When Hailey was born my hope was to breastfeed her for 1 year. Do you know how long 1 year seems in the beginning when I cried in pain every time she latched? So imagine my surprise when here we sit, almost 13 months later, still nursing.
I nursed Hailey four times a day at 10 months. Once she turned 11 months, it was three times a day. At 1 year, we dropped to morning and night. Then, we got stuck.
I have no intention of nursing Hailey through her second birthday (not that there is anything wrong with that!), but I wasn’t comfortable dropping nursing all together until she was established on cow’s milk.
Though I considered whether milk was even necessary, then considered all the alternative options, like goat’s milk, I ultimately decided we’d go the classic route of cow’s milk unless Hailey had problems with it. (If you are interested in the discussion of cow’s milk versus other options, Emily wrote a great post about milk options for baby)
About a week before Hailey turned one, I decided to give milk a try.
Hailey grabbed the cup, took a swig, then in shock, opened her mouth and let the white waterfall escape. I guess she was expecting water.
I tried again and she MAYBE had a sip or two before she would just shove it away. Great, my kid that eats everything hates milk.
I thought that was my only concern, until later that day I noticed she had hives. Well, I didn’t know they were hives. They looked like mosquito bites around her wrists and ankles.
She didn’t seem bothered by them and I couldn’t be sure they were from the milk. I had also given her strawberries that day, and though she had eaten those before, allergies can develop overtime. Either way, I didn’t want to bother upset her system with her party only a few days away, so I put the milk away.
After her birthday came and went, I decided it was time to give milk another try. Armed with Benadryl, just in case, I poured milk into her cup. Unfortunately she hadn’t developed a taste for it and took only a sip or two before shoving it away. No hives developed though.
The next day I tried again. A sip or two at best, but again, no hives. By then I felt confident that the hives were a freak accident. Though relieved at that fact, I still had a challenge. Hailey hated milk.
I asked the doctor what to do and she suggested I give her soy or sweeten the milk, since breast milk is much sweeter than cow’s milk. Neither option sat right with me, until I realized I didn’t necessarily have to sweeten the milk with sugar. I could use fruit.
Thus, banana milk was born. (I kid, I doubt I’m the first one to think of this).
I started blending 1/2 a banana with 5-6 ounces of milk. It worked. Where as Hailey had been drinking an ounce at most, she started drinking 3-4 ounces throughout the day. Success!
She is now drinking about 6 ounces of banana milk throughout the day. I feel successful with that. I plan on upping the amount to 10-14 ounces a day, blended with a whole banana, then slowly wean off on the banana and give my magic bullet a break.
Now that she’s drinking milk (or banana smoothies- it’s all how you market it 
), I feel more comfortable weaning.
She nurses about 10 minutes total in the morning and only about 5 at night, so I plan on dropping the night feeding soon.
I’d be lying if I said emotionally I was fine with being done with breastfeeding. I’m not 100% there yet. Though I look forward to the freedom and I feel confident Hailey’s nutritional needs are being met, it means saying goodbye to a very special chapter in my life.
Though I know I can’t nurse her forever, nor do I want to, I think when I get to the final morning nursing session, I might shed a few tears.
I’ll be back to discuss different types of cow’s milk and what Hailey is drinking, but I figured I’ve chatted your ear off enough for one day!
Cheers!
Did your child like milk immediately?
What kind of milk does your child drink?
Erica says
You are such a genius! I’d be sure to tell your doctor what you came up with next time you see him so he can tell other Mom’s to try it!
Joanna @ Midwestern Bite says
So…once H is weaned off breast milk, you then have to wean the Magic Bullet off banana? Awesome 😉
P is getting to the age where this is our next step. I think I am going to keep things as is till his one year appointment and then start this process. I am hoping morning feeding will be last to go. I am looking forward to the freedom dropping the evening feeding will allow. I can stay out past 7:30. Woo hoo!
Still, you are totally right. It is the end of a special time in both our lives. Sniff sniff.
Brittany says
I know- a much longer weaning process than I first thought! haha.
Looking forward to the freedom definitely keeps me motivated to stick with it!
