Anyone having a tough time transitioning to WCM?

hilsy85

I started introducing WCM following our pedi appt last week...LO will take a few sips from a straw cup, but that's it. I"m feeling conflicted about how hard I want to push it, because he's eating yogurt and cheese, and I'm still nursing a lot (like 5x a day). I'm torn as to whether I should really try to get him to drink more WCM, either by trying to mix with BM, put in a bottle, etc. Or if I should just leave it alone and offer with meals, and whatever he drinks, he drinks. 

I guess this is also about my conflict over weaning/not weaning. Blah. 

Anyone else having a tough time with WCM (or soy, almond, whatever...), for whatever reason? Are you pushing it? I know LO doesn't NEEEEED it if he's drinking BM and eating dairy products. But still. Our pedi was in favor of him drinking at least 16oz a day. 

Mrs.G123

Dd doesn't seem to care for it. She also still nurses. Outr pedi was ambivalent.

Wally3

I'm nursing 3 times a day - soon to go down to 2.  Some days he drinks a lot of wcm and somedays not very much.  I'm not stressing about it.  He eats cheese and yogurt and has a healthy appetite.  

DuckieMom5

Still nursing a ton here too and she won't drink a lot of milk out of a cup if I am nearby. I have let her taste several different milks - almond, WCM, soy and goats. She seems to prefer the goats so that's what we are sticking with for now. Our pedi wasn't worried about her drinking milk at all just wanted us to focus on good healthy foods and then max 16oz of milk. I am beyond ready to wean so I'm encouraging her as much as can to take a cup!

Mrs.RockyM

Just give it to him and let him get used to it.

As you cut back on bottles/breast milk, and increase the food he'll drink more when he's thirsty.

DD started out with 5 6oz bottles and each week we took out a bottle.  In it's place we've added some more food and offered milk and water.  We just cut back the 4th bottle this weekend (now only the last one before bed is left) and she's just started to drink 3-4 ounces of milk at a time.  I find that if I offer the milk while I'm preparing her meal or snack she'll drink more than if I give her both at the same time.  My pediatrician said we should expect her to drink anywhere from 15-20oz of milk, but if she's on the lower end just to make sure she's not constipated and that we're giving her dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc.).  Some kids just aren't thirsty. DD1 always went for the drink and would down it and not eat.  DD2 is the complete opposite.

I know some folks have had success transitioning off of breast milk using skim milk or 1% milk, just because it's a huge transition to go from breast milk to WCM, just from a consistency and thickness perspective. 

Ziegeficker

It's not the milk I'm having trouble with, it's the sippy cup.  Henry either doesn't understand how to use it or doesn't want anything to do with it.  He's not great with his finger foods either, so it's stressing me out (

StefanieM522

Wesley does half formula and half WCM in his bottles, he is down to three though. He has one in the morning, one at daycare and then one before bed.  He will drink WCM from a sippy cup though with no problem.

@Ziegeficker Wesley didn't understand the concept of the sippy cup either until just last week, Daycare has been working with him and I think him seeing the other kids in the toddler room use sippy cups helped. Can his daycare help you with it?

hilsy85

Ziegeficker said:

It's not the milk I'm having trouble with, it's the sippy cup.  Henry either doesn't understand how to use it or doesn't want anything to do with it.  He's not great with his finger foods either, so it's stressing me out (

We've never actually used a sippy, only a straw cup! Makes it difficult actually, because I feel like drinking from a straw cup isn't as "relaxing" as from a sippy/bottle, which means he's less likely to relax after taking milk before naps/bedtime (if we get to that point where he's drinking WCM at that point). 

hilsy85

Mrs.RockyM said:

Just give it to him and let him get used to it.

As you cut back on bottles/breast milk, and increase the food he'll drink more when he's thirsty.

