I was asked this question today, with the assumption that breastmilk ought to be replaced by toddler formula once the child has weaned. I had never really thought about replacing breastmilk with any sort of equivalent, I just figured that once she weaned herself she would be getting all she needs from solid food and some cow's milk. I know cow's milk is not a direct replacement for breastmilk.
I guess I am suddenly questioning myself...am I providing properly for my daughter's nutrition? I thought I was, but I'm in a fuzzy headspace today and feel like maybe I'm missing something.
Details:
- My daughter is currently 16 months, and seems healthy and developmentally on-track to me. She's certainly tall for her age and very physically active.
- She was exclusively breastfed and has never had any formula in her life. She self-weaned much earlier and more abruptly than I would have liked, 2 weeks after her birthday. She currently drinks between 10-14 oz. of whole cow's milk per day from a sippy cup.
- She has been a pretty textbook BLW-er, and a variety of solid foods have been a significant part of her diet since around 8 months when she really took off with BLW. She tends to prefer carbs and fruit and cheese over meat and vegetables, but not unreasonably so.