from the Organic Cow's Milk so we put her on goat's milk. Our doctor said the goat's milk would be easier to digest since she was nursed for 16 months than cow's milk. So I would suggest goat's milk- the nutrition is very similiar to breast milk- unlike cow's milk which does not have similiar nutrition in it. Good luck.

A little about me- Stay at home mom of 4 children- ages 8,7, 2 1/2 and 9 months old.

Hi K.,

Congrats on BFing for this long! I would not waste your money on Next Step, plus all of that added iron....

I would go to organic whole milk (no added harmful hormones). When I switched my daughter I would start out in a bottle mix breast milk with regular milk...my daughter didn't have any issues switching over, but I still didn't want to quit one thing cold turkey and then start something new. You could alsways try at 1yr and see if he will take it without mixing.

You don't need to give him formula after weaning. At one year, kids can start to drink regular (cow's) milk. I started my son on yo baby yogurt when he weaned at 11 month. He didn't like to drink cow's milk so I started him on rice milk which worked out great for us.

Usually you can go to cow's milk as long as your son is a good eater, gaining weight etc. I wold ask your doctor if you are not sure. The toddler formula is really for children who do not get a healthy diet, do not get enough nutrition, and are not gaining weight as they should.

Hi! Whole milk is best until 2 y.o. After that switch to lowfat or skim. Don't waste your money on overrated and unnecessary toddler formulas! :)
I have a 23.5 month old, we still bf and it has worked out great. i had no idea we'd bf this long!
Best of luck to you.
K.

My last son, I bf for the whole year plus, and went to whole milk without any problems. Ironically, I have another son whom after breastfeeding, NEVER drank milk again. So, every child is different. Just slowly but surely figure out what works. Your son will let you know.

I nursed our daughters until they were 14 and 16 months old. I introduced whole cow's milk in a sippie cup after they turned a year old. Made the transition from breast milk to whole milk gradual and easy, and even a little fun for them with a cute little cup. Now that organic milk is readily available, I'd use it. That's all we buy now, it's much better and totally worth the extra cost. Congrats on breastfeeding! Very, very good for you!!

Whole milk until she's two.