Have you started to transition your baby to whole milk yet?

Nadine - posted on 01/06/2011

i had my son fully on homoginized milk 2 weeks before his first birthday and he LOVES it. just slowly introdue it and in no time thats all your little one will want!!

Adriana - posted on 01/05/2011

my son drinks whole milk and toddler formula

Mal - posted on 01/05/2011

my daughter was 11 months when she started on cows milk not formula... i also weined her starting with 50\50 then slowly adding extra milk.... worked a charm she loves her bottle now

Cindy May - posted on 01/05/2011

It should be fine - just make sure he is getting enough iron in his diet - as cows milk does not have any in it. He should be able to get enough nutirents from his solids - just make sure he drinks enough liquid.

a friend was put on cows milk at 4 months - a year is what my paed said and 18 months is what my clinci sister said - I would say it is fine.

Eleanor - posted on 12/18/2010

My son turned one on Dec 16th, he is breastfed and has never had any formula. We have tried him on a little cows milk in a tippy cup since last week and he seems fine. Like the others have said he has had no problem with yoghurt or cheese so I wasn't concerned. I was still breastfeeding morning, afternoon and evening but have just managed to replace the afternoon feed with half water/half milk. Since Ryan had never had any formula I didn't see the point on starting it now. I know a lot of people whose babies have had bad reactions to different formulas and have decided not to go down that road at all. Good luck with the transition!

Briona Morris- - posted on 12/17/2010

My daughter won't be 1 till Dec 31st and she has been having a lot of constipation problems with formula, so I took her off it a week ago and the doctor didn't have any problems with it. My son was on cow's milk before about the same time because of the same reason and He did much better on regular milk. Good luck with your decision, you know what is best for you and your children.

Sharee - posted on 12/15/2010

Almond milk is a higher fat option too if he doesn't have a nut allergy. Your doc can run a basic blood lab that can tell in most cases if your child has an allergy if you'd rather not find out the hard way... =)

Sharee - posted on 12/15/2010

My baby has a dairy allergy so he does Rice Milk. If you are concerned about hormones, etc. don't use soy milk for a baby boy as it contains estrogen which is harmful to all his male parts as they develop! My little guy is on Nutramigen so to get him to drink it, I have been mixing it with rice milk instead of water and he loves it cold in a sippy! He is 2 weeks away from 1st birthday and I was shocked that he took it! My older son wouldn't drink cold milk in a sippy til 15 months!

Lorelle - posted on 12/15/2010

All you can do is try it. And what you are doing seems to be working for both of you. If your son doesnt do well on it, you can try goats milk as someone else suggested. It is supposed to be easier to digest. Or there are other types of milk like almond (although I think they lack the fat that whole milk has).
Human beings arent supposed to drink cows milk, calves are, but we all drink it anyway. But not many babies have the luxury of being breast fed til they are 2.
I personally dont drink milk because I think it's gross but I give it to my son, who turns one on the 22nd. I have been introducing it slowly into his formula.
So yes, we have all survived, even thrived, and we were given cows milk. Cows milk might not be how it used to be but steroids, antibiotics and growth hormones have been used in agriculture for longer than the last 30 years so I think it's fair to compare us to our children in that respect. There is basically an entire generation of people who were formula fed and they seem to be OK as well. My mother smoked when she was pregnant! My husband's grandmother was given beer in the recovery room to help bring her milk in.
I'm not sure it's a matter of right or wrong to do cows milk, but simply a matter of does it work for my child. Good luck to you, and to me!

Mindy - posted on 12/15/2010

I was breast fed and than after one started on whole milk. But that was 30 years ago. I know a lot of ppl always says thats how I was raised and it worked for me, I mean disrespect when I say this either. Things change, medical science , technology and yes the how to on feeding your baby, hell when I was a baby they told our parents to put us to sleep on our stomaches. I encourage all new parents to do the research, and find out what works best for their baby. My daughter has not been given milk yet. Her birthday is on december 22 nd. My daughter has never had juice or milk. Everything she consumes is organic. And when we put her on milk it will be organic as well. She still can't figure out her sippy cup. Which is the only way I will give her milk or juice. If she wants her bottle she'll get only water in it, I don't want her teeth rotten. My daughter was horribly colicky up until 9 months and she is very picky about food , she doesn't like fruit...lol It has been a very rough year. = ) I know that most formulas have come out with stage 2 for year 1 and up. I may give it a try if she doesn't like the milk. Some babies can't tolerate the whole milk. My sister had to put her twin boys on 2% percent due to constipation and upset stomaches. Good luck and I hope it works out = )

CHRISTINA - posted on 12/15/2010

My son turned 1 today and I have been trying to give him cows milk for the past week out of a sippy cuphe takes it for a little bit but has not finished a full cup yet. He still breastfeeds at night and a bottle to go to bed. I am trying to get him off of the bottle and breast at night but he doesn't take milk good in a cup I really don't want to try it in a bottle but I don't want to buy anymore formula either so after this last can is gone I guess that is my next step. My daughter had to have lactose free milk when she was a baby so I am watching to see if it makes him sick.