Susan @ Real Life Travels says
Caden never had an issue, he loved himself some milk however he went from breastmilk to formula to cows milk so I’m sure he was happy to have anything besides smelly formula 🙂
Also keep in mind she’s getting her serving from food too! Yogurt, cheese etc. also you may want to Try putting cereal in a little bowl of milk, let it soak up some milk an she can pick up the cereal!
Caits says
My girl stopped really drinking formula a couple of months ago. We powered through and added it to her food, tried different cups, and tried just to force it. She really just did not like the taste. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I started with whole milk mixed half and half with formula. Success! She has started drinking again! Now we’re onto to just whole milk and she seems to like it pretty well. I wouldn’t want to drink the formula either. yuck. 🙂 She’ll be one on Sunday… ohmygosh.
Melody says
It is very emotional and you will miss it. I remember after weaning I missed that connection and I tried to nurse (for my benefit only as my baby pushed away) and it hurt! All dried up. You as a parent will have SO many of those moments. My son is now 8 and doesn’t want to hold my hand anymore. You miss things but it’s part of them growing up 🙂 PS. I remember looking at myself in the mirror after my milk stopped producing……hopefully it won’t be as traumatic for you. I lost an entire cup size and all the perkiness! So worth it though.
Brittany says
Oh, trust me, it’s as traumatic. “The girls” aren’t what they use to be for sure. Oh well, like you said, worth it! 😉
Lauren B. says
What a great tip! Breast feeding is my favorite time with Jackson, and I already know that weaning will be difficult for me when he’s 15 years old. Kidding! But really, I’m going to be so sad when that time comes.
Beth says
Great post and idea with mixing banana with the milk! We are coming up on one and it will be time to switch over to whole milk. I hope it is a smooth transition. I stopped pumping at 9 months, couldnt take it any longer. Livie took forever breastfeeding and me being a working mom just didnt have much time so I pumped after three months or so solely. I had a hard time giving that up, cant imagine the boob 🙂 . You are so lucky you have gotten to experience that with her for so long! I am hoping our second babe is more efficient. Good luck with the transition!
nicole @ making good choices says
great post! another one for me to file away!
Christina says
I noticed H was drinking out of a straw cup, and I’m just curious at what age you started offering her a cup, and how readily she took to drinking out of a cup? My daughter is about 9 months old, and I recently started offering her a cup with water, and she wants nothing to do with it. I’m worried she’ll be drinking out of a bottle forever! Any tips?
Brittany says
I started offering her a straw cup with water around 6 months when she started solids.
I messed up and stopped giving her bottles when she was little because it was such a pain for me. Hailey never was great at taking bottles after I quit for so long, so she really didn’t even know she had another option.
Have you tried the squeeze pouches of puree? Hailey understood how to suck those up really quickly, which I think helped her transition into knowing what to do with a cup and straw.
Good luck!
melissa says
My son did the same thing He only had breastmilk for a year and his first sip of whole milk he spit right back out I freaked out too thinking i would have to breast feed forever but what worked for me is i mixed half breast milk half whole milk for awhile and he would drink that and eventually I dropped the breast milk now he loves milk Also I figured out he would not drink milk out of the same sippy cup that he drank his water from I think he was expecting water too So i bought sippy cups with a soft spout and he drank it out of that
Katie@PopCultureCuisine says
I completely weaned Kheri just after her first birthday, but mostly because I was ready to have my body back. Right when she turned one we dropped the night feeding first and then a week later the morning session. I was finiding it was more for just comfort first thing and a little cuddle session now fits the bill. However, we also had some problems with introducing cow’s milk out of nowhere. It took a few days, but now I can get her to drink about a large sippy cup’s worth ovet the course of the day. I typically just offer it with meals and she usually will take the most over lunch. I have talked with other moms and not all kids LOVE milk and Kheri is getting plenty of yogurt and cheese too, so that also makes up for it. Now as far as weaning, I do have a bit of mom guilt that she wasn’t totally ready because usually every time I pick her up she loves to put her hand down my shirt and place it on my boobs haha…I’ve gotten used to it and I’m not really sure this has anything to do with the fact that she was weaned quickly because she did it too while still nursing. But man it cracks me up that for comfort she will immediately stick her hand down my shirt at all times, but while cute I am hoping she grows out of that because it could get a little awkward later on haha.
