Switching to cow's milk

Kathryn - posted on 01/03/2010

my son is 11 months and ive just put my son on to whole milk and he loves it it makes im sleep all nite and my son is one on the 24 jan so there is no harm in doing it . happy new year ..

Rebecca - posted on 01/03/2010

When I gave my son cows milk i watered it down. I usually put half boiled water half milk to see how he went..Nothing changed so the next week i added more milk than water and so forth until it was just a full bottle of milk..I know that if you go to the chemist you can get additives to add into the milk...Formula does have a lot of nutrients in it but I think if your child is having yogurt, veges, fruit and meat then that should be all the nutrients they need. BUT if you do want more then you can get those liquid additives from the chemist.. (ATM my son is having awarm milo...I find when he is teething SOMETIMES he goes off his food a bit so I add a little milo and boiled water just to thicken it up and he has good sleeps with that.)

Hope that helps :)

Rose - posted on 01/02/2010

My daughter turned 1 yesterday. I started giving her cows milk when she was 6 months old but only with cereal and not as a drink, and from yesterday I have just put her straight on cows milk as a drink and she seems fine.

Carolina - posted on 01/02/2010

oh it seems we're all sharing in this same problem! I think i didnt switch my son over gradually enough (Cash will be one on the 19th:)He took to the taste of milk wonderfully so i encouraged it and it seems to be ok but he has had a few problems today with an extremely light colored bowel movement so i think we'll back up just a little bit on the milk for a little while and then try again-but more gradually this time.Just not sure yet-it's a big transition!love the advice ladies thanks for sharing its very helpful!

Rabia - posted on 12/28/2009

My son is 11months old and i have started to introduce whole milk with cereal i do dilute it a little, in a few days i will stop diluting so little amounts in cereal will hopefully prepare him for full bottles after he turns one..

Amber - posted on 12/27/2009

I have heard it is best when they are a year to jus switch them to whole milk only and no more formula... not sure if it is true but i am sure it will be easier than formula

Jacinta - posted on 12/22/2009

my daughter will be 1 next month (25th jan) and i've her on full cows milk since last month and didn't do her any harm :) i had to change milks because she wouldn't take SMA any more and i needed to get her to drink something and she loves it so all's good x

Chrissie - posted on 12/22/2009

I have 3 children (my third turning 1 this January 11th) and I started my older boys on cows milk just before they turned 1. They are both fine and there wasn't any difference in going from formula/breast to cows milk. They are both happy and healthy boys. I personally don't think it matters if you start your child on cows milk a few weeks early a bit at a time.

Tasha - posted on 12/21/2009

My pediatrician recommended it to me, but I am still a bit skeptical about taking her off formula just yet. I am switching her over to Enfagrow next step right now, and then I am going to slowly give her small amounts of regular milk during the day. I am going to stick to the enfagrow for night time and nap time feedings though. I compared the labels on the two for nutrition information and the formula still has much more nutrients than just plain cows milk!!! I am going to continue using the Enfagrow until she is at least 1 1/2 and then completly switch her over. I have to be especialy careful though since my husbands entire family has very bad milk allergys. We never had a problem with the milk based formula, but I am still going to be watching her!!!! :) :) :)

Angel - posted on 12/21/2009

My daughter is 12 mths on Jan. 17th. I think I will do it gradually as well, mixing breast milk with whole milk, bits at a time. She is very particular on taste, and may have a problem if I do otherwise. I am also hoping that she is ok with whole milk, she used to break out with excema when I had milk products while nursing up until she was a few months old, but now seems fine, even eats yogurt and cheese...she loves cottage cheese!!

Sarah - posted on 12/21/2009

my daughter turns 1 on 6 January and I have started to give her whole milk a bit at a time in her breakfast and a bit to drink, she has youghurt all the time and she has been fine with it, do what you think is best all babies are different some might take to it quicker then others

Kerry - posted on 12/21/2009

I've been wondering about this too. Ruby will be one on Jan 3rd and I thought a few weeks won't make much difference. So in the last few days I've been giving her a bottle of cows milk instead of her usual, except for her last bottle before bed. We haven't had a problem. She hasn't noticed a difference either. I am concerned that maybe i should have introduced it more gradually but so far so good.

Rebecca - posted on 12/21/2009

My son is on cows milk and has been for a month now i switched him to cows milk at 9 months and he is fine. He is now 10 months old. He hasn't even tasted the difference. He drinks and eats a lot. I tried him on solids at 2 months cause he was such a pig and he has been eating ever since. The doc said my son is really healthy and he has been walking since 7 months and 20 days. He talks and is a great baby. So I think it all depends on how your child takes to it.