DD started out with 5 6oz bottles and each week we took out a bottle.  In it's place we've added some more food and offered milk and water.  We just cut back the 4th bottle this weekend (now only the last one before bed is left) and she's just started to drink 3-4 ounces of milk at a time.  I find that if I offer the milk while I'm preparing her meal or snack she'll drink more than if I give her both at the same time.  My pediatrician said we should expect her to drink anywhere from 15-20oz of milk, but if she's on the lower end just to make sure she's not constipated and that we're giving her dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc.).  Some kids just aren't thirsty. DD1 always went for the drink and would down it and not eat.  DD2 is the complete opposite.

I know some folks have had success transitioning off of breast milk using skim milk or 1% milk, just because it's a huge transition to go from breast milk to WCM, just from a consistency and thickness perspective. 

Well that's the thing, I'm afraid to cut back too much on BM if he's not drinking enough WCM...but maybe he'll drink more WCM if I cut back on BM!

hilsy85

meganole25 said:

If I wasn't weaning I would not be pushing it. Thankfully he loves it and it's been no big deal. I started with pumped BM in a straw cup a few weeks before giving him WCM. Some friends suggested that to get them used to drinking cold milk. Maybe try that.

I should do this...but I hate pumping. Ugh. I guess I need to do it though. And here I thought I was done with my pump for good...! 

Ziegeficker

LauraT25 said:

It's not the milk I'm having trouble with, it's the sippy cup.  Henry either doesn't understand how to use it or doesn't want anything to do with it.  He's not great with his finger foods either, so it's stressing me out (

What kinds of cups have you tried? You may have said before, and I am just not remembering. I have had to try 6 different kinds and the Camelbak Eddy is K's favorite Another thing that helped us was for me to show her by drinking from it first.

@LauraT25, I couldn't tell you right off hand, but they are the kind typically available at Wal-Mart type stores.  I think we have a Nuk, a couple straw cups (these are the ones we offer the least for no particular reason), and then more traditional-looking sippies -- some with harder plastic nozzles and some with more nipple-like latex nipples.  I haven't noticed him "clicking" with one over another, but we do offer a variety.

A lot of you are saying straw cups are working best with your LOs, so maybe I'll give that a go again.  I'll look into the Camelback, too.

@StefanieM522, Daycare does say they offer him sippies with all his meals, but I don't know to what extent they "work with him."  I know they have to end up giving him bottles once or twice a day because he's not drinking much from his sippy.  That's the experience we have at home, too.

LorMor

We're having almost the same trouble as OP. She happily drinks water all day from a sippy. I'm nursing first thing in the morning and last thing at night and once in the day. I'm sort of hoping to replace the day time feed with WCM, but the few times I've offered it, in her sippy, she's glared at me and opened her mouth to let it fall out. I've tried warming it, with no more success.

I was wondering about trying in a bottle, but she hasn't had a bottle in AGES.

StefanieM522

Ziegeficker said:

LauraT25 said:

It's not the milk I'm having trouble with, it's the sippy cup.  Henry either doesn't understand how to use it or doesn't want anything to do with it.  He's not great with his finger foods either, so it's stressing me out (

What kinds of cups have you tried? You may have said before, and I am just not remembering. I have had to try 6 different kinds and the Camelbak Eddy is K's favorite Another thing that helped us was for me to show her by drinking from it first.

@LauraT25, I couldn't tell you right off hand, but they are the kind typically available at Wal-Mart type stores.  I think we have a Nuk, a couple straw cups (these are the ones we offer the least for no particular reason), and then more traditional-looking sippies -- some with harder plastic nozzles and some with more nipple-like latex nipples.  I haven't noticed him "clicking" with one over another, but we do offer a variety.

A lot of you are saying straw cups are working best with your LOs, so maybe I'll give that a go again.  I'll look into the Camelback, too.

@StefanieM522, Daycare does say they offer him sippies with all his meals, but I don't know to what extent they "work with him."  I know they have to end up giving him bottles once or twice a day because he's not drinking much from his sippy.  That's the experience we have at home, too.