Kimberly @ Healthy Strides says
Our switch to milk was a very gradual process. I was antsy, I’ll admit, as we had been using formula at that point (I had supply issues) and was ready to be unburdened of the cost. BUT, I knew it wasn’t practical to just shove a cup in his hand. I started by doing 1/3 milk and 2/3 formula and, over the course of a couple weeks, he went to 100 percent milk. Miles can be a bit fussy with it at times, and I was in the habit for a while of giving him smoothies to get in milk – and fruit, of which he is not a fan.
Danielle says
Charlie is almost two and this is still a battle we wage. He just really doesn’t like milk. We tried everything, even resorting to chocolate milk to see if he’d drink that- no dice. We supplement a lot with yogurt, cheese and cream cheese. I think some kids just really aren’t a fan of milk. I never thought about making a smoothie though- I am totally trying that. Brilliant!
Brittany says
I agree with you completely that yogurt, cheese, etc is great at getting great nutrition into them. I’m still not 100% sold that milk is the end all-be all people make it out to be anyway 🙂
Jessie @ Graze With Me says
What a great idea to add banana! You really should tell her doctor about that, I shudder to think how many moms aren’t that smart who are adding sugar or chocolate syrup to their baby’s milk….ugh. We’re at the same point, nursing wise, as you. Lyric nurses on both sides in the morning and just 1 side at night. I’m prob going to drop the bedtime one soon & then just let her make the call on her morning session.
Brittany says
I think I’ll follow the same plan as you- drop bedtime and let morning fade away on it’s own. I like the idea of making it her call. Good luck!
ChasingHallie says
Great post! I am so confused on what to do for Molly (we are weaning off of formula). She is very dependent on her bottles after waking up from naps so not sure how to remedy that.
I would be very interested in hearing Hailey’s daily schedule if you don’t mind sharing.
Brittany says
Have you tried giving her a snack when she wakes up instead of a bottle? Sometimes I’ll give Hailey a cheese stick if she’s cranky when she wakes up!
ChasingHallie says
I haven’t yet. Trying to figure out when I really want to disrupt our schedule (which is working).
I hate to rock the boat too much. We have tried giving her just a little bit of cows milk with lunch and dinner but she prefers water.
Jasmina says
Thank you for the IDEA 😉 my son hates milk as well and does not like his formule much either so I am going to give banana milik a try 🙂
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
Hailey has awesome facial expressions. I always love the pictures of her.
Paige @ Your Trainer Paige says
Great idea!!! I think *I* might even like banana milk, haha 🙂
Heather @ What Does She Do All Day? says
Aw, it is a bittersweet day the last time you nurse. Cupcake weaned at 15 months, but here I am a year later nursing a new little one!!! Cupcake didn’t take to milk right off the bat. I mixed breastmilk with cow’s milk and slowly adjusted the ratio until she went to straight milk. Now at 2.5 she can’t get enough of it!
Erika says
I mixed pumped breastmilk with cows milk before just giving my son straight cow’s milk. I gradually increased the cow milk and reduced the breastmilk amount until it was all cow’s milk.
Amanda @ Sistas of Strength says
I think I’m lucky because I just have a very non-picky kid when it come to this stuff. He was breastfed in the beginning, but had no problem switching between pumped milk and nursing. Then had no problem switching between breastmilk and formula. Then had no problem switching to milk.
We dealt with some serious spit ups back in the day (still not sure what it was from since it was from breastmilk and formula), but otherwise he was okay.
Not sharing to brag, but just giving hope to some of the moms out there who are scared to switch from one thing to the other. Sometimes it’s no big deal! 🙂
Dolores says
Can you please tell me what kind of straw cup Hailey is using? We have been using the Munchkin straw cup with our 11 month old but he cannot seem to suck hard enough to get the liquid out. He has can suck hard enough to get the liquid out of my straw and glass and in fact 50 % of the time he ends up sucking too much and coughing. Can anybody out there give me some reccomendations for a straw cup?
