Why It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Milk Feeds After Weaning

One of the things I talk about a lot with parents is the role of milk once a child is fully weaned. It’s really common for parents to hang on to that morning and evening milk feed as a bit of a safety blanket. I totally get it—it feels reassuring to know they’ve had something in their tummy, especially if they’ve not eaten much that day. But the truth is, if your child is eating well and is a healthy weight, keeping those milk feeds in place can actually cause more problems than we realise, especially when it comes to sleep.

Once your child is fully weaned and eating solid meals, milk really shouldn’t be their main source of calories anymore. What often happens is they fill up on milk—especially in the morning—and that creates little spikes in their blood sugar. This can mess with their natural rhythms and lead to early rising. It also means they’re often not hungry enough to eat a proper breakfast, which becomes a bit of a cycle.

A lot of people assume cow’s milk is a suitable replacement after formula, but our bodies aren’t really designed to have cow’s milk as a main food source. And when it comes to formula, there’s a big misconception. Formula is designed for babies who aren't getting breastmilk, but it's not meant to be something they stay on for years. It's actually really high in sugar, and when children are still drinking it out of bottles well into toddlerhood, it can start to affect their teeth, their mouth development, and even their palate. It makes it harder for them to enjoy real food.

I think this is where people sometimes get confused—there’s a lot of advice out there that says breastmilk is great for toddlers and older babies, which is true. But that’s because breastmilk is full of antibodies and natural compounds from the mother. That’s not the same thing as formula or cow’s milk. It’s really important to understand the difference, because parents might be making decisions based on outdated or misunderstood advice.

Another thing to think about is how milk affects sleep. If a child is still getting a big milk feed just before bed, it can disrupt the balance their body needs to wind down and sleep well. I’ve worked with lots of families where we simply removed the two year olds bottle before bed, and suddenly they started sleeping better—more settled, longer stretches, fewer wake-ups.

So what can you do instead? The key is to focus on balanced meals during the day. Make sure your child is getting good sources of protein, healthy fats, and a variety of textures. If they genuinely need a little something before bed, a light snack like toast with nut butter or a banana is a much better option than a bottle of milk. And by the way, if they’re over 12 months, it’s time to ditch the bottles altogether and move to open or sippy cups. That alone can help support better oral development and healthier routines.

The most important thing is to trust that your child will eat what they need when given the chance. They don’t need milk as a fallback anymore. And often, when we remove that crutch, we see improvements not just in sleep, but in how they eat, how they feel, and how confident parents feel too.