Whole Milk too early?!?

Jessa - posted on 01/27/2010

I personaly kept my daughter on formula til a little over a year and then we slowly introduced her to 2% and she did well with the switch! I know some people do swap over earlier than that

Pamela - posted on 01/27/2010

i wouldnt be concerned you know your baby better then anyone and a doc's suggestions are simply that suggestions...they dont know everything.

Rebecca - posted on 01/27/2010

a nutritionist will tell you not to give milk of any form until a year old because of their ability to digest the protein properly, which you cannot tell from the outside unfortunately. Could also possible cause lactose intolerance later in life, tho a lot can do that. I've never heard of the anemic, and i studied nutrition. Make sure he is still getting whatever you were feeding him before (breastmilk or formula) because there are nutrients in the formula he cannot get in most foods. (highest iron amount is found in red meats, and he can obviously not eat that, that is prolly why their worried about him being anemic). Hopes this helps.

Christina - posted on 01/27/2010

I have two kids girl2 and a boy7months they've both been on whole milk since they were 3 months i do give my son formula along with it he refuses to eat cereal so i give him milk to stay full longer and to provide some other nutrients but honestly my children aren't anemic, over weight, or anything, they are 50 -75% in their growth rate and they are barely ever sick. So i say if you want to go ahead bc before formula thats how we ate milk straight from a cow lol good luck!

Roxy - posted on 01/27/2010

my pedi said that whole milk will make them have internal bleeding. i dont always go by what they say. i started given my son whole milk at 9 and a half months but i had a little of formula mixed with it for about a week. my son is almost 2 now and he is very healthy very active and extremely smart. i dont see the hurt in the whole milk at all my daughter is almost ten months i tryed the milk with her but she didnt like it so im working her into it. is this your 1st baby?? i am only 22 yrs old no1 ever knows everything about kids but i do have two my husband and i raise on our own so i know some things lol



Roxy

Annamarie - posted on 01/27/2010

I think that if you give him baby food, cereal, or whatever you eat as well as the milk he'll be fine. My mom used to give all of her kids whole milk at five months. So long as you make sure his getting enough iron and vitamins he'll be fine.

Morgan - posted on 01/27/2010

When a child is anemic that means they don't have enough iron in their systems, whole milk isn't a good source for it either, however if your son is taking it well I wouldn't worry. Usually children start drinking whole milk at one year of age, but I don't think starting them early will have any adverse side effects. If you are worried about how much iron your child is getting just give him iron drops which a lot of babies take when they are fed breast milk, you can get them over the counter anywhere. Good luck !!

Morgan - posted on 01/27/2010

When a child is anemic that means they don't have enough iron in their systems, whole milk isn't a good source for it either, however if your son is taking it well I wouldn't worry. Usually children start drinking whole milk at one year of age, but I don't think starting them early will have any adverse side effects. If you are worried about how much iron your child is getting just give him iron drops which a lot of babies take when they are fed breast milk, you can get them over the counter anywhere. Good luck !!

Morgan - posted on 01/27/2010

When a child is anemic that means they don't have enough iron in their systems, whole milk isn't a good source for it either, however if your son is taking it well I wouldn't worry. Usually children start drinking whole milk at one year of age, but I don't think starting them early will have any adverse side effects. If you are worried about how much iron your child is getting just give him iron drops which a lot of babies take when they are fed breast milk, you can get them over the counter anywhere. Good luck !!

Ayrjia - posted on 01/27/2010

I wasn't able to read ALL of the responses since there were so many!! This is such a hot subject I think because we ALL want to do what is best for our babies and want to make educated decisions so we don't put our children at risk.



The deal with Cows milk is that some people can have a hard time digesting it and can cause digestive problems. You can also have an allergy to the milk protein. There can be various reactions and allergies to various components of cow's milk. It is the #1 allergy in infants.



This website will give you a better understanding of what goes on and why.



http://www.shs-nutrition.com/conditions/...



Any kind of food allergy can present itself in subtle ways or obvious. I would say that if your child begane pooping 2-3 times a day AFTER you began giving him cow's milk I would hold off until after 1 year. If he always pooped like that, and he doesn't show any other signs articulated in this website, then he is probab;y fine!



One thing to remember is that food allgeries can present in MANY ways from a physical reaction to an emotional one...they are finding that ADHD and ADD is being linked to gluten allergies!



Christine, it sounds like you are doing a great job. Listen to your pediatrician but don't make decisons based on them scaring you...they like to do this to new mothers especially. J/K...LOL .