Brittany says
She has a combo. My favorite right now is her Thermos brand cup, but we picked up some cheapo no-name brand straw cups for $4 at Target yesterday. Hoping they work just as well!
GwendeLynn Adams says
We LOVE the camelbak! Perfect size, and so easy to tradition to.
Molly @ Duchess of Fork says
Julia didn’t like milk at first. I first mixed milk with formula until I slowly phased the formula out. She also likes it slightly warm, which is strange, because I never warmed her bottles. She gets 5 oz of milk 3 times a day and I mic it for about 20 seconds. She loves it now!
dani says
haha i love her faces 🙂 she looks like she has so much personality!
Amy says
I nursed my son until he was 30 months old (only morning & night were left at that point). When I started him on milk, I mixed breast milk with milk, slowly lessening the breast milk until he was drinking all cow’s milk (over a week or two). Why don’t you think that is a good option? No offense, but that makes much more sense than giving her a smoothie with texture plus extra sweetness!
Brittany says
I think it’s a great option and I’m so glad it worked so well for you! Hailey won’t take breast milk anyway except straight from the source. I blame myself for that since I stopped giving her bottles a long time ago. We’ve tried breast milk through bottles and cups and she won’t drink it. Luckily the banana doesn’t actually change the texture much and it’s working really well for us right now 🙂
Marci says
smart!
Chantal says
I’m not looking forward to that whole process, though it’ll probably be some time from now. Penny nurses 6-8 times a day still (she’s nearly 10 months) with no signs of stopping. She doesn’t really drink water much either, though sometimes we give her freshly squeezed juice (mostly veggies). I need a sippy cup with a straw, since she loves drinking from one! Oh, and we don’t plan on giving her cow’s milk at all. She will get almond milk, if that.
Jen@HealthyFoodandFamily says
Genius idea!!! Aiden was the only one I breastfed and he was also 13 months when we stopped. He HATED cow’s milk so I did half soy, half cow until he got used to the taste of cow’s milk.
Brittany @Berries and Barbells says
My first is severely allergic to dairy so he drank a hypoallergenic formula for the first 2 years of his life. When he turned two we switched to rice milk and almond milk. Now that he is 3 we are slowly introducing dairy products. I have started with cooked dairy first and will introduce cheese and milk later. Thus far he seems okay but he still drinks almond milk.
My 1 year old drinks organic cows milk. He didn’t LOVE it at first (he was pretty attached to breastfeeding) but he learned to like it over time. He is 14 months old now and is fully weaned and drink 20-26 oz. of milk a day.
Presley @ Run Pretty says
What a brilliant idea! I have to remember that in case Maddux doesn’t like milk.
I love her face in the third picture!
Christie says
Banana milk? Genius! Such smart thinking- good job, Momma!
I remember feeling so ready to be done with breastfeeding, but found it surprisingly difficult when the time actually came. There is some sadness to it for the Mom as well, that is for sure!
Paulina says
Just this week, I started replacing one of my daughters bottles (which she gets while I’m at work) with a mix of half breastmilk/half whole milk. Next week she will get all whole milk in her sippy cup with her lunch at daycare. I think I’m done pumping, I brought my pump to work the last two days in case I felt uncomfortable, but haven’t used it at all!!!
Elizabeth says
Hi Brittany! Hailey is SO cute! I think your idea to make the banana milk is ingenious 🙂 It does seem to me like you’re pushing pretty hard for her to like it though, although you say you’re not sure if it’s the end all be all… Whitney is a little over 2 1/2 and she hardly drinks any milk at all. She bfed for 14 months, and the last few months it was never from a bottle, so I don’t know if that has anything to do with it, or she just doesn’t like it.. At first I offered it to her regularly, and she would only take one sip, and now she probably drinks 1/2 cup per week in cereal or a few sips of my milk when I offer. She’s not a huge dairy lover in general (except ice cream!) and my doctor said not to worry about it at all. I do give her a calcium supplement (nature’s plus) when I remember, and she eats other sources of calcium like leafy greens, broccoli, sesame seeds (in hummus) fresh orange juice, and nuts. She pretty much only drinks water, no other milk substitute. xoxo
Brittany says
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, you’re right. I did get a little anxious about her drinking milk. I want her to drink some, though I’m not nearly as concerned with her drinking as much as doctor’s recommend. H eats a lot of yogurt and cheese, too, and I know one of the big pushes for dairy is the fats, but since she eats a lot of avocado, oils, etc, so I’m not too worried about it, same as you are with Whitney. 🙂 Sounds like you have a great doc, too! I’m jealous. I need a new one!
