Hey Mom's, what is an ok age to introdue cows milk? I have heard anywhere from 10 months to a year. My son is almost 10 months and was hoping to introduce it to him as soon as appropriate. I was even thinking of mixing it w/ water or formula. What do you think??
Hi,
I switched all 3 of mine to cows milk completely at 11 months! I started mixing half formula and half cows milk at 10 months. It went very smoothly.
It is recommeded that cows milk not replace formula or breast milk until a baby is 1 year. It is OK to use cows milk to make food, such as macaroni and cheese or oatmeal.
The rule of thumb is that you do not stop formula until a child is at least 12 months old. You can give him some milk to drink right now (not mixed with anything), but do not use it as a substitute for formula - it does not provide all of the nutrition he needs at this time.
Hi,
What's the big hurry? I have to say that the only good thing cow's milk is for, is for baby calfs. It is designed to make a calf into a 500 lb animal in a few months. I have read in numerous books how milk has been linked to child diabetes. Milk is highly marketed by the "dairy" industry, and before I would go the milk route I would check out www.notmilk.com. There are always two sides to every (any) story. I would try adding rice to the formula if you want a little bulk. I hope this helps you. C
www.mybiopro.com/claudia13 (learn about cell phone radiation, and how to protect you and your family).
Cows milk is terrible for children. That is way too young to give it to them.
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i was told by my pediatrician age 12 mo. make sure you watch for any allergy or sensitivity (can range from upset tummy, vomitting, diarreah, rash, hives, etc.) if you are planning on switching from formula to cow's milk exclusively, make sure you are using whole milk b/c a 12 mo. old still needs that extra fat for development
cows milk is not good for you nor your child But we need that calcium give your child a little OJ with calcium and a good multi vitamin. Try Soy or Rice milk ect. Hopr this helps. Oh yea to answer your question wait till your child is One
LaShonda
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Our pediatrician wanted us to wait until 12 months also. When you do you can try organic. It is more expensive but tastes so much better.
My pediatrician said 12 months also. If you do introduce it, watch for allergies.
just so you know cow's milk is terrible for everyone, the Calcium they tout you need so much from milk is undigestable and you pee/poop almost all of it out anyway and the list goes on and on for all the bad stuff it does to your body. He doesn't know any difference so use Rice, Oat, Hemp (is very expensive but fantastic in nutrients), or some other form of plant/nut derived milk. He will never know the difference and be healthier for it!
I've heard both too. Most doctors say 1 year. My first, I waited until a year . I started introducing it to one of mine after he turned 10 months and added it gradually into his diet. My other son - I was financially strapped and started it as an infant using the old formula recipes our moms and grandmothers used. Cows milk is not harmful per se, just harder to digest. There are unsubstantiated tests that hint that it can lead to allergies. And, most formulas are made with a cow milk base. It will not "harm" your baby. Just make sure to add a little karo syrup to help digestion. Or at this age, just make sure to add some water into his diet. I also highly recommend organic whole milk.
My son was completely on cow milk at 11 months. I was pregnant and he never took formula. He did/is doing wonderful. I am not recommending this I am just saying what I did, so I would talk to your doctor, I was worried about iron so I added iron fortified baby cereal to his bottle as well as a little sugar to get him to drink it (since breast milk is sweet) I did get the okay from his doc. I started with a small amount then increased as he did well but then decreased it because he was full he stopped eating very much and we found what worked.
My pediatrician advised not to give cow's milk until after their 1st birthday.
my daughter refused to drink anything unless i nursed her - even up to 8 hours w/o drinking anything. she wouldn't even drink pumped breastmilk from a bottle/sippy cup. i thought maybe she would try whole milk. i called my pedi at 11 months and they told me absolutely not okay before one year. they won't get the nutrition they need from the cows milk that they get out of the formula even though they are eating solid food. obviously iron is a big concern as formula is iron fortified. i would definately wait.
Kiddos can have it exclusively at one year old. It is not harmful for them before that, but is just not nutritionally what they need. At eleven months I started mixing organic whole milk and formula to wean. I started with one fourth whole milk, then every week added another fourth until it was all milk at 12 months. The transition was great.
12 months. i would not at 10.
No. Don't give cow's milk yet. All the pediatriccians and parenting books (What to Expect the First Year, etc...) will tell you to wait until closer to 13 months. You can introduce other dairy (whole milk cheese, whole milk yogurt)at 10 months, but not milk. I weaned my boys around 11 months to forumla for their day feedings but kept nursing at night and in the morning. We were told to introduce the milk gradually by mixing first 1/4 part milk to 3/4 part formula for a week. After one week change to 1/2 milk, 1/2 formula, next week 3/4 milk, 1/4 formula and the 4th week all milk. We "expedited" this transition by shortening the week length to a few days and the boys seemed to do fine.
I waited for my sons to turn 12 months old. I was told by a dear friend to take my son off of formula for one full day and give him only water. This allowed the formula to be out of his system and he wouldn't suffer from any constipation or upset stomach that can occur when you mix the two. I did that and had no trouble with the change. I also recommend the organic whole milk. Best wishes!
I'ed think this is a question to ask the baby's doctor.
12 months would be the earliest I would introduce it.
Sometimes if nursing is becoming a problem and the baby is 2-3 wks shy of 1 yr, the ped may give permission to wean to cows milk. However, it is recommended to wait until the 1 year mark. His body still needs the nutrients in formula that he cannot get from cows milk.
Are you committed to cow's milk? 12 months is okay, but cow's milk is only good for a little while, during the time when your baby would be drinking your milk. Try Promised Land, since it doesn't have all the trash that the others have...more natural. After your baby is old enough to be finished with his mother's milk, then he should also be finished with cow's milk. Long term it has negative health effects. After that, find other ways to provide those nutrients.
Don't introduce cow milk to your baby until after his 1st birthday. This is recommended to prevent allergies from forming. The best way to wean your son from formula to cow milk is gradually. If he takes an 8 ounce bottle start of with 7 ounces of formula and 1 once of cow milk. Do this for a few days, then continue to add an ounce of cow milk and take away an ounce of formula every few days. In no time he will be on cow milk and he won't have an upset stomach or have his taste buds shocked.
I would first talk to your pedi, but it's most likely okay for you to start him on Milk, now.
supposed to be 12 mos.
Our pedi said to introduce at 12 months. Whole milk... Of course, then she went from the 50th percentile in weight to the 25th in between her 12 month and 15 month check up... and her congestion/sinus infections exploded... yep, she was allergic! So keep an eye out for even subtle signs.
No need to mix with water. In fact, infants' kidneys are actually too imature to process a lot of water and diluting formula or milk can lead to 'water intoxication'.(google "water intoxication, infant" if you want more info in it.)
Their little system isn't mature enough for Cow's milk until 1 so I would wait. Or ask your Doctor.
Hi Jill, I introduced both of my boys to whole milk at 11 months. The pedi's usually suggest 12 months, but at the time I figured "what's one month early?". They both handled it fine. Maybe a little more gas than usual, but overall it was a successful transition. Good luck!