Heather - posted on 01/27/2010

I didn't start giving my two boys whole milk until a year, at my doctor's recommendation, but I've never heard that it could cause anemia. I'm anemic and so is my cousin, both of us didn't have milk until a year old and what we have been told is that we were born with it, nothing in our environment made us be anemic. Maybe our doctor's aren't informed, but I have never heard of milk too early causing that. As long as your doctor is ok with you starting him on milk at that age I think it would be fine and just watch your lil' guy and see if he starts acting strangely/out of character. My parents starting taking me to the doctor in 9th grade to be tested for anemia because I was so tired all the time (I would sleep almost 15 hours a day because I was that worn out) and after running some tests my doctors found that I was anemic. If he's still acting like his normal self, I wouldn't be worried.

Stacy - posted on 01/27/2010

I gave my daughter whole milk around the same time, but I diluted it with formula she is 18 months now and perfectly healthy

Amber - posted on 01/27/2010

I think its so weird that so many moms are so eager to put they're kids on cows milk .Its made for a COW lol .. I personally dont feed formula nor will I start my child on cows milk before the proper age . I feed human milk for my human baby . I think its really stupid how our tax dollars go into our health systems so our doctors and tell us what is best for our children health wise just so mothers completly ignore them . It like they are saying please" dont feed ur child rat poison before a year of age or they will die " and then we have a million moms doing it anyways . Im sure using rat poison as a example is a bit harsh but its like doctors telling preggo women not to smoke while preggo or they're babies can come out with health problems and a greater risk of dieing from sids( dieing in they're sleep) and mom still smoke.It baffles me that so many moms want to give whats best for they're children but really some are selfish and give whats more "convient" . gah! whats this worl coming to . Please stop givingur child cows milk until the proper age . There are guidelines for a reason .Not just for entertainment . Please for ur childs sake!

Jaci - posted on 01/27/2010

Ive heard that giving your child whole milk from around 10months until theyre up to 2 years old helps brain development. My friend always gave her son 2% milk but when I told her this she switched to whole milk. At first while her son was on 2% he had a really hard time speaking, and didnt actually make sentences that made sense up until not long after she started having him drink whole milk. That was proof enough for me. Now he still has a bit or trouble finding the right words, but hes speaking MUCH better, and I think this is partially due to the brain development thing with the milk. (Which many people wont agree with me, but I've seen it work)

Anneliese - posted on 01/26/2010

yes!!!! that is too early!!! the only milk that would be even close to good would be whole milk,and even then its still not enough! it has no iron and that can cause anemia in a baby!!!! also his kidneys are not able to process cows milk!!!! USE BREASTMILK OR FORMULA!!!!!!!!PLEASE!

Sherre - posted on 01/26/2010

Someone made a comment about first time mom's being paranoid but it seems a bit funny how a couple people said "In the old days, it was natural to drink cow's milk." That's an ignorant statement because if you all read and did research instead of thinking you're too good to, you would know, they BREASTFED and if they couldn't, they had wet nurses.
In the Egyptian, Greek and Roman empires, women usually fed only their own children. However, breastfeeding began to be seen as something too common to be done by royalty, and wet nurses were employed to breastfeed the children of the royal families. This was extended over the ages, particularly in western Europe, where noble women often made use of wet nurses. The Moche artisans of Peru (1-800 A.D.) represented women breastfeeding their children in ceramic vessels.[1]

Shared breastfeeding is still practised in many developing countries when mothers need help in feeding their children.
...I don't see anything in there about whole milk.

Amanda - posted on 01/26/2010

I personally don't give my daughter milk anymore because it's not a great source of nutrition and because she is sensitive to it. If I do give her cows milk it's raw. Raw milk still has the enzymes necessary for digesting the proteins. My daughter who breaks out with eczema after she drinks pasteurized cows milk, won't break out when she drinks raw milk. I don't think a baby should ever have cows milk before a year and even then you might consider not giving it to your baby at all. There are better sources of nutrition out there. And this is all according to my fabulous Dr. Got Milk? is a joke, a huge marketing campaign that everyone's bought into. Milk is high in sugar, hard to digest, you can be sensitive to it and not even know it, and the list goes on. So as this post will, I'm sure, get a lot of disagreeing viewers, that's OK, just know that there are other healthier options out there and easy to find if you look.

Adrienne - posted on 01/26/2010

I started both my boys on whole milk at about 10 1/2 months - 11 months old.

Anne - posted on 01/26/2010

i put my son on whole milk when he was 7 months old. he is now almost 9 months. he loves it. with formula he would spit up alot and now that i have him on whole milk, he sleeps better at night, and like your son, he poops 3-4 times a day. my son has had no problems drinkin whole milk.