That's what we had to do as well, where Wesley would only take the bottle at daycare. Last week he spent more time in the toddler room as they are getting him ready to transition rooms and the teacher told me on Wednesday that he refused his bottle during snack time and wanted a sippy cup so hopefully your little guy will pick it up to from seeing others use them.  We use the Nuk sippy cup where he has to bite down on the nozzle and they look like bottles.  Good luck! I hope you find something that helps.

hilsy85

LorMor said:

We're having almost the same trouble as OP. She happily drinks water all day from a sippy. I'm nursing first thing in the morning and last thing at night and once in the day. I'm sort of hoping to replace the day time feed with WCM, but the few times I've offered it, in her sippy, she's glared at me and opened her mouth to let it fall out. I've tried warming it, with no more success.

I was wondering about trying in a bottle, but she hasn't had a bottle in AGES.

@LorMor yes! Same here! So are you just offering lots of other dairy? Or not worrying about it and figuring she's getting enough from nursing? 

LorMor

We don't give her a huge amount of dairy - not for any reason, other than I don't really think of it. I'm taking T to the clinic tomorrow for her vaccs, and the nurse there is my favourite go-to person for all things baby. I'll ask her. And let you know here.

But yeah, I'm not really concerned because there's still a lot of BF going on.

stephcarter

B loves wcm and loves drinking from anything with a straw but doesn't want milk in the cup. She will drink tons of water from a cup, but wants her milk in a bottle. She gets a bottle before each nap and bedtime but doesn't fall asleep with it. I need to figure out a way to get her away from the bottle but lately it seems impossible.

The lollacup sippies are awesome. Saw them on GMA and ordered two.

hilsy85

@stephcarter: do you how the lollacup is different from the zoli? we use that already for water and he's a pro (it just leaks, so I don't want to use it for milk). 

I've had some success today with smoothies with milk in them, so I might do that for morning and afternoon snacks, and maybe gradually make them more milk and less yogurt/fruit. 

stephcarter

@hilsy85 they look to be very similar. I've never seen Zoli before. In a few minutes, you might be the one to blame for todays online shopping spree!

stephcarter

LauraT25 said:

I read really mixed reviews about the lollacup so I didn't pull the trigger.  A lot of Amazon people (I know, I take those reviews with a grain of salt, but still...) complained that they break very easily, so I didn't want to spend that much for a sippy if that's the case.

The top part that opens and closes to cover the straw has popped off a few times after Bailey has thrown it on the floor, but it pops right back on. I bought them because GMA had a promo code for 50% off. And I saw they were invented by a mom who took them on shark tank which I thought was pretty cool. 

ETA shipping was also free at the time. i just looked and it looks like the code doesn't work anymore and shipping was $9.50 for 2 cups!! I HATE paying for shipping. 

hilsy85

stephcarter said:

@hilsy85 they look to be very similar. I've never seen Zoli before. In a few minutes, you might be the one to blame for todays online shopping spree!

@stephcarter ha oh no! If you get it, we do love the zoli, but like I said, it leaks sometimes if you turn it upside down/don't make sure it's closed properly so make sure you don't keep it near your phone/anything important in the diaper bag--I lost my iphone that way Actually that's probably a good idea in general, regardless of the kind of cup, lol. 

stephcarter

hilsy85 said:

stephcarter said:

@hilsy85 they look to be very similar. I've never seen Zoli before. In a few minutes, you might be the one to blame for todays online shopping spree!

@stephcarter ha oh no! If you get it, we do love the zoli, but like I said, it leaks sometimes if you turn it upside down/don't make sure it's closed properly so make sure you don't keep it near your phone/anything important in the diaper bag--I lost my iphone that way Actually that's probably a good idea in general, regardless of the kind of cup, lol. 

the lollacup leaks if its upside down but the site says it isn't leakproof. Bailey isn't crazy about the leakproof straws and cups. too much work for her! hahaha

stephcarter

We've had ours for a few months now and no problems. I've only dishwashed one of them once, top rack, after I found it under the seat in my car with milk from the day before in it and it seems ok. Bailey beats the hell out of these cups. So far so good.

