The Best Way to Wean a Baby of Formula

If you're wondering how to wean your toddler, you lot have a lot of company! It tin be a catchy (and emotional) milestone, only there are doable tips to aid wean a toddler to whole milk from breastfeeding or bottles. Plus, info on best milk, best cups, and how to handle common challenges.

How to Wean a Toddler

In parenting, I find that it seems similar merely when we finally feel similar we've gotten the hang of something, it'south time to cease doing that matter! And the same often goes for weaning. When a baby turns one and is eating more solids, yous may find yourself wondering when is the right fourth dimension to wean.

As an important notation, I'd like to say that weaning is a very personal decision that each family needs to make for themselves. Everyone has an opinion most what's correct—including your pediatrician—but my goal hither is simply to share options and information to make your personal decision a petty easier…or at to the lowest degree more informed.

Here are a few mutual reasons that you might exist gear up to wean a toddler.

You feel done with breastfeeding and/or you want your body back.
Your kid is losing interest and just seems done.
Bottles or nursing seem like they may be interfering with your toddler's ambition at meals.
Your toddler is preoccupied past bottles or nursing, and information technology'southward impacting your day (or night) in a detrimental style.
Bottles or nursing are interfering with toddler'south ability to drink from a cup.

TIP: At that place is no one right time to wean a toddler and there of course might be a lot of other reasons you decide it's time.

Weaning to Cow's Milk

Usually, when we talk about "weaning", we're talking about the process when a female parent stops breastfeeding or formula feeding a baby and transitions them to milk. And in most cases, milk means cow'south milk. (Though for some families with intolerances, that could hateful a nondairy milk.)

Later on a baby turns one, their digestive system and kidney's are developed enough to be able to handle the proteins and minerals in cow's milk, which makes it a skillful time to kickoff the procedure.

TIP: Read more about when a babe can end drinking formula here.

What kind of milk is all-time for toddlers?

Always choose whole milk for a toddler since they need college fat content in the food that they swallow. While I don't e'er have the ability to buy all organic food, I do prioritize it with dairy.

TIP: Read more about the all-time milk for toddlers here, including the best nondairy alternatives.

What'south the right amount of milk for my toddler?

The American University of Pediatrics recommends that kids have 2-3 servings of dairy a day. Two cups of whole milk a day is plenty to meet the Vitamin D recommendations and more than 3 cups of milk may reduce a child'due south appetite for other foods—which could limit their ability to ingest a broad range of nutrients.

TIP: In our business firm, we serve about 4 ounces of milk (or ½ cup) at meals and h2o with snacks.

Why does a baby demand to be ane before they tin beverage milk?

Babies under 12 months of age accept immature digestive systems that aren't very proficient at digesting milk proteins. The proteins and minerals in moo-cow's milk tin stress a baby's kidneys and can cause diarrhea. Thankfully, this improves by the time they are a year old.

How to wean a toddler from formula to whole milk?

Once your baby has turned one, you tin can start the process of transitioning them from their infant formula to milk. Yous'll want to go through the following steps.

Continue using their bottle and usual routine, but replace 1/4-½ of the formula with whole milk.
Go along using their canteen and usual routine, but supersede 1/2-¾ of the formula with whole milk.
Continue using their canteen and usual routine, only replace all of the formula with whole milk.

TIP: This gradual procedure allows the child to adjust to the taste and also gives their trunk a chance to suit to the new proteins. You can do this gradually over the course of a few days or a week. Check with your pediatrician for more specifics.

What temperature should the milk be?

Yous tin can continue to warm the milk if your child preferred their formula that mode, or offering it cold if they don't seem to mind information technology either way. Temperature is a personal preference!

How to Wean a Toddler from Breastmilk to Whole Milk

In many ways, this is a much less direct frontward answer than when you lot're dealing with formula and may be faster or slower depending on the child. Around the one twelvemonth marking, you can start offering a pocket-sized amount of milk, like ½ cup, with meals. That will introduce them to the flavor and requite them a risk to attempt milk forth with other nutrient.