Tanya - posted on 01/26/2010

My son wouldn't drink formula so i mixed it with his weet-bix of a morning from 7 - 16 months. Only cause he wouldn't drink it. So I was breastfeeding till 10 months and then i put him straight onto milk and there is nothing wrong with him. He's a healthy and happy boy.

If ur worried bout giving him milk, u can always mix water with it too.

Samantha - posted on 01/26/2010

IN Australia we have stage one which is from birth, stage 2 which is from 6 months to be introduced with solids and then stage 3 for 12months+. Have agreed with pretty well all that you have said so far Rebecca have had pretty well the same information given to me.

Jessica - posted on 01/26/2010

i gave both of my daughters whole milk at 12 months and at 16 months i switched to 2%. with any kid drinking to much milk can make you enemic. i personaly think that 9 months is to young. however you are the mother and if you feel it is working well with you then do it. but make sure that you give your child multi vitamins because milk does not have the proper vitamins that they need.


good luck

Melissa - posted on 01/26/2010

"i gave my son whole milk when he was 10 months old and he was fine with it. if you think in the old days they didnt have powder milks. in my eyes i think it does your child no harm and if he is digesting it then he will be fine. u just gotta make sure he still getting all the vitamins. there is no point you changing back to powder now as might affect his system. hope this helps a bit :)"

In "the old days" people breastfed there babies. People who couldn't nurse had other women nurse for them.

Ashley - posted on 01/26/2010

wait till 1yr of age before giving whole milk

Jessenia - posted on 01/26/2010

I know others that have done it and their kids were just fine! As long as your baby isn' rejecting it go for it!!! Always keep your doc informed tho!!

Amanda - posted on 01/26/2010

I started halfing their formula and whole milk when they were like 7 months old and I had them on whole milk completely when they were 9 months old. They did very well with it.

Leaha - posted on 01/26/2010

Hi! Both my girls now 4 and half and 18 months wouldn't touch formula from about 8/9 months old. They both had whole cows milk and loved it! The health visitor said it doesn't really matter as long as they've got a varied diet which they had. Both are very fit and well and are very healthy. As long as he's getting all his nutrients from his food, carry on. :-)

Amanda - posted on 01/26/2010

I nursed for 9 months and then did formula for the last three until she turned 1!! It is also suggested to wait until they're 1 because giving it too early can cause obesity...that's what I have read here and there through articles and from our doctor. Even when they start drinking it they should only get 12-16oz. per day...

Jessy - posted on 01/26/2010

You should wait until 12 months old,they cannot digest the milk can cause upset stomach and a bad mood.

Amber - posted on 01/26/2010

wow . one word. IGNORANT

Angela - posted on 01/26/2010

My understanding of the whole milk dilemma is this: A baby gets many things from the milk including the nutrients that help the brain develop. Breast milk is very fatty (you can tell when you pump a bottle because it settles out quickly) and formula is made to mimic this. The reason the fat is so important is not just about weight, it is about helping healthy brain tissues to grow. That being said, allergies and digestion as well as weight gain are important factors. The general consensus of the medical community is that for MOST babies it is fine to give whole milk starting at 10 months, but a year is better. It depends on the child of course. I started my daughter on whole milk at 10 months mainly because she didn't want to nurse anymore and she would not drink formula. She never became anemic and we never had any problems with digestion, although my Dr. did watch her closely to make sure that she was getting all she needed.

Erin - posted on 01/25/2010

My doc told me to wait until 12 months, but i think if he's digesting it well, he should be fine. Although I'd keep an eye on his weight gain , whole milk at that age might be too fatty if he's not mobile enough to burn it off.

Fabiola - posted on 01/25/2010

I heard babies should not have whole milk until after their first birthday and they should drink whole milk until age 2. The extra fat that whole milk contains helps them develop a better brain. Also giving them whole milk to early can cause them digestive problem either at the moment or in the future. I would realy encourage not to offer them whole milk until age 1.

ASHLEY - posted on 01/25/2010

DOC SAID NOT TO GIVE THEM WHOLE MILK TIL 1YRS OLD...BUT I GUESS EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT

Mindy - posted on 01/25/2010

If you can, give him formula instead of the whole milk. He should not have cows milk until no earlier than a year old. I know formula is a bit expensive but you only have about 3 more months until he's a year.

Angie - posted on 01/25/2010

I started weaning my daughter off formula at 12mths... she's15mths now & still drinks one bottle of formula a day. I think it's not just about them "reacting" ok or not to it - it's about the nutrients that are in formula that are NOT in cow's milk - and why wouldn't you want to give your baby the best possible start? Think about it this way: They have their entire lives to drink cow's milk... only a year or so to drink formula/breastfeed and get the best nutrition possible.

