Is it just me? Introducing other drinks..

[Liz]

I was talking to a friend yesterday about babies 'weaning' at 12 months. I said I've not really understood it because mine still feed so much then. Most likely because I don't offer them anything else until close to 12 months. DD2 has only had a sippy cup of water the last couple of weeks, so for 11 1/2 months she's only ever drunk BM, so none of her drinks have been replaced with water or cows milk or formula. I've had a couple of surprised responses to this now.

Am I unusual? When do most people introduce other drinks into baby's diet? I won't ask if I'm doing it wrong LOL.. cos well, nothing has gone wrong with regards to food and drink with any of them, so it's obviously not harmful Just curious how many other people keep their baby's drinks exclusively BM til close to 1yo?

[briggsy's girl]

DD was primarily BM til around 9 months, but i introduced water when she was six months as an extra just in case. i wanted to be sure she'd take something other than me when i went back to work. she didn't drink a lot, but it was always available for her. she always had a water cup at the table during meals etc. we went with BLS and given i sometimes like to have a drink with food (if it's dry or anything), i figured she deserved to have it too just in case. she used to finish her food and go straight on the boob though, so i think she chose to not have much water until she was older...

[Cherished]

I am still breast feeding ds at 21 months and he has stacks of breast milk still. I gave him a sippy cup of water at 6 months and only offered it with meals and that gradually became more and more but water intake prior to 12 months wasn't that much when he was on the boob around the clock. I think at about 16 months he started having other things like lemon water (sipping from a straw from daddys glass) and home make fresh fruit & veg juice when we make them in the morning. I've also given him some organic oat milk but only a couple of times. So he pretty much still only has water and breast milk.

[PumpkinZulu]

I'm going to have an issue with both sets of parents in summer with the new bub, because they both believe BM is too heavy and Kiefey will need water DD only has water, BM or cows milk. If I were still able to BF to her demands she would only have water and BM, and water is usually with meals to help wash them down.

[Liz]

Was just hanging out my washing and thinking about it more LOL. It's not that I set out for it to be exclusive that long... it just happened that way. TBH I can't remember when I introduced water to the others? I remember it becoming a bigger deal with DS leading up to 15 months as I was pg and wanted him night weaned and he was only offered water at night then. DD1 didn't start solids til 7 1/2 months anyway cos I was waiting for her corrected age to be 6 months and watching for developmental signs that she was ready. And it's well into solids that I would even think about drink. I know they both signed for it, so they would have had to be near the end of their first year to do that.

Maybe I've just got slacker with #3 LOL. Cos I did have the thought 'hmm.. I spose I should get you a sippy cup or something' a few weeks ago LOL. The year has flown by.. I wonder what else I've forgotten to do for her? haha.

PZ - even as a tiny bub?? DD1 was a summer bub and no one questioned it. But DS was 9 months old in his first summer and I remember people saying 'doesn't he need water?' and me saying 'nah, this is all he needs'. <-- there we go.. he must have been close to 1 before I introduced other drinks LOL cos I remember him only having BM during the heat.

[briggsy's girl]

I'm going to have an issue with both sets of parents in summer with the new bub, because they both believe BM is too heavy and Kiefey will need water DD only has water, BM or cows milk. If I were still able to BF to her demands she would only have water and BM, and water is usually with meals to help wash them down.

lots of baby wearing this summer PZ??

maybe you need to print out some stuff about the change in milk consistency based on baby needs... i could tell when expressing that milk was heaps more "watery" during the days in Summer than it was overnight or during winter...

[HotI]

i was similar to BG. DD didnt drink expressed breastmilk however would drink water which helped on days that i worked (from around 9 months).

[kelebek]

I think it isn't unusual and DS didn't really have anything else before 12 mnths. When his dad would watch him he did try him with water and cow's milk but he preferred my milk. I can't remember exactly but we did start to introduce water and the occasional watered down apple juice.
I weaned him him just before he was 3 and he now mostly drinks water, the occasional glass of milk (loves strawberry milkshakes when we are out and about) and apple juice. He isn't a fan of fizzy drink (and we certainly don't buy it or encorage him to drink it but he get's it at parties sometimes) and he has had the odd glass of cordial but again we don't have it in the house.
I never saw the need for him to have anything else. I was producing (and he was demanding) enough milk for his needs and on those hot days he would feed more often. I could (and still struggle a little if I am honest) not see why I would give him another animal's milk when while I was producing it (using cow's milk as an example)

[PumpkinZulu]

Yeah. Apparently DH and I both 'self-weaned' at 12 months on the dot too. Eh, bub will be fine with the boob juice lol!

[HomeStyleMumma]

lots of baby wearing this summer PZ??

maybe you need to print out some stuff about the change in milk consistency based on baby needs... i could tell when expressing that milk was heaps more "watery" during the days in Summer than it was overnight or during winter...

