Coffee? for a Bfeeding 17 Month Toddler 3 Times a Day

You said you quit coffee, but have you have any caffeine at all while breastfeeding? I found that caffeine (even in soda or tea) would give my baby diarrhea

I don't see anything wrong with drinking coffee. i am pregnant and stilll drink my coffee decaf ice coffee and a cup of 1/2 and 1/2 in the morning. if you really miss it try 1/2 caffeine coffee.

I drank one 8 oz cup of coffee per day starting 3 days after my daughter was born, continued through nursing her for 8 months, all the way through my pregnancy with my son, and then through nursing him. Everyone's fine, and they all slept no problem. Every kid is different, and I know some are sensitive to the caffeine, but at 17 months my guess is that (s)he'll be fine. (And before everyone attacks me, my OB who I trust immensely was entirely on-board with this).

My youngest is 4 months old, and almost every morning I have a cup of half caff. coffee. It doesn't seem to affect her in any way since she takes a nap shortly after I drink it and she nurses! If you're worried, try decaf, or try half a cup of the half caff. and see what happens. I think your baby is old enough to not notice one cup!

Oh dear, please have your coffee. Coffee is safe during pregnancy in reasonable amounts and it's also safe during breastfeeding. This is just another one of those things people tell you that makes breastfeeding so unappealing to American moms. I find it very sad that our culture loves to scare moms away from breastfeeding (i.e. no alcohol! no coffee! no mercury-laden fish!) (BTW, you can have a glass of wine or a beer as well and if you get ill, doctors can ALWAYS find an antibiotic that is safe to take while nursing). It boggles me that they would have us all think that feeding our kids sythetic oil-based formula products is better than breastfeeding if you happen to like coffee or have a glass a wine twice a week. If in doubt, think of the European moms! ;)

Oh, one more thing-- congratulations on breastfeeding your child into toddlerhood. What a wonderful gift you have given him/her. Warmest regards, C.

Ok, so I looked it up on kellymom (and read the same thing on other sites as well), because I have heard the same thing that CP said. In breastfeeding class they were telling us that newborns take about 96 hours to metabolize caffeine, so after 3 days they could have as much as a pot of coffee in their systems even if you only drink a little a day. But that is for newborns. Kellymom says that by age 4-9 mos, the half life of caffeine is the same as for adults, so it is out of their systems in a few hours.

Some babies are more sensitive than others. I did notice my son being more fussy even after iced tea all the way up to a year. But some babies don't have any issues. And at this age with only nursing a few times a day, it shouldnt be an issue. I would personally start out with just a cup a day and see how that goes. I cut out caffeine during pregnancy and nursing also, but occasionally I would drink something caffeinated. I would feel totally fine drinking a cup a day in your position. Don't let people tell you to stop nursing just to have a cup of coffee, that is just ridiculous.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/caffeine.html

Caffeine stays in the breastmilk/in your system for quite a while( I apologize I can't remember the half life. I think I read it on Kellymom.com thought) so it's not like you could drink it after nursing and it would clear your system before the next nursing but i would start with a cup one day and see how the baby does for a few days after and then go from there. Moderation is probably going to be the big key since baby has never been exposed to much caffeine.

Umm.... I write as I am drinking my second cup of coffee. I currently still nurse my 16 month old... :) I've been drinking coffee since she was about 4 months old.

I started with a 1/2 cup and worked my way up. Now I'm back to my regular 4 cups a morning. She doesn't seem affected by it.

J.

I've always drank Decaf when I was prego and BF both of my kids and never had a problem.

You would probably see the effects more in a younger child than a 17 month old. I wouldn't quit BFing just to have coffee as another poster suggested. Sheesh! I drank coffee all the time (and really I mean once a day) with my first. She wasn't a great sleeper, but she also didn't sleep better on the days I didn't have any and when she weaned it also didn't make a difference. With my son (also still 17 months and BFing), I still drink decaf, first thing in the morning. I might get a regular coffee if I'm going to be away from him for more than 5 hours because I read somewhere it takes about that long to get it out of your system although it depends to some extent on a person's own body. But, I found having regular coffee in the morning kept ME up at night and he was fine.