Makenzie - posted on 01/25/2010

I started giving my son whole milk around 10 months...always had problems with his formula then went to that and everything went a heck of a lot better...i think as long as there getting all the nutrients hell be fine...and just remember all kids are different :)

Liz - posted on 01/25/2010

Well I started both of my kids on milk at about 10months and they were off the bottle then too they are very healthy i was told that if they dont have an alergic reaction to it then they should be ok every baby is differnt so it depends on how the baby reacts to it your the mother you no whats best

Michele - posted on 01/25/2010

i tried starting my daughter on milk when she turned a year. but her body still wasn't ready she is allergic and is on 8th continent soy milk.

Jamie - posted on 01/25/2010

My nephew started having whole milk since he was 8 or 9 months old and he is a year and 2 months now and he is perfectly fine. He didnt like the formula anymore so they had no choice but to give him whole milk. He wouldnt drink the formula. But if you want to id go ahead bc my nephew has been drinking it for a while and he is fine

Alisha - posted on 01/25/2010

it's all up to ur baby if he is handling it fine then keep going,but i would'nt give him milk all the time he need juice to.milk should only be in the morning before nap and at bed time..they need aother things like juices to..but i wated till my olest son was a yr old and now he is almost 11 and fine

Emma - posted on 01/25/2010

I find every child if different, my niece is 9months and still on formula and on solid food and shes over weight even my nieces health visitor sed she needs to go on a diet. but i put my little boy on whole milk at 6months old and was on blended food and he was fine,hes now 3rs old and hes fine and healthy.

Jennifer - posted on 01/25/2010

Your son should be on formula or breast milk until they are 1 year old. After that they can be switched to formula. The babies do need the extra nutrients that formula and breast milk provide up to that point. Yes your son can become anemic with the whole milk. Also, if your son is getting too much whole milk after the age of 1 he can also become anemic. I believe the right number is some where around 24 onces a day. If you think it helps him sleep try rice formula in a bottle or more solid food prior to bed time and this can help with sleeping also.

Elin - posted on 01/25/2010

I would listen to the Dr. I have heard that you're supposed to wait until after the 1st birthday to introduce whole milk. And I wouldn't want to mess with anemia. Also when your son was on formula was he pooping 3 times a day? That seems like a lot to me! Which could mean that he's not digesting it very well.

Sarah - posted on 01/25/2010

I started slowly putting in whole milk into his bottle with his formula at 8 months. his pedi said he was fine and taking to it well. he told me that i would tell if he was taking the milk properly.

Brandy - posted on 01/25/2010

yes you can give them whole milk too early cause the y still need alot of nutrition but I started my kids on whole milk at 10 months but I mixed it with half formula ..

Jennifer - posted on 01/25/2010

I breast fed til my daughter was 5months old. I wanted to for longer but she weined herself, lol. I then started her on formula for meal times and 3% just for thirst. At about 6months she was eating food and drinking 3%, (only formula if we were out and about). Premade formula is way easier to bring with you.



My daughter is now 4 years old, still drinks 3% daily, and is very healthy and smart. At 9 months old your son should be totally fine with just cereals, 3% milk, and water. However I would continue using formula daily (premade stuff) until he is at the age that they don't make formula for anymore.



Good Luck! REMEMBER every responce on this page is just an opinion (neither wrong nor right), so take what you want from all of our replies. :)

Sarah - posted on 01/25/2010

They don't like to give babies under a year old whole milk because the formula has more protein and nutrients that the baby needs to build their immune system. That is the only explanation I got from my pediatrician.

Tiffany - posted on 01/25/2010

my son if almost 7 months old and i give him milk as well as formula. he seems to love it. i feel that if ur son seems healthy and the dr. cant see anything wrong with him then i would go ahead and keep giving him milk.

Donna - posted on 01/25/2010

As far as what you said Sabrina Leigh... I think you are a little mistaken in your words... Mommy's do know best and every child is different.. Doctors don't always know the best thing for your child in issues like this... My oldest daughter stayed sick as a baby . You know why... Because I was listening to the doctors.. They said don't feed her baby food, don't give her milk... None of these things are good for her. after seeing 3 different Doctors and trying every formula that is offered I went to my mother for advice. Everything that she was eating would come straight back up. My mother told me of and old remedy they used to use with infants. Goats milk and soft foods.
Guess what... when i decided to stop listening to the doctors and tried what my mother said my baby girl started eating, holding down all her food and milk.. Now she is a big healthy happy 12 year old... So for you to say that mommy's DON'T know best, Well I guess I have to say that you are Wrong..