And the more they drink (and eat), the less they'll naturally demand to nurse to satisfy their appetite. (This may happen gradually or faster—at that place's a wide range of normal.)

They may as well still want to breastfeed for emotional comfort, then y'all may or may not need to be purposeful as you cut out daytime feedings. Typically, it's easiest to leave the sessions shut to sleep (going down for a nap or bedtime) in place and eliminate ones during the time they are awake first. Go on the kids busy, distract them with an activeness, and exist sure to offering them a regular routine of snacks and meals then they are able to go plenty of nutrition from their food.

In some cases, weaning this way will happen naturally and you may find yourself down to just morning or evening shortly after their first altogether. (I experienced that once!) In other cases, you'll demand to make a choice to deliberately reduce breastfeeding sessions. (I too experienced that!) Either way, there's no perfect end goal and it'southward totally discover to go on breastfeeding and offering regular milk at meals.

Weaning can happen at 12 months or 3 years or anywhere before, afterward, or in between. The "right" fourth dimension really depends on your own specific state of affairs.

TIP: You may demand to consciously offering nutrient first, then breastmilk, if your toddler doesn't seem very interested in food. They may be full from breastmilk and may need that simple adjustment to help reset their expectations.

Sample Breastfeeding Weaning Schedule

Here's a look at what could be a sample gentle weaning schedule for a breastfeeding toddler of any age older than one. This will help prevent engorgement and allow both mom and toddler plenty of time to adjust to the new routine.

seven am breastfeed, 8 am breakfast with milk, 10 am breastfeed (before nap), 12 pm luncheon with milk, 2 pm breastfeed (before nap), 4 pm snack, 6 pm dinner with milk, 7 pm breastfeed
7 am breastfeed, 8 am breakfast with milk, 10 am snack (before nap), 12 pm lunch with milk, 2 pm breastfeed (earlier nap), 4 pm snack, 6 pm dinner with milk, 7 pm breastfeed
7 am breastfeed, eight am breakfast with milk, 10 am snack (before nap), 12 pm lunch with milk, 2 pm snack (earlier nap), 4 pm snack, 6 pm dinner with milk, vii pm breastfeed
vii am breakfast with milk, 9 am snack (earlier nap), 11:xxx am tiffin with milk, 2 pm snack (before nap), four pm snack, six pm dinner with milk, 7 pm breastfeed
7 am breakfast with milk, 9 am snack (earlier nap), eleven:thirty am lunch with milk, 2 pm snack (before nap), iv pm snack, 6 pm dinner with milk, vii pm bedtime

TIP: This transition could happen over the class of a month, 2 months, 6 months, or a year at any age over 12 months. It'south really upwards to you and your child—there'southward no one size fits all hither!

When should a baby stop drinking from a canteen?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that we outset to wean a infant from a canteen between 12-24 months of age, so at some point during the one yr old year. Keep in mind that weaning from a canteen is a procedure and it may take a little longer for some kids than others. Many families aim to be totally done with bottles past age two.

TIP: Find more than about when a baby should be done with formula hither.

How to Wean a Toddler From a Bottle

The American University of Pediatrics recommends that we start the weaning procedure by the time a toddler is 18 months. This, they say, tin help prevent tooth disuse—which could exist an upshot if the child was falling asleep with the bottle in their mouth. But if that timeframe seems to soon or yous're already by it, here are another tips to assistance transition from a bottle to a loving cup.

Start by substituting a loving cup for the midday bottle.
Allow fourth dimension for the kid to adjust to using their cup and make a big bargain out of information technology. Go together to choice a new cup out, talk up beingness a "big boy" (or girl), and be consistent.
Wait that the child may protest, but remember that your job is to aid them through the transitions…and the emotions they may have nigh it.
Continue replacing bottles with cups (or other food), saving the most comforting 1 for terminal whether that'due south bedtime or the one first matter in the morning.
Offer milk or water at meals and exist sure that you're giving your child ample opportunities to become the nutrition and satiety they need from meals and snacks.
Distract them with fun activities if they get fixated on non having a bottle.
If they forget their bottle ane day during the weaning phase, follow their lead and don't bring information technology dorsum.
Substitute other comforts for their bottle, such every bit a story and a snuggle at bedtime, or a new special goodnight vocal.

