formula to straight cows milk?

Rosie - posted on 02/21/2010

i thought that too calista, but my kids had no problem taking their bottles away. they liked sippy cups, they could get more faster!! my kids weren't great eaters either, but they did eat more after formula was taken away. when you're watching a child eat it seems like they don't eat alot but they don't need a whole lot compared to adults. good luck in what you decide!

Calista - posted on 02/20/2010

Thankyou everyone for your comments and input, it deffinitely gives me something to think about. I have spoken to my health nurse recently and she told me that at the age of 12 months to take the bottle away from her completely and just give her drinks in a cup throughout the day. I feel that my daughter would find that to be distressing, plus she really dosnt eat enough, so I don't feel this would be a good option.

Krystal - posted on 02/19/2010

my mum started me on cows milk(whole milk) when i was only 11 weeks old because i flat out refused to drink breast milk and formula and doctor recommended to start me on solids to. im 19 years old now and i am very healthy, i also have a 9 month old and i am giving 2-3oz of whole milk a day and he is doing brilliantly on it, i did ask my doctor and she was fine with it. my best friend has a 10 month old and has been on whole milk completely from 9 months because he flat out refused his formula. yea they recommend waiting till a year but its not always the way it goes. my son is starting to refuse his formula so that is why im starting him on a couple of oz, im not bothering with mixing it with formula because i dont see the point in it. he normally has 3 bottles of 8oz formula and a bottle of 4oz formula at dinner time but he has been refusing his dinner time bottle so that is when i give him the whole milk and he loves drinking it. if you want more advice and info i would suggest going to your doctor or pediatrition only then you will get your absolute answer. good luck and best wishes :)

Lindsay - posted on 02/18/2010

I started 50/50 for a week, then 25/75 for a week and then 100% whole milk. My daughter was off the bottle at 11 months and she wasn't getting scheduled milk, she would get a sippy when she woke up and I would just keep giving her more as she finished each cup. Usually she ended up having 4 large sippy's a day of milk. She at the time didn't like water and I didn't want to give unnecessary juice so she just drinks milk all day.

Erin - posted on 02/18/2010

I was told by WIC that after 1 you give them whole milk, but only 2 to 3 cups a day (measuring cups worth). After 2 they need to go to 2% or 1%. Ask your doc.

Meghan - posted on 02/18/2010

I breastfed my son until 10 months and he weaned himself off. I started him on whole yougurt at about 7 1/2 months because he had thrush really bad and the medication wasn't working. (the yogurt worked SO well incase anyone has this problem). Luckily you can get yougurt with the whole milke but with DHA which is what is in breast milk. I slowly started intriducing whole milk around the time he stoppped nursing. Added an oz of whole milk then rest water, increased that slowly over a week or so. Then dropped the formula and watered the whole milk down a bit for a few days, by 12 months he was on whole milk. I think it depends on your child's digestive system and may be trial and error. If you notcie they are consitpated add more water.

Sarah - posted on 02/18/2010

Hi I breast fed my youngest until 11 months and then moved her onto cows milk, but at 18 months we had a big scare when we found out that she had severe anemia which had been caused from the cows milk. I wasn't aware but some children can have a reaction to the milk and bleed out slowly through the walls of there stomach causing anemia. My little one never showed any signs of having a reaction to the milk it wasn't until she became extremely pale, tired and ill that we thought there was anything wrong, she spent 5 days in hospital having blood tests and was nearly given a blood fusion. I don't think there is a problem with changing over to cows milk but be aware that some children do have reactions so keep a look out for it and speak to your doc or child health nurse about how much to give. =)

Kirsten - posted on 02/18/2010

By 11 months my son had a cup of milk in the morning and a bottle for nap time, and one for bed time, He was eating proper meals same food we were. He is 20 months now and is still having formula as cows milk upsets his tummy. Although we save it for bed time now and since having a little sister who has bottles he has one at bed time gone back a step. Every child will give up there milk and bottles when they are ready before our little girl came along he just lost interest so i stopped giving him bottles, children will let you know when they want to use a cup.

Theresa - posted on 02/18/2010

They recommend not giving cows milk until 1 year. From about 6 months to ayear (provided they're eating solids too) they should be having 3-4 eight oz bottles a day.

Nichole - posted on 02/18/2010

1 year or after(they make "next stage" formula for toddlers if you choose to use it) The amount is: 1 year-24 Oz per day and then at 2 years you cut it down to 16 oz....I have seen first hand what happens when kids get too much milk...their little baby teeth turn brown:(;(.My son is 23 months and only has one 8 oz sippy of milk a day and he is 75% for height/50% for weight and has quite beautiful chompers!!! Best of luck to you!!!

Tara - posted on 02/18/2010

age- about 11 to 12 months

quantity- I cannot remember

Tina - posted on 02/18/2010

I started to give both my girls on whole milk when they were 11 months old and I started to bottle break them. Beacuse they were biting a whole in the nipple.

September - posted on 02/18/2010

12 months is the recommended age to start whole milk. The rule of thumb is to offer a baby 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight within a 24 hour period.
Happy parenting!

Sharon - posted on 02/18/2010

My daughter switched over at 10 months of age only because she refused to drink her formula. She did get the nutrients other ways but flat out spit the formula back at us every time we gave it to her. So we took a full month to switch her over.....1 ounce cow's milk mixed with her formula for a week then upped the cow's milk an ounce a week until the whole bottle was milk. My MIL told me all her children did this so we took it at normal for her.

As for how many bottles a day.....truthfully I never counted....if she was hungry she got her food and if she was thirsty she got her drink. I do know Morning, noon and night were constant bottles though.

Becky - posted on 02/18/2010

You should keep them on formula until they are 12 months old. Cows milk is harder to digest and is not as nutritious as formula or breastmilk, so starting on it too early places your baby at risk for milk allergies and malnutrition.

I'd say probably at least 3-4 bottles a day at 11 months, but more wouldn't be wrong either. My son was still breastfed at 11 months, and was still nursing at least 6 times a day.