Starting your baby on cow's milk

Jenna - posted on 02/09/2010

I asked my Dr. because I wasn't sure how that worked either...she said that on the 17th (Jentry's 1st birthday) start mixing 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 formula in her bottles and continue to lower the formula until she is totally on milk. Jentry is little because she was 5 weeks early so that is why we are using whole milk. You might want to ask your Dr. what they reccommend for your child.

Brittany - posted on 02/09/2010

i am trying right now..its not going so well.. but after reading through this post i got a few ideas...

so far i have been mixing it with a little breastmilk and giving it to her in her sippy. she hasn't liked it at all.. but is slowly starting to drink a little bit.. she only nurses twice a day so i have been concerned about her milk intake.. she drinks tons of water.

,,,,,,runs to warm up some milk...............

Hanna - posted on 02/09/2010

My son will eat anything too, and i haven't really switched him to cow's milk. we started on solids at 4.5 months & he was eating meat by 6.5 months. at 7 i introduced whole plain yogurt and breastmilk became a supplement. by 10.5 months i stopped breastfeeding altogether because i was working and i could only get 5-6oz of milk a day. but by then Maxi was eating pretty much everything (including citrus fruits, nuts (not by themselves, but if it was in a food like pad thai or meatballs, he'd eat it no problem). i never gave him formula because it always got him constipated & gassy (and we tried more than 7 varieties), so the necessary calcium & protein he got from meats, cheeses & yogurt. and he loves cheese -- any kind of cheese. at 7 months, i was in NYC having brunch with my friend, he stole a piece of gorgonzola off my plate and ate it & reached for another one. now he loves extra sharp vermont cheddar. i did give him milk in farina to make it more flavorful and he loved it and i also put a little milk in his oatmeal that he eats with fruits. but we just don't have a habit of drinking milk at home.

so try giving a bit of warm milk on its own or mixed with cereal and see how she reacts to it. if she likes it and has no problem, then you can alternate (maybe give formula some of the feedings & milk others) or you can even put it in the sippy to get rid of the bottle altogether. if she doesn't like the taste of milk, you can mix it with formula and then gradually increase the amount of milk in the mixture. if she does get constipated, then stick to whole yogurt for now, some kids can't drink milk until 14-16 months (for whatever reason) and protein in the yogurt is easier for them to digest. good luck!

Amy - posted on 02/09/2010

I switched my son to milk at 10 mnths old....I did it over a 3 day period starting w/ giving him a couple ounces of WARM milk 2-3x a day, by the fourth day he pushed away a formula bottle!! but then again my boy will eat ANYTHING so maybe it was luck. I recall it took a bit longer w/ my daughter.

DORIANNE - posted on 02/09/2010

My baby just turned 1 on the 4th. I want to change him also. But I'm scared that he will not be getting enough iron and other vitamins. Can I give somekind of supplement together with the milk?

Tina - posted on 02/08/2010

With my 3 year old it was no issue he took milk at 11 months in a cup no problem with my daughter who will be one on the 17th I've had to try an oz here and there first in her bottle then in several different sippy cups (she only like soft nippled cups) now I can give her a sippy of milk and she'll drink it no prob. My sister in law had to mix a lil formula with her daughters milk to get her to start. So it is really all up to the kid. Whole milk is easier to transition with I think cuz it is thick like formula (the doctors all say whole milk from 1 to 2 years old anyway.) Good luck

Alyssa - posted on 02/04/2010

We've been slowly switching William from breast milk only over to a milk/formula mixture. I started out with 4 oz formula, 4 oz milk and traded 1 oz as a time every few days. Now he's over to only 2% milk and he'll be 1 in two weeks. Good luck!! :)

Laura - posted on 02/04/2010

Thanks everyone! :)
I let Cheyanne try a little milk in her cup yesterday and she drank it right up!

Erin - posted on 02/03/2010

I just did a straight switch about 2 weeks ago (my daughter will be 1 next Tuesday). I also had questions about introducing the cow's milk gradually, but my baby health nurse assured me it's not necessary. If your daughter accepts the new milk, there's no reason not to do a straight switch. You will only need to take it slow if she rejects the new taste at first. My daughter didn't even bat an eyelid, so straight switch worked for us.

Sara - posted on 02/03/2010

My son will be 1 on February 15th.

For the last week and a half, I've been giving him bottles (formula) for breakfast and for bedtime. During the day (lunch, snack, dinner) I give him a sippy cup with whole milk. He didn't like the taste too much at first, and he doesn't drink a full cup (maybe 3-4 ounces per meal)....but I plan on taking his bottle away the day after his birthday, so I wanted him to get used to it so it wasn't a shock.

I've heard that the taste of mixing milk and formula is not appealing to most babies....so I didn't bother.

Karrington - posted on 02/02/2010

My son started whole milk at nine and a half months old and I just gave it to him. He did great and he loves his sippy cup but all babies are different.