is it possible to give my 6 month old cow's milk?

Question

my son is 6 months old and seem's to always be hungry for milk. i have tried him on "food", home blended, powdered, and jared, non of which he seem's to like. the only thing i can get him to have is rusk. which he has for breakfast, the rest of the day he wont entertain food, he just seems to want his bottle all the time. i breast fed him for the first three months but he was too greedy, so was advised to put him on formula by my health visitor, but this isn't working he's having between 7 and 8 ounces ever 2 hours, my other 2 wasn't this greedy, they seemed more text book! its costing a fortune buying formula, as he wont entertain food. would cow's milk harm him in anyway if he was to have maybe one bottle a day to start with? he also wont entertain water or juice. anyone with any advice?

Answer 1

OMG! Did you call a 3 month old greedy? At 3 and 4 months the baby's need for nutrients does increase considerably and momma's milk production will increase as well. Just think, for those first three months that baby is just lying there, sleeping, eating and growing but once it passes that stage the baby is also developing and learning and STILL growing. The baby does NEED not want more food. Many health professionals are very hasty about telling a nursing mom to switch to formula and I do feel bad for you that you were told to do so.
Formula IS expensive but that is the decision that you made and you need to stick with it. Cow's milk alone is not a good substitute and the child may even be allergic to it. Keep trying to encourage solids at this point. It does take them a while to get used to the concept but he will eventually eat well.
I will apologize for coming off as judgemental since I do try not to but the word 'greedy' really bugged me. And I do not hesitate to be judgemental about that health visitor who advised you to switch.

Answer 2

No cow's milk until after 12 months. Besides the digestion problems mentioned above, the big danger found by several studies is that milk given to children younger than 12 months can lead to development of juvenile (Type I) diabetes (which is way more serious than the type II the news always talks about (i.e, people get fat and become Type II diabetics.) Type I is an autoimmunice disease (which Type II is not) and is more difficult to control, and has nothing to do with weight.

My son was greedy with food - he ate 3-4 baby food jars at lunch and dinner, and had 2 bottles within an hour of that. I know forula is expensive, I used soy formula which is even more costly. But, if he won't eat baby food (and frankly, wait for him to get hungry enough and he will) then try cheerios and other baby-safe solid foods. Around 9 months my son was just chomping at the bit for solid food. Our doctor said go ahead, and he finished an entire loaf of french bread by himself. (No, he is not heavy, he has a great metabolism and non-stop energy).

Answer 3

Unbelievable,babies hit growth spurts and eat more because if they eat the same amount during growth their body will be telling them "send more energy" and without it they are starving and will cry from lack of fuel to grow their litle bodies.Your three month old is not being greedy and it sounds like whoever advised you to put him on formula is a freaking idiot and deserves to be shot.Also babies are not always ready to eat baby food,my son is 9 months and still is not to interested so you keep introducing it but have patience because baby knows when he is ready.Formula does cost alot but you made the choice to stop breastfeeding so you need to be prepared to have as much formula he needs until he accepts baby food.Cows milk is not good for him at all and is not worth the money you would save,wait till he is a year old.

Answer 4

Cows milk is not advised until at least one year old. The protein in cows milk is too complex for ones digestive system at such a young age, also there is a risk of allergies. You may want to try goats milk, it comes in powdered form and is much easier to digest as it is much closer in composition to breast milk. Meyenberg is the brand I used for my son, he loved it. It is also less expensive than most formulas on the market.
You can find it online if you can't get it in the stores near you. It is in the powdered milk section of the store, not with the baby food.

Answer 5

You can not give a baby cow's milk. Their digestive system is not ready for it. There is certain ingredients in it that can't be broken down yet. 7-8 hrs over 2 hours is not being greedy. If you are having problems buying formula go to the nearest WIC (Womens, Infants, Children) office and see if you qualify for free formula.

Answer 6

It's said not to give your child cow's milk until at least a year old. Stick with solids, after a while he will catch on and understand that this is what it is. You have to be stern but try taking bites of it yourself to promote his eating habits. Have him sit in his high chair at the table with you and eat. Are you diluting his juice cause perhaps it may be too tart for him. Don't let your child be "greedy" cause if you spoil him now you're gonna go nuts! LOL!

If formula is costing you so much you should go to the nearest WIC program and see if you are able to get vouchers. They will give you vouchers for juice, formula and infant cereal. Take time and stick with it. Goodluck!

Answer 7

till your toddler has an hypersensitive reaction to cows milk I seen no rationalization for her to not have it in her cereal. i replaced into raised on warmed cows milk in a bottle as a toddler and it confident did not kill me or the different teenagers that grew up interior the 1950's and 1960's and the milk used back then replaced into "finished" milk not that diluted 2%, a million% stuff the two. The neighbor boy replaced into allergic to cows milk so his mom gave him goats milk yet i don't think of you may hardly discover the stuff anymore? If achieveable i think of i could pass with milk that asserts it rather is from cows not raised with growth hormones if achieveable? you nonetheless could desire to ascertain with your pediatrician for different possibilities to formulation?

Answer 8

Please read this article about cows milk. It really isn't necessary or healthy for your child. You're best off giving him water to drink and dark green veggies (like brocolli or spinach) for calcium. They're better for you and have a form of calcium that is more easily assimulated in your body. By the way, you think your son was "greedy" for breast milk? No, infants don't know how to be "greedy" as you put it. He was probably just hungry or wanted that special time with his mommy. Anyways, if you must give him milk, you'd be better off giving him goats milk. It's closer to breast milk and safer for baby.

Answer 9

Cows milk is not recommended till at least 9months of age.

The best thing to do is to just continue with the formula if it takes 2 or 3 bottles to make him happy especially if he won't eat anything else then so be it. Formula is your best bet it is to soon for cows milk at this point, for one you will be putting him a huge risk for allergies. Also when you do make the switch be that he is drinking Homo milk till he is at least 2

Answer 10

Don't give him cow's milk. Keep offering baby food...someday he'll eat it. Try cheerios or baby snacks...Gerber has snacks called "Puffs" (I think) that are really easy for babies to eat and they provide some nutrition. They dissolve easily in the mouth so even if the baby doesn't have a lot of teeth, he can eat them.

Don't worry about him not drinking juice...it isn't really necessary at that age.