TIP: Remember that kids accept short memories at this age, so while they may accept stiff feelings during the transition, if you're consistent, they will soon exist on to the adjacent thing.

What should I practice if my child simply wants milk (and not food)?

It can be such a challenge to know how much milk a child truly needs when they keep asking (and sometimes even crying) for information technology! One of my kids loves her milk and would probably drinkable information technology exclusively for all of her meals if allowed. To assistance ensure that she gets to enjoy her milk and other foods, I limit the amount of milk to four ounces at whatsoever given meal. You could cull a different corporeality, but that structure has worked well for us—she always knows she'll get to have some milk merely I have the structure of knowing how much to give her.

TIP: Remember that milk (or formula) has offered emotional condolement for the entirety of your child'due south life and have empathy and patience with their attachment to information technology.

Does my child really need to beverage milk?

The American University of Pediatrics recommends that kids have two-3 servings of dairy a twenty-four hour period, which could include milk—or other foods such as yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, or cheese to go their recommended calcium (and protein). Nosotros love mixing in these dairy options, forth with milk, but yous could cull to do one or the other. (You really don't demand to exercise toddler formula either.)

TIP: If you don't practice dairy at all, there are many alternatives now available. (Many nondairy substitutes are depression in poly peptide and calcium so e'er read the label to make certain y'all know what you're getting.)

How to Stop Breastfeeding at Night

If you're looking to wean your toddler at dark, consistency volition again exist fundamental. Equally will offering a substitute source of condolement such as a lovely or a snuggle and a song. I likewise dear the slumber advice in theHappy Sleeper Volume. Know that the American Academy of Pediatrics says that most kids should be able to go all night without food or milk and while your child may protestation, that is probable more an emotional response than a physical 1. Be gentle and kind with yourself during this process as it's often harder on united states of america parents than the kids!

TIP: Learn more about Night Weaning hither.

Best Weaning Tips

Remember that weaning is a very personal decision that each family needs to make for themselves. There'southward no one correct way or correct time!
Wait to wean to cow'south milk until a child has turned ane. (You can do water in a sippy loving cup before then though.)
Always choose whole milk for a toddler since they need higher fat content in the nutrient that they eat.
If a child can't tolerate cow's milk, learn about the all-time alternatives hither.
Introduce milk in a sippy loving cup with meals.
Plan out a weaning schedule, or go with a more than natural approach. (Both are okay!)
Gradually supercede formula with whole milk to allow the child to adjust to the season and new proteins when weaning a toddler from a bottle with formula.
Go together to pick out a new sippy cup to make information technology a large special thing.
Take a taste examination of other milks to run across what they like if switching to cow's milk hasn't been successful. Some kids prefer the flavor of one milk over another, so endeavour different unsweetened constitute milks to see if at that place'due south one they like more than.
Think that kids really don't need to drink milk at all if they're getting two-3 sources of dairy a day, or are eating foods that provide calcium and vitamin D.
Effort to go gradually enough to give yourself the fourth dimension to adjust physically and emotionally as some women tin experience engorgement or weaning-related low.
Every bit you piece of work on eliminating bottle feeding sessions close to wake ups or bedtime or nap, yous can endeavour to substitute other forms of comfort such as a lovie, a blankie, a new ritual (saying goodnight to all of the favorite toys or family members), etc.
Aim to eliminate the bottle by age ii.
As with nearly things related to parenting, the key in this transition is to be as consistent as yous can so your child knows what to expect.

Do you have boosted questions almost how to wean a toddler that I missed here? Delight ask them beneath in the comments!

Filder Under:Communication, Nutrition

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