I totally agree with BG on this. As long as YOU are drinking enough should be making enough milk which your body is designed to automatically alter in relation to climate etc just as it changes for the age of each baby feeding- even when tandem! I didn't know this with DS1 & was actually a little worried he'd be getting enough fluids in summer when my MIL told me not to worry. If still getting wet nappies & pops aren't firm its all good.... Having said that I did intro water around time started solids which was 6mth DS1 then around 9mths the other 3. HTH

[EsJay]

I introduced water with solids at around 5 &1/2 months dd1 went on solids at 4mths due to reflux & was constantly constipated from then on so the water was to combat that. But only at meal times. She had nothing else till 13mths when i introduced diluted juice. She still doesnt have anything other than water, milk or diluted juice shes 3 in oct. I think its normal. I wont be giving dd2 water or anything till after solids have commenced.

[Miss.September]

We introduced water at the time we started solids at the advice of the MCHN. She was b/f until she was 14 months old with the occasional bottle of formula. She's now 3, but between the ages of 1 and 2 we tried to introduce juice and gave her a taste of lemonade. We decided to try it as she's a super fussy eater and we thought that maybe we could juice up some fruit for her instead. She rejected both and still has no interest in them. She still only drinks cows milk and water.

[RhiChiChi]

Same as PacRakMG, DD was introduced water at the time of solids but showed not much interest. Today water is the main choice for her to drink with sometimes cows milk (usually via a babychino). DD will be 5 in a week.

[Barb Glare]

I often suggest that a cup of water is offered when babies start solids at 6 months or after. At the start it's a learning experience - more gets sprinkled on themselves than goes in the mouth. However you have kinda hit the nail on the head. Babies don't "self wean" at that age - and most mothers who feed to the WHO 2 years or beyond know that 12 mnth olds feed - a lot. And that's the way that breastfeeding is best sustained. However, when babies are denied breastfeeds (schedules, or ideas that they "should only have 4/3/2 breastfeeds per day (name a number) then they of course have to make other arrangements.....and they do. They eat more and drink more, and then breastfeeding becomes a dry argument - they need to eat and mum's supply just isn't there.
Along with this, people also mistake periods of less interest in breastfeeding as being a sign of weaning - when it probably just means that babies are busy and distracted.
So, you have hit on the key for long and successful breastfeeding - feed according to your baby's needs (physical and emotional)

[HomeStyleMumma]

Sorry just have to make a side note to say 'some' 6mth old babies DO selfwean as my ds1 is definate testamony to it! I had to basically 'force feed' him for 6wks from 4 1/2mths when I got pg with dd1 while exclusively bfing all the time. So there was a reason he did it but I literally couldn't have done anymore to continue even though I really wanted to , just way to stressful. So although I don't think it naturally happens often I wouldn't want some mum in the middle of it to read this a feel a failure for it. I have successfully bf thru 2 pgs since then

[PumpkinZulu]

Mrsbaj, I wouldn't call weaning during pregnancy self-weaning though. The way I see it, if the pregnancy hadn't happened, most babies wouldn't wean, they'd happily keep feeding. I am pregnant with number 2 and DD has dropped her feeds dramatically, from 12+ a day to 1-3 a day I know in my heart that she would still be feeding very regularly if I wasn't pregnant, but that's life, and hopefully when my milk comes in for #2 she'll get back into it. I figure she will seeing as the only reason she isn't feeding much now is the lack of milk. I think it's awesome you went on to feed through two other pregnancies, that's inspiring for me

[MantaRay]

Are you unusual? Well, sadly yes, as there are only a small percentage of babies still bfing by 12 months in Australia. But the real question is it bad to be unusual? Not in this case. Keep up the great work and keep on spreading the word. Each time someone comes across "extended" feeding, it becomes more normal to them.

[HomeStyleMumma]

Mrsbaj, I wouldn't call weaning during pregnancy self-weaning though. The way I see it, if the pregnancy hadn't happened, most babies wouldn't wean, they'd happily keep feeding. I am pregnant with number 2 and DD has dropped her feeds dramatically, from 12+ a day to 1-3 a day I know in my heart that she would still be feeding very regularly if I wasn't pregnant, but that's life, and hopefully when my milk comes in for #2 she'll get back into it. I figure she will seeing as the only reason she isn't feeding much now is the lack of milk. I think it's awesome you went on to feed through two other pregnancies, that's inspiring for me

Yeah I have heard of lots of women where supply dropped but for me that wasn't the issue, ds just refused because the taste changed! Cheeky fussy little monkey that he is apparently the younger the 1st baby is when PG returns the more likely you'll encounter refusal. Fortunately BF normally delays PG for a lit of women (just wasn't very long for me that time!)