Jessica - posted on 12/15/2010

I just started giving my son who will be 1 years old the 23rd half milk and formula but it's not turning out so good. He is spitting it up, getting a nasty rash, and his eczema is acting out really bad. I called his ped and they told me he is having a milk allergy. I have no clue what they are going to put him on maybe stay on the same formula he is on now witch is Enfamil Nutramigen so I guess we will see when we go to his 1 year check-up

Mel - posted on 12/14/2010

my daughter turned 1 on the 6th. i started Vitamin D milk a couple weeks before her bday. i mixed 1/2 formula n 1/2 milk until the formula was gone. she didnt even notice. i warm it in the mocrowave for 15seconds first, so the cold is not such a shock!

Shelly - posted on 12/14/2010

Hi stephanie. I just took my number 2 to his 12month checkup. I am in the same boat as u. My older boy wad on formula from about 5 1/2months old n the transition to whole milk was smooth. But i have solely breastfed my little one bc he was allergic to the formula as a nb. The dr said its time to start whole milk. Im going to start him today once he wakes up from his nap. But i plan to continue breastfeeding first thing in the am and at bedtime for a little while. Hope the transition goes well for u n me both!!! :)

Shauna - posted on 12/13/2010

I am going to try the Organic Whole milk tomorrow...she'll be 1 on the 20th. i am going to mix it in slowly, but I will continue the formula for anothe rcouple months because of the nutrients in it. I bought milk that has added DHA as well. Good luck all!!!

Monika - posted on 12/13/2010

I'm trying at the moment,my daughter is 11 months and 3 weeks ,but she hates it:(

Melissa - posted on 12/12/2010

Cow milk is not the same as it used to be, I've done a bit of research and have never given to my kids. I even try and cut it out of my diet where I can. I would start introducing Nido or something similar & remember to do it slowly otherwise they get so constipated.

Melissa - posted on 12/11/2010

I started my son on alternating soy milk and organic cows milk when he was about 9 or 10 months old and he did wonderfully with it. The reason I did soy milk half the time is simply because of the growth hormones and what not that are in cows milk as a result of the genetic alterations farmers have done over the years. He didn't need any real weaning or getting used to it at all, he loved it from the get go and he never once had any issues what so ever.

Laura - posted on 12/10/2010

I give my daughter 1 bottle of cows milk (1 ish part milk 4 parts water) and 2-3 bottles of toddler formula. She was exclusivley BF until 11 months and i started weening her. At 12 months I got sick and had to take medications which prematurely stopped BF all together. Bubby is happy tho.

Elsie - posted on 12/10/2010

i have 5 children an 3ov them were on whole fresh milk by the time they were 6 months old as they no longer took baby milk my daughter is 1 on monday the 13th an she s still on cow an gate baby mile stage 3 she has had whole fresh milk but rite now prefers baby milk

Melissa - posted on 12/10/2010

My daughter turns 1 on the 17th. We ran out of formula about a week ago and I was bound and determined not to buy any more! So we just switched her over to milk. We dring 2% organic. I do have to warm it up just a little to take the chill off but she didn't have any trouble. Piece of cake. Good Luck!

Michele - posted on 12/10/2010

Hi,
We started whole milk 3 weeks before his first birthday. Our little guy LOVES it!!! We have noticed no spit up and he drinks about 6 oz. We had him on breast milk and a high calorie formula which became too $$. We are happy with the milk and when I told his Dr. we started early she didn't tell me to stop. :o)

Christine - posted on 12/09/2010

My December baby is my 4th. One of the main problems with cow's milk is that it lacks the iron that your breastmilk or formula has. However, having said that, if your little dude is just weeks away from his birthday, I don't think transitioning him now will make that much of a difference. :) You're going to hear pros and cons for both sides of it. I think you're probably fine to start him if you feel comfortable doing so, but my honest opinion is that you should definitely do half breast milk/half cow's milk (or even 70/30 ratio or something along those lines) just to start him off. Good luck!

