Hellobee Boards Topic: Do babies NEED milk after a year?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Do babies NEED milk after a year? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:43:26 +0000 Rubies on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475464 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:35:03 +0000 Rubies 475464@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My LO has a dairy allergy so she does not drink any milk (no soy, almond, rice, or coconut - she hates it all). Our doc said that as long as she has a well-balanced diet, then her calcium intake would be fine. LO eats soy yogurt, lots of broccoli and is a general eating machine so we're not concerned. Mrs. Yoyo on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475423 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:22:17 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 475423@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think it's just the most *convenient* source of calcium for most kids, from what I've heard. If they get it in other ways, no biggie. LO started self-weaning around a year and we were done a couple months later. I had mixed feelings, too, but all in all I'm glad he led the process instead of me. purrpletulips on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475280 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:33:18 +0000 purrpletulips 475280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It is likely just a phase or perhaps he's getting sick. Did he eat more solids than usual yesterday? DS who is 4m nursed for shorter periods of time over the holidays so it could possibly be an artifact of schedule changes. brownie on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475264 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:28:49 +0000 brownie 475264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Pen: Yes, sorry. Not ready to wean was what I meant. You don't need to wean. But they definitely go through ebbs and flows of wanting more milk and less at least that was my experience. Sometimes I would have to do like you and pump. But in my experience, he always came back to nursing and as I said we are still nursing at 20 months. So you don't need to wean. Keep offering (that's what I meant by waiting it out) and I suspect he will come back. Mrs. Pen on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475254 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:24:33 +0000 Mrs. Pen 475254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @brownie: no, I said I'm not ready to wean! I don't want to. That's why I pumped yesterday when he didn't nurse. If he does wean, I'll at least keep bottle feeding him my milk and pump for two months until he hits a year, and maybe even a little longer. He is still nursing, just not nearly as much and sometimes refusing feedings which he's NEVER done before. brownie on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475209 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:12:55 +0000 brownie 475209@https://boards.hellobee.com/ You mentioned you are ready for weaning and you don't have to wean. My son most definitely went through periods of wanting more and less milk from me. We didn't do cow's milk due to an allergy so it was all mommies milk. You could try just waiting it out and see if he wants again. My son is now 20 months old and still nursing. Your breastmilk should have all of the fat that your baby needs (the whole milk requirement) and as others have said, you can get calcium in other ways. LivsMama on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475203 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:11:50 +0000 LivsMama 475203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Pen: My pedi group is adamant that its not necessary. Liv hasnt ever had milk, and wont have it under my watch. Im grossed out by it, I cant even stomach looking at a glass of it. She eats a ton of cheese and yogurt, and eats a LOT of veggies, so her pedis were plenty confortable with that. They also told us to not give any calcium supplements unless they deemed it necessary, and said that they tend to not use those unless the patient is vegan. So no, its not vitally necessary, there are ways around it. yin on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475108 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:44:30 +0000 yin 475108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I remember a hellobee member who mentioned that she does not give her LO milk (@red ?) due to allergies. She eats very well and gets nutrition in other foods. T.H.O.U. on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-475051 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:21:38 +0000 T.H.O.U. 475051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Pen: I wouldn't worry about supplements unless there is an issue. Mrs. Pen on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-474990 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:56:51 +0000 Mrs. Pen 474990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @prettylizy: @Thehistoryofus: alright so doing some research looks like you can buy calcium powder to add to alternative milks or foods- but it also said that eating a diet rich in vegetable will yield all the calcium you need... T.H.O.U. on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-474387 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:20:15 +0000 T.H.O.U. 474387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Pen: I think the concern is needing calcium but that can be from yogurt cheese or other foods. prettylizy on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-474368 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:05:20 +0000 prettylizy 474368@https://boards.hellobee.com/ my doctor said that as long as she has a fully balanced diet and getting all the necessary nutrients from her diet she doesn't necessarily need milk. when you think of it in the context that we are the only mammal to consume any milk after weaning if you think about it that way really we don't need milk either. loveisstrange on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-474361 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:03:42 +0000 loveisstrange 474361@https://boards.hellobee.com/ The main need for milk in a weaned child's diet is calcium. From Dr Sears: Does your baby really need actual cow's milk? No. The main thing that is in milk that is important for babies is calcium and fat. If your baby will eat yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified orange juice (when he is a bit older, of course), then your baby may not actually need milk. Many cereals are also calcium-enriched. The calcium requirement for infants is two or three servings of a calcium-rich food or beverage each day. One cup of milk, juice, or yogurt, or one piece of cheese, each counts as a serving. skibobrown on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-474360 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:03:32 +0000 skibobrown 474360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My understanding is that milk is still vital for their development, at least for the calcium. I could be wrong though. I think the total number of ounces that they need of milk after 1 year is less then while while they were formula or breast feeding. Mrs. Pen on "Do babies NEED milk after a year?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-babies-need-milk-after-a-year#post-474346 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 20:58:46 +0000 Mrs. Pen 474346@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Whether formula, breast milk or cows milk... I'm wondering if its a necessity? I ask because Cobi was hardly nursing at all today and now I'm concerned he's starting to wean... I'm not ready for that! Haha. Anyway I'm curious if, once he hits a year- say he's not nursing anymore, does he need to drink cows milk, or other milk? Or can he just drink water and eat solids...