Muna says
I am looking for a good straw cup for my almost 11 month old. Which straw cup is Hailey using in the pictures here? Thanks!
Brittany says
We don’t do cow’s milk in our house, but we do do cheese and yogurt here and there and of course ice cream. I’m a little lactose intolerant and typically feel way better when I’m not eating dairy. 🙂 SO, that passes on to my 11.5 month old. I plan on continuing to breastfeed her until at least 2 years as long as she is still interested because we’re both comfortable for now. Plus I’m with you on the being in tons of pain in the beginning and when I was thinking about having to continue for a YEAR I was so confounded on how I would ever accomplish that. I figure I worked too hard to stop now! :p
Hehe, anyway, when we do wean I plan on just switching to almond and coconut milk since that’s what we use in our house. I’m not opposed to her having the random glass of cow’s milk here and there at grandma’s house or something, but its something we’ll probably avoid for the most part. 🙂
And the banana milk is genius! My nephew (who I watch four days a week) is obsessed with chocolate milk and I hate the sugar rush it gives him! And they always have browning bananas sitting around so this is perfect to use on my days with him! 🙂
Ashley says
Thank you so much for this post!! I was beginning to think that we were out of options. My daughter is going to be 14 months old and LOVES the banana milk. I hope you don’t mind, but I added a link to your page for this tutorial on my blog. http://www.ashleymichellesmithphotography.blogspot.com/p/mommy-business.html
I was SO HAPPY I stumbled upon your blog 🙂
Jeanne says
Hi Brittany! I follow your blog and love all of your ideas for toddler foods. I have a 16 month old that has been on a milk strike since we took the bottle away. She was able to make the switch from formula to cows milk no problem.. but once it was out of the bottle.. it was out of the question. I talked to her doctor and they didnt seem too concerned as long as she eats her yogurt, cheese, etc and is getting it elsewhere. But for some reason it still doesnt sit right with me. My daughter is not a huge fan of bananas although I am going to try the banana milk.. do you have any other ideas of something natural to sweeten the milk with?
Brittany Dixon says
If she likes cows milk just fine, I’d try different kind of cups. Have you tried sippy, straw or just using a big-kid cup (with supervision of course :))? I wouldn’t think you would need to sweeten it since likes it! Let me know how it goes!
Amy says
This is awesome! My baby girl will be 1 on wed and so far, she is not a fan of milk. Definitely trying this!
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Michelle says
Brittany!
I read this blog and couldn’t stop laughing this is the mirror of my life right now! I have been researching and researching and research what type of milk to switch my daughter too. We’ve tried goat milk a few times but does the exact same thing you mentioned with your daughter…drools it right back out like she was expecting water. She is 13 months now and I’m slowly cutting out breastfeeding, I believe it is having more of an emotional toll on me then her, but for both of us it’s time to wean. I cannot believe I have not thought of banana milk…something so simple, easy, and unique! Thank you for this blog and an answer to my madness!
Sara Beth says
At the beginning of this article I was chuckling, by the end I had tears rolling :). I just started weaning my 14 month old. I neither had NO idea how emotional it would be considering the pain in the beginning. I don’t believe I will be able to have another child and the end of breastfeeding makes me surprisingly sad…..when my baby was a month old I thought I would be throwing a party and kiss breast feeding goodbye……no one told me, A. How hard the beginning of breastfeeding would be. AND B. How hard the end would be. Thanks for the sweet article!!
