Cows milk safe for a 7 month old?

Question

My 7 month old has been on nasty formula Nutramigen since 3 weeks old due to reflux. I have heard that eventually babies wont take their bottle because they grow intolerance/dislike for the formula (it does smell badly). Now he won't take any bottle and hardly spoon food either. He will however eat cows milk with his rice using a spoon ..he opens his mouth gratefully for it. I was desperate for fear that he would get dehydrated or sick. I know that they say not to give cows milk under one year age; but he seems to welcome the taste. What should I do? I even tried other formulas as well.

Answer 1

There is only one reason which I've found to support humans drinking cow's milk. We have grown up hearing that it's good for us and that we've grown accustomed to the taste and texture. Otherwise there is absolutely no nutrition that can not be obtained elsewhere, minus the negatives. Calcium seems to be the major claim for milk. It can be found elsewhere in green vegetables, almonds, and many other sources. Why we continue to drink cow's milk laced with growth hormones, antibiotics, and who knows what else is beyond me.

Since I've given up drinking milk about 5 years ago my health has greatly improved. Fewer allergy problems, asthma and breathing problems greatly reduced, I'm sleeping better, and I have more energy.

Do some research online and decide for yourself.
http://www.strongbones.org/
http://www.notmilk.com/
http://www.nomilk.com/

Answer 2

No. You should only switch them at 1 year to whole milk, then 2% at 2 years of age. Their gastrointestinal systems cannot handle cow's milk before 1 year. You may do more harm than good! The doctor will not recommend cow's milk before 1 year.

Babies won't grow intolerant/dislike formula. That must be a myth. It smells bad to us, but they drink it. They have to if they are under 1 year and are not breastfeeding. At 6 months it's safe to start to spoon feed some baby cereal and formula mixed.

You could try a sippy cup if you want. Maybe warm the formula. My daughter's always liked it warm. You could also try some babyfood, but formula needs to be the primary source of nutrition for a baby this age. Introduce a new flavor every 5-7 days. If he's just learning to eat form a spoon, it takes time. He may refuse some days while learning. Try again tomorrow.

Answer 3

Your baby is only 7 months. If you were to give him cows milk at this age, it's most likely that he will not be able to keep in this stomach. Cows milk would have to be (whole) milk, not 1% or 2% as he would need the nutritional values. BUT, the cows milk given to him now would also cause a great amount of gastric upset, cramps, constipation. If he is on a lactose free formula and you give him cows milk it could cause him to get pretty sick as well. It's better to keep him on his formula for at least 1 year. Then you can gradually introduce it to him. If one of your concerns is the cost of the formula (i know it's very expensive), then maybe you could try and apply for W.I.C. (women, infants and children) it's a program that helps mothers with the cost of formula, cereal, and later on milk, eggs etc. It's a great program. I hope this helped. Good luck :)

Answer 4

They say cow's milk is too hard for infants to digest. They say in "What to Expect in the First Year" written by Arlene Eisenberg, that you can introduce milk after nine months. With my first child, I introduced milk at a year, no problems, with my twins I gave them milk at about 10.5 months, not much, about an ounce. Your child should still get most of their milk from the breast or formula until they are at least a year old. You can introduce cow's milk in cheese and yoghurt, but again in small amounts so you can keep track of when they had to see if there is an allergic reaction of any kind.
Try and give him a cup to drink from. But, if you are concerned with dehydration, you should take your child to the doctor.

Answer 5

Do NOT believe people that tell you it's OK to give a baby under 12 months of age cow's milk. These people are not doctors and do NOT know what they are talking about. Babies under one year of age cannot digest proteins found in cow's milk. This is very harmful to the baby, in ways other than digestive issues. This can cause brain damage or even death. I'm sorry to scare you with this information. A bit of cow's milk will probably not harm your child, but continued use of it will. Your baby will eat if he's hungry. Try mixing formula with rice cereal. A 7 month old can safely eat baby food, so try that. Don't give up on the formula. Talk to your doctor about other options.

Answer 6

No, it is not safe. That's why it's not recommended before 12 months. I'm sure he'd "welcome the taste" of a lot of different foods that aren't appropriate for him yet. That doesn't mean you should give them to him.

Cow's milk is for baby cows, not baby humans. Cow's milk doesn't have the proper nutritional elements needed by a growing infant and can trigger digestive trouble. Infants fed whole cow's milk have low intakes of iron, linoleic acid and vitamin E and excessive intakes of sodium, potassium and protein. It doesn't have enough iron in it and the iron it does have is not in a form that is easy for his body to use. (He'd need to drink 15 liters of cow's milk per day to meet his iron needs!) Because it has too much sodium, that can put a strain on his kidneys. The protein molecule in cow's milk is large and can permeate the intestine of the infant undigested, causing intestinal bleeding. This intestinal bleeding may not be visible to the naked eye but would be detected on exam. This intestinal bleeding contributes to the poor iron status of the infant. The protein level in cow's milk is too high, causing stress on the kidneys as they try to dilute the nitrogenous waste products from the protein. This can lead to dehydration as the baby's body draws on water stores.

Have you tried offering the formula in a sippy cup instead of in a bottle? Have you tried different temperatures?

Have you talked to your caregiver?

Answer 7

isn't nutramigen a formula for babies with formula allergies?
if so i would say no way on cows milk as formula is cows milk based.
and no, a 7 month old should not be having cows milk. it can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and several other things

Answer 8

I was raised on raw cow's milk. No worse for it either. I believe it is up to your child. From your statement I get he is hungry and thirsty and enjoys the food made with regular milk. Ok. So try a bottle. He had no ill effects from food made with it, its a pretty safe bet. I have serious concerns about all this formula they have these days and the statements that are made. But watch your baby and let him tell you whether he should have it. At 7 months, he can eat some foods from the table anyways. Mash potatoes and gravy has always been first and favorites with my children and grandchildren. But let me warn you. He may never let you eat your food from your plate alone again....lol

Answer 9

its really not a good idea to be giving cows milk yet. yes, he may like it, but he really needs formula until he is 12 months old, it has nutrients that cows milk does not have. i know nutramigen is nasty, the doc tried to give it to my daughter but she wouldnt drink it. since he is older now, he may not need nutramigen, maybe try enfamil lipil, my daughter did great with that. but dont put him on regular milk yet.

Answer 10

Talk to your Doctor first. Babys have a hard time digesting cows milk