Stephanie - posted on 12/08/2010

Alandra, that helps tons. Thanks. He is taking 3 oz of cows milk a day now and likes it just fine with no problems.

Alandra - posted on 12/08/2010

my son will be 1 yr on dec 18 and i know your supposto wait until they are a year (according to some doctors etc) but i was exclusively breast feeding as well and pumping when i was working .. (i am off for the season) .. but about 2 weeks ago my son no longer wanted to breast feed during the day or take a bottle of breast milk , so i decided to offer him cows milk during the day (he eats great and does fine with other dairy like cheese and yogurt).. and he loves it and hasnt had any problems at all , i breast feed in the morning and he has sippy cups of milk during the day and sometimes wants breast fed at night .. i just look at it like hes naturallly weaning himself considering my milk supply was diminishing as well .... hope this helps . best of luck :D

Danielle - posted on 12/07/2010

hello. When breastfeeding did not work out for me I tried formula, which I was not a fan of doing, and it made my daughter horribly sick. and we tried many kinds. Then we had a midwife and some friends tell us about goats milk and that it is the 2nd best thing for them after breastmilk. We started her on it and from that time on she was never sick, never threw up or had stomach aches. plus the pediatrician said if she handles it, it is perfectly fine for her. I started giving her little bits of wholemilk about 2 months ago, when we ran out of goats milk and did not have enough money to get more for a couple days. She took right to it, and now we give it to her more. It's Organic Stoneyhill Whole Milk. Some people and doctors will freak out if you give your kids any kind of milk before one...but ya know what, my daughter does great with it, and I know my child. And personally I would rather give her whole milk than formula.

Liliane - posted on 12/06/2010

Here in Canada, official recommendation is that Whole milk can be given to babies between 9 and 12 months, and as far as I know, Canadian babies are not any worst off for not waiting until 12 months! :)

Stephanie - posted on 12/06/2010

Francesca, let me know how it goes. It sounds like you are in the same situation as I am.

Francesca - posted on 12/06/2010

My daughter turns 1 next week. She's had some formula but doesn't seem to like it that much, while she's VERY interested in her sister's sippy cup of milk. My pumped milk supply is almost gone, and I plan to stop pumping next week. My girl eats cheese and yogurt and I hope everything goes well with a transition to cow milk!

Stephanie - posted on 12/06/2010

Thanks for all of your imput. I started with mixing 2 oz cows milk with 8 oz breast milk and so far so good. He loves cheese and yogurt so I see no problems. This is only for 2 bottles a day so I am sure it is not taking away any vitamins. I just don't want to have to go to formula since he has never had it...

Melanie - posted on 12/06/2010

my daughter is one in two weeks and have been cooking with cows milk since she was 6months. i have now just started putting half formula half cows milk . then in a few days when formula runs out will put straight onto cows milk. as another lady said if eating cheese and yoghurts with no affect no problem and if theyre enjoying decent meals i wouldnt pay out extra money for follow on formula!

Kim - posted on 12/05/2010

My boys only eat 6-8oz of formula a day, they will be a year old on Dec. 18th. They eat full meals and snacks and get water and diluted juice with their meals. I haven't tried milk yet, but they can tolerate all cheeses and yogurt so I'm not concerned about it. I'm going to wait till their one year birthday till I get the ok from their doctor.

Jessie - posted on 12/04/2010

my son is 1 on 24 dec. and ive never herd that its not recommended for a baby to have cows milk. my son drinks it and he loves it, he has a problem with his gag reflex and he is sick quite a lot but he doesn't bring up cows milk or solid food. my mam knows a lot about baby's and she always tells me "you learn something new every day", well i think i have. I will still carry on giving my baby cows milk because my whole family where brought up on it and we're fine xx

Louise - posted on 12/04/2010

i cant wait to put my son on cows milk. he is on formuls at the moment. i am going to slowley add cows milk to his formula over a few days as it can sometimes make there bottoms very red and sore. if your baby is eating lots of diffrent foods i would not bother with toddler formula.

Aneta - posted on 12/03/2010

Hi, my personal choice is to continue with toddler formula. The reason is that it contains the entire spectrum of vitamins the baby needs per day till the age of 2. Especially since in winter and early spring there is a higher risk of flu, and the variety of fresh fruits & veggies is limited. Cow milk does not contain necessary amounts of iron, zinc and calcium, in addition the proteins over-stimulate kidneys. But if you definitely decided to shift to cow milk then you should try vitamin fortified milk (like Nido). Try to mix it with breat milk gradually increasing the amount of cow milk up to 100%. Some kids may spit up or have increased gassiness at the beginning. Good luck!