Courtney says
Banana milk?! Amazing!! I have a 14 month old that’s still nursing but I wanted to start introducing milk to. I tried so many different ways and in every different cup I had……nothing worked until I read your article and tried banana milk! She loves it!! Thank you!
Concerned mummy says
Oh my, so glad that your daughter is a milk guzzler now. I stress so much because my almost one year old won’t drink anything other than breast milk – she occassionally has a couple of sips of water from a sippy cup when it is offered to her and that is it. She won’t even have much breastmilk and is refusing it a lot at the moment. I give her yoghurt and want to wean her to stop me stressing so much about her breastfeeding, but I stress a lot more generally about how little she drinks. She won’t drink from a bottle or any of the cups that we’ve tried. Her nappies are not very wet. I will try giving her banana milk (cow’s milk). Any other suggestions or stories of mums that have had similar experiences with their bub would be most appreciated.
Roxy says
Can I please just tell you how useful this post has been. Well, I’ve not put into practice yet, but i plan to and hope that I too stop the pumping and eventually the BF. my baby is 15 months old and i still have to pump at least 2 times a day and breast feed when I’m home and at night because she did not like milk! Thank you so much!
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Faye says
Hi I know these posts are older but I have an 11 1/2 month old so I just started thinking about milk options.. I haven’t had time to read all of your blog posts but I am so happy to find someone who has had very similar experiences. Thank you for sharing!
Whitiney says
Thank you so so so much for writing about this!! I’m in the exact same place with my 16 month old little guy and was kind of freaking out. I’m definitely going to give the banana smoothies a try! Again, from the bottom of my mama heart, thank you!
Jo says
I know this is an older post, but, what cup is she using in the picture? My daughter will only take milk from her bottle (she’s almost 13 months). She will drink water out of a sippy and straw, just not milk. Any suggestions would be helpful! thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
I wish I could help, but that cup is long gone. I imagine I got it at Target since that is where I buy most things, but haven’t seen it there recently. I’m sorry!
Nicole says
My daughter just turned one a couple weeks ago. She’s been weaning herself naturally which has been great! Couldn’t ask for anything better. I felt comfortable enough to take night time feeding away first. Which went well. Last week she was giving me signs that she didn’t need the morning feed any more. By nursing for shorter amount of time. And my breasts just didn’t feel full anymore. So I decided to wean completely. It’s been four days and I’ve seen a little crankiness but nothing too bad. Me on the other hand tonight ( the fourth day) am feeling sad, guilty, and emotional. (Tears) Since this is our last baby. She also gets milk and spits it out. We’ve tried to warm it up, flavoring it with chocolate. Just does not like it. So your idea with the bananas is brilliant! I’m going to try it tomorrow!:) as for me I know it’ll take time. It’s just really hard.
Jaclyn B. says
Thanks so much for your post. My daughter is 14 months old and still nursing several times a day. She didn’t get any teeth until she was 12 months old and, at that time, got six teeth in within a one-month period. I think because of the pain at that time she has yet to accept a transition cup and hadn’t accepted a bottle for quite a few months. So, it has left me unable to wean her because she won’t accept a cup to drink milk or water even. And, she doesn’t like cow’s milk, to boot. I will try the banana milk, but I was wondering if anyone has any tips on transitioning from nursing at the breast to introducing a cup? I’ve tried three different types of cups so far, including one with a straw. No luck! I’m feeling pretty stressed about it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Brittany Dixon says
Hang in there momma, you are doing a great job! I think we had luck with straws because she was used to eating pouches and understood the sucking motion. I think if you keep offering a cup with each meal she will get used to it. Have you tried just water instead of milk? Maybe having a different liquid will help her open up to it more. Good luck!
Kelly Balsewicz says
Thank you for this!!! I am at the now what stage of nursing. I am starting to wean my 11 month old. She is baby 7 and the only baby I have successful nursed almost the entire 1st year. It’s a bit bittersweet. This is so helpful with the banana milk. It’s actually the info I was kind of looking for going from breast milk to cows milk. Wasn’t too sure how this was going to work.