LorMor

So, I've just been to the clinic and I had a big fat chat to the nurse about cow's milk and she said Nooooooo. It was very interesting: she said that in the good old days, cows lived in meadows, ate grass and got lots of sunshine. Now they live in warehouses and eat hormones. So the milk is not the same, and her experience is that children given cow's milk before they are 2 get sick a lot more than children who just have formula/breastmilk. Formula is full of all the good stuff, BUT it does have extra sugar etc.

It's still my choice, but what she said gave me a lot to think about. I was always thinking no to formula because I've BF, and move straight on to cow's milk, but now I'm not so sure. Starting formula now (sterilizing, measuring, etc) sounds like a ball ache,

hilsy85

@LorMor: so she suggested that you do formula instead of cow's milk? That's so weird, I've never heard that recommendation...so was she not a fan of any dairy produce period? 

stephcarter

@LorMor- mind blown!

LorMor

Yeah, mine too. She wasn't anti dairy, but more anti cow's milk as your go-to drink. She said formula is so good these days, and you won't need to worry about any deficiencies (iron, calcium, fat etc) and that milk doesn't contain all the goodness that we give it credit for any more.

It goes against everything I've ever believed, but she's been the person with consistent advice that we've gone to from the start, and we do trust and adore her. She gives advice based on what she sees in the clinic and she's run it for years and years and years. So I will need to think about it, but it is an interesting take on WCM.

stephcarter

I wonder if that's why I've seen a lot of toddler formulas lately. I got a bunch of samples from emfamil and similac has a new one they sent me a coupon for.

hilsy85

Eh.....I personally feel comfortable giving LO cow's milk, if only he would drink it!! I was so happy that I didn't have to spend the money on any formula for him, definitely don't want to start now if I can help it!

LorMor

LauraT25 said:

I agree with the nurse in part - I think people too often think of WCM as a replacement for formula even though it isn't a complete food, so it is important to make sure your kid is getting adequate nutrition (since WCM alone, or any milk, can't give it). I disagree that it is bad to give or that you should give your child formula unless there is a valid concern about your child's diet and you are struggling to get in nutrients through solids. For me, WCM is part of a diet. If you don't want to go WCM, that is fine too, but it may be tougher to get in as much fat or calcium with some of the substitutes.

Yep, well said. I think that's exactly it.

jantyme

I haven't worried about introducing g it because I'm still nursing and not planning on weaning right now. I give him yogurt and cheese and he gets bresdtmilk from a bottle at Dc but trying to transition him to.breastmilk from a cup or sippy. I just dont see a point transitioning to wcm since he's still nursing.My ped hasn't pushed it and said she doesn't make a recommendation for when moms should stop breastfeeding.

Mrs_Lady

Ziegeficker said:

It's not the milk I'm having trouble with, it's the sippy cup.  Henry either doesn't understand how to use it or doesn't want anything to do with it.  He's not great with his finger foods either, so it's stressing me out (

hang in there..i tried a few cups and what ended up working was sippy cup without handles. so  regular cup with a lid.  I know what you mean on eating though..he started this new thing with spitting food out...oh boy!

Ziegeficker

LorMor said:

So, I've just been to the clinic and I had a big fat chat to the nurse about cow's milk and she said Nooooooo. It was very interesting: she said that in the good old days, cows lived in meadows, ate grass and got lots of sunshine. Now they live in warehouses and eat hormones. So the milk is not the same, and her experience is that children given cow's milk before they are 2 get sick a lot more than children who just have formula/breastmilk. Formula is full of all the good stuff, BUT it does have extra sugar etc.

It's still my choice, but what she said gave me a lot to think about. I was always thinking no to formula because I've BF, and move straight on to cow's milk, but now I'm not so sure. Starting formula now (sterilizing, measuring, etc) sounds like a ball ache,

I could easily see this being true. So much about the way we raise animals for food has changed dramatically in the past decades, and I don't think we can fully understand the subsequent impact that has on human health yet. But to say that there would be no effect (probably negative) seems unbelievable to me. We buy organic milk for LO, but I am not sure that makes a bit of difference. "Organic" is just another buzzword these days.