So my suggestion would be to either drink decaf (which still has some caffeine in it) or have one cup of regular in the morning and see how the baby does. If he/she doesn't nap well, then you may want to abstain. I personally use the Starbucks Via decaf coffee since I can have one cup of coffee without needing to make a whole pot. When I make a pot I drink way more than I intend. lol

In moderation it is fine. I have a cup of tea every morning, since starting to breastfeed my newborn.

I avoided it with my first, but in moderation there are no negative effects on the baby, so I'm doing it this time around --so says all the main "experts", check out LLL, Jack Newmann, Babycenter, etc.

Great job breastfeeding! I am not sure how much actual milk your little one is still getting but I think 1/2 cup - 1 cup (not mug) of coffee a day will be fine for you. I have read that caffeine levels peak about 1 hour after you drink it so what I like to do is breastfeed my son before his nap and then while he is napping, get some me time in with a nice weak cup of coffee. Or you could have the coffee after the goodmorning nursing session. Oh, and seriously, the first post about breastfeeding and coffee in moderation not being compatible is kinda dumb. Sorry.

When I took my Bfeeding class at the hospital, we were told that the caffeine stays in the babys system 80 times longer than it does in the mothers. Basically, she said that if we were to drink coffee the caffeine would be out of our systems in about 5 hours but in the babys for 80 hours. She said it was up to us if we wanted a baby with a buzz for that long! Just something to think about...

Hi Jilly, First I'd like to say GREAT job breastfeeding! Some of the, ummm ladies on here can be a little judgemental about things. Here are my two cents...
Have you tried decaf coffee? I drank decaf (which has a little caffine in it) the entire time I breastfed but stayed away from the regular stuff because I didn't want it to effect my DD sleep.
If decaf isn't cutting it, then try a little regular and see how it effects your baby.

Best of luck to you! You are doing a great job! I know plenty of women that drank coffee the entire time they were pregnant and breastfeeding!!!

I dont mean any disrespect what so ever. If you have gone with out it for 2 years why start again? Caffeine is so bad for you. I say, wait till you stop breast feeding and than see if you really want to start on that habit again. I hope I was not rude, not trying to be. Hope you make the best decission for your health.

Best wishes.

I am surprised you even miss it after giving it up. I gave up coffee years ago, then drank maybe one cup of decaf, then decided to start the day off with something cold. I don't miss coffee at all. Good luck and many blessings, S.

you got a lot of responses already. I am also a bf mom(of a 28mo old) who enjoys her coffee, you should definitely enjoy yours! I just wanted to respond to the post about decaf, please do not drink decaf. They use chemicals to remove the caffeine, which is MUCH worse than a little caffeine, for you or the baby. I would say to have your coffee after you have nursed, lets say in the morning. Then don't have any for about 2 hrs before you put the baby down for a nap or bed. That way there is no interruption of sleep. If you want another pick me up of java in the afternoon, go for it, just not too soon before baby needs to go to bed. I stick to the 2 hr thing, and it has worked for us. OB approved too :)
welcome back to java land! enjoy!!

If you don't like sleeping or your child sleeping, jump on the bandwagon.
I would suggest if you are so ready to drink coffee that you think about quitting breastfeeding. 1/2 cup in the morning may or may not do anything to him/her BUT it may. If the child is 17 months, you have breastfed longer than most children are breastfed. This way you can enjoy the things you want without putting him in harms way. What if he cannot sleep as well anymore whether it be as long or as often or as well? What if it causes him to sleep light and then wake up alot during the night and then no one is getting any good quality sleep? Lots to think about.

I suggest that you talk with a lactation specialist or your pediatrician. You could call the LeLeche office.

If it were me I might try a cup of decaf and see what happens. I think that it's the caffeine that causes us concern. and I'd drink it just after breast feeding so that it's the longest length of time before the next feeding. I think you might find that you will have the jitters if you begin drinking coffee with caffeine after abstaining for this long. You'll just have to try it and see what happens. Whatever happens will not have a permanent effect. You can adjust what you drink to get the results you want.

I applaud you for not drinking coffee for this long. Don't let anyone put you down for wanting to drink coffee now. You are a rare and special mother!

NO, your child's brain is being set up at this point. Sans chemicals.