when can i give my child store bought cow milk?

MOMMBY Mom - posted on 06/01/2011

Please wait until at least a year to give whole cow's milk. Please refer to this link for more information: http://www.mommby.com/Food/Infants_Toddl...

Krystal - posted on 06/01/2011

They do say that 1 yr is recommended to give them cows milk like alot of ladies have said. But really the choice is yours and if you feel ok with givin bubs cows milk and have spoke to drs about it then it should be fine. My 11 month old has been having cows milk on his cereal for about a month now and have just started giving him half formula half cows milk bottles and he is fine. Everyone has their own opinion on things, some good and some bad but the final choice is yours =)

Rosie - posted on 06/01/2011

my mothers family is mennonite. :)

Sarah - posted on 06/01/2011

well see i come from a mennonite background and the way they are raised is to give a child anything and everything as soon as they get teeth which could be anywhere from 3 months to a year. all of us raised that way have turned out fine. but i didnt want to take the risk and more so am follwing what is recommended by my doctor. i give my child lots of cooled boiled water during the day especially now that the summer season has hit but still give her juice when i notice her bowel movements are becoming too solid or she isnt having a bowel movement as often as she should.

Rosie - posted on 05/31/2011

wait till she's a year old. younger children may not be able to digest the cows milk, and it can cause small intestinal bleeds which lead to anemia. of course it doesn't happen with everybody who starts on cows milk early, but why risk it? formula by far is the better choice. :)

Danielle - posted on 05/31/2011

Well I switched my kids to whole cow's milk right when they started eating 3 square meals a day and snacks in between. This was around 8 months old. Now, I know they recommend waiting until 12 months to introduce cow's milk but my doctor did not see a problem with it so neither did I. Both of my children didn't have any issues with the transition so I'm still confident with my decision. It's really your personal preference. Do your research and make the choice that is right for you and your family. If your baby has trouble adjusting to cow's milk you can always try formula instead.

Alana - posted on 05/31/2011

you should use growing up milk, full fat cows milk is ok from one year old, and semi skimmed from 5 years old, this may be dirfferent in the usa, i think they say to go onto semi skimmed at 2/3 because of the high level of obesity in the usa. x

also the fruit juces should be no more than a cup a day and it should be "fresh" apple or orange, not dilute or concentrate, and it should be diluted one part juice to four parts water. xx

and whoever said rthe juice is ok aslong as its baby juice is completely incorrect. baby juice has much moer sugar in then fresh diluted juice. x

Maria - posted on 05/30/2011

."Cow's milk is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children under 1 year old. Infants fed whole cow's milk don't get enough vitamin E, iron, and essential fatty acids. They also get too much protein, sodium, and potassium. These levels may be too high for the infant's system to handle. Also, whole cow's milk protein and fat are more difficult for an infant to digest and absorb."

Maria - posted on 05/30/2011

You should limit the juice intake to no more than 4 oz a day, watered down. It has no benefits and is empty calories. Also, you should not be giving your baby "cow" milk till she is 1 yr. old. An infants digestive system cannot break down the milk proteins. In some cases, it has lead to internal bleeding (not saying this will happen, just what I have read from doing a little reasearch). An infant gets its nutrients from breast milk and/or formula the first year. After that, than whole milk is fine. And it is totally normal, once you start introducing solids, for your baby to drink less. Have you spoken to your Pediatrian about this?

Kiarra - posted on 05/30/2011

I get about 2 to 4 hours on goodnight I have a 3.5 and 26 weeks preggers with # 2 I am exahusted through out the day my 3 year old is extremly hyper active

Kiarra - posted on 05/30/2011

i

Bonnie - posted on 05/30/2011

Wait until around a year for milk.

Roxanne - posted on 05/30/2011

Hi Sarah, I'm having the same problem only my girl is only 6 months. I give her a bottle of juice daily to ensure she don't get dehydrated and she is doing good. My ped. said that as long as they get at least 16 oz of milk a day then they will be fine. She also said that they babies will suck more milk out than we pump so she is probably getting what she needs. I let Layla nurse right before she goes to sleep and she seems to be satisfied all night. I hope this helps.

Jessi - posted on 05/30/2011

according to current doctor's recommendations, at 1yr. according to past doctor's recommendations and what I chose to follow, at 6mos or when the child has tried all cereals and purees having no reactions. my brother's and i, as well as my son, we're all on puree table foods and whole milk by 6mos of age. we are 26, 25, 22, and 2 yrs of age with no food related allergies or obesity issues. my son's pediatrician was impressed and did not scold me for not listening to him. do what you feel is best, i know i did and i will stick by it.