Robyn - posted on 12/20/2009

I would if I were you. I have already started weaning my daughter onto cows milk. I had to start her early because due to being military we are going to be moving in 2 weeks and we wont be settled in 1 spot for about a mth and that is going to make weaning much harder im sure.She only nurses at night now and is doing great with the milk. I have to sweeten it a little with strawberry or sugar free chocolate syrup but not much at all. Since she never took bottles(never had a need) she wont sit still and just down a cup of milk so I give her a sippy of milk with food and she has done great.

Victoria - posted on 12/20/2009

My little girl will be one january 23rd aswell, i was also wondering when she can have full cows milk. My son hated milk anyway hes now 2 1/2. But my daughter has cows milk on her breakfast.She will also have a cold drink in a sippy cup but her milk in a bottle.

Danielle - posted on 12/20/2009

How many times is he nursing? My son was Jan 1st as well. =) I think I will do it gradually like everyone seems to be suggesting. I will give him milk in a sippy but not 100% at first. Hopefully by the end of January he will be down to just one bottle instead of two.

Deanna - posted on 12/19/2009

My son will be 1 on Jan. 1st, I'm still nursing and he takes water from a sippy cup too. When he turns a year old, I was just going to switch from nursing to giving him whole milk in a sippy cup. Does anyone have any opinions on this? I'm not sure what else to do....

NILSA - posted on 12/19/2009

HEY I ALREADY STARTED THAT WIT MY SON CUZ HE GONNA BE 1 NEXT MONTH 2 ND HE TAKEN IT JUST FINE WAT DAY IN JAN IS UR GONNA BE 1

Alyssa - posted on 12/19/2009

We started giving Madalyn cow's milk after her 9 month appointment. We did the whole 75/25 with water and milk respectively. now we're up to 50/50 and she's doing just fine. Just don't give them milk in their bottle...it's harder to bottle break them when you do that

Trisha - posted on 12/19/2009

Personally I would mix a little bit or give him a little amount of milk at a time, dont just switch right away it may upset his stomach, gradually start giving him more and more milk until you have replaced milk with formula! Good Luck!

Danielle - posted on 12/19/2009

My first son will be one on New Years Day and he switched to formula at 11 months. I have not given him cows milk because our doctor has recommended that we not. He does however eat everything else like jogurt, some cheese, ect. From reading the above posts I am thinking around 12.5 to 13 months I will start to give him small amounts of cows milk. We did not have a problem transitioning over to formula so I do not expect it to be a big deal to go to cows milk. I do have a question though... When I start the switch, do I still give him the normal amount of formula and add in milk? Or do I substitute formula with milk???

Trisha - posted on 12/17/2009

My daughter is 11 months( will be 12 one jan 8) and we just started giving her cups and bottles of it she has been ok, (she had an allergy test when she was 7 months) so we knew there wasnt an allergy.....tonite was the first night we gave her milk in a bottle before bed and she seems fine! I would talk with your dr and she was they say about switching. drs reccomend waiting until they are at least a year old unless there is another problem(my 2.5 year old switched at 9 month because of spitting up and reflux!) Good luck ladies with the switch to milk!

Heather - posted on 12/16/2009

I have an 11 month old as well. What I did with my first is at 12 months mixing half formula and half homo milk, and then gradually increased the homo until he was weaned off the formula. It worked well, so I am going to do the same thing with my second baby in a month. She already gets cheese, yogurt and will sip smoothies made with a bit of homo milk from a sippy cup.

Jennifer - posted on 12/16/2009

I have the same question. I am still nursing and he's taking a bottle of my milk while at daycare. I'm thinking about weaning starting on 1/1 (he'll be a year on 1/30). I read to take away one feeding with a bottle a week. So, my plan is to take away the breakfast bottle first and then the lunch bottle. He also has a whole bottle around 3 so that will be the third one I take away and I will replace it with a sippy cup of milk (mixed with my milk at first). The last one I'll take away will be the morning nursing and I think I'll replace that with a sippy cup of milk too. I'm hoping this works, but if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know!

Vanessa - posted on 12/16/2009

With my first son i started giving him a cup of milk here and there when he was 10 1/2 months. He wouldnt drink it cold though and we had to heat it up. You can also mix it with formula. My LO will be 12 months in january also but he is allergic to milk and soy protein so i have to wait until he turns 1 to try him on milk.

Faith - posted on 12/16/2009

i have gave my son a cup here and there. he will be 1 jan 3. i dont thing it ill hurt. i am 1st time mom as well. just beware of a difference in bowel movements. my son alo eats alot w/milk in it, like yogurt/cheeses/pudding'ect and hes perfect as can be. i would be cautious about it if there are allergies to milk in either families (mom or dads)
hope this helps
faith

Natasha - posted on 12/16/2009

i was also wondering the same things as my little girl turns 1 on jan 23 and she is my first and i dont know how to go about it.