Ashley - posted on 05/29/2011

I started transitioning my daughter right at 11 months. That is when I started cutting out bottles as well and just working on the transition of both. I was giving her breastmilk still and then just gradually adding in the whole milk until she got used to it and the taste of it and she didn't have any issues with it. So by the time she turned 1 she was on just whole milk and off the bottle then. I would hold off a couple more months on it, or just give her little by little and see if her tummy can handle it. But I would keep up with majority of breastmilk if you can and then supplement with formula if the whole milk is causing tummy problems. But I would talk to your doctor about it all first. That is just my experience and what I did. My doctor told me a few weeks wouldn't matter, but a few months.. I just don't know. The juice thing isn't as big of a deal as some people make it out to be. Just make sure she isn't getting a lot of it and take care of her teeth like Dina said. Most doctors say about 4 oz a day, and to dilute it with water if you want to give her more at a time. And the gerber baby juices work great. Good Luck.

Dina - posted on 05/29/2011

Sara you are right fruit juice is perfectly fine as long as you buy the "baby" juice, take proper care of her teeth and limit the amount. I was told to give my son juice before to and there is nothing wrong with it as long as you take the extra care :)



I would transition her to formula for a bit though to make sure her stomach can handle it, formula is thicker then breast milk, and cows mild is thicker then formula...so it is probably the best option to keep the little ones tummy from hurting or getting sick.



You will hear tons of people say wait till 12 months, but it all depends on your childs digestive system, we started transitioning my son to cows milk (with his doctors agreement) at 10 months, in a normal 8 ounce cup we started mixing 7/8 formula 1/8 cows milk...did that for a week, and each week changed that amounth by an ounce (one less ounce formula one more of cows milk)....and he is a perfectly happy healthy kid and we never had any problems.



:)

Sheelah - posted on 05/29/2011

i started my son on milk at 11 months....i work in a pharmacy and asked the pharmasists what they thought and most actually start around then.....maybe talk to your dr or your pharmacy pharmasists about what they think.....then decide.....

Alison - posted on 05/29/2011

My doc advised me to go to formula and then to whole milk. Most docs say that by 1yr a baby should be on whole milk at least partially, to begin transition to 'big girl' foods. Good luck! :)

Sarah - posted on 05/29/2011

well when giving my daughter solids she always got constipated and i was told that it was due to not getting enough fluids and my doctor recomended going to fruit juices such as prune juice or apple juice. you can buy them in the baby aisle at any grocery store or drug store. but if you buy the large cans of apple juice you are supposed to dilute it with some water. and after giving her some juice you are supposed to just take a wet cloth and rub her teeth clean to prevent them from rotting as those drinks are quite high in sugar. i do not give her juice with every feeding maybe once or twice a day and only a few ounces in total. and i do not want to breastfeed her too much longer as i am returning to work the beginning of august and she will only be a year september 29th and i want her weaned before i go back to work.

Christie - posted on 05/29/2011

DO NOT GIVE HER JUICE!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is the number one thing to avoid im surprised you even thought of it? who told you to give her juice? all she needs is some water with her meal. give her a feed about half an hour before solids, "before one food is for fun" which means that milk should be her primary food til she is one, sure give her solids from 6 months but that food is not replacing the milk. if you dont want to breast feed then you should go formula as humans are not designed to digest cows milk

Elizabeth - posted on 05/27/2011

i gave my kids cow milk when they were 11 months but half n half at first and if the kid is okay for a week then do one less ounce of baby milk e vry week till its only cows milk

Carolyn - posted on 05/27/2011

Sarah,

Do you nurse before solids ? this will help keep your milk supply where it needs to be. Baby will drink till she is happy and then have some solids !

at 8 months, I was nursing between 3-4 times a day. with a cup of formula or expressed milk with his bedtime cereal.

You can also reduce the solids for a few days and focus on nursing to bring your supply back up !

You dont have to give up nursing if you dont want to, and you can always compliment it with a cup of formula at bedtime ( which is what i did when the monster decided he didnt want to nurse in the late evening so we just improvised, and it gave me a nice break )

I would avoid fruit juices, they are quite sugary and dont really do anything to help her diet or physical development.

Your milkd supply might just be fixing itself to meet her demand, and by 8 months she is a pro at getting milk, so it might seem like she isnt getting as much but she is probably getting everything she needs.

just watch her wet diaper count, that will tell you the whole story :)

Teresa - posted on 05/27/2011

Breastmilk or formula only until 12 months.

Jodi - posted on 05/27/2011

Not until 12 months. There is a reason for that. Children who go on store bought milk too early are more likely to suffer iron deficiencies, because not only are they insuffiently established in their solids feeding to be getting enough iron from that alone, the milk actually contributes toward the depletion of iron. Definitely go for the formula which has iron added.

Sabra - posted on 05/27/2011

go to formula. you aren't supposed to give cows milk until at least 12 months of age. I know a couple of small studies have shown that cows milk before a year is liked to juvenile diabetes so I wouldn't take the risk. At night time you could also offer her water. (no more than a couple ounces though) if she is hungry then it probably won't help but if she is just thirst then it might help.