10 month old baby. when can you stop boiling water ?

Question

My daughter has asked me when her son can start drinking cows milk and when can she stop boiling water for drinks.
I believe it is best around a year old, but with each new generation they seem to change the way things are done
,
Any new mum's out there can tell me so I can pass the information on to my daughter.

Answer 1

Not many people do that anymore! (Boil water) The point in boiling water for the formula is so that you have sterile water--clean, safe water to mix the formula with. If your water supply is clean and safe, you don't need to boil it, though with some brands of formula hot water mixes the formula faster and more completely.
As for when you can start taking away the formula and giving milk to the baby--your daughter needs to talk to your grand daughters doctor or WIC person. If she has no health problems that milk would cause or make worse, sheshould be able to switch to whole milk at any time. Do not give a child under age 5 skim milk unless your doctor tells you to. Children under 5 need the fat in whole milk to continue to develop at a healthy rate. Only give 2% milk after your doctor or WIC person says that it's time to change. After age 5, unless there are other health problems, no one really needs whole milk--it just adds pounds to you! Children of any age shouldn't have milk skimmer than 2%, unless a health professional says that the child needs to have something else.

Answer 2

I used water from the story called nursery water -it didnt have to be boiled but I started using the tap water when the baby was around 6 months. I was nursing so no bottles but when you stop sterilizing the bottles then you can use the tap water unless you think its not very good then just buy the gallon jugs.

The recommendation is to start on cows milk at 1 year old. Many of us do start a little earlier by mixing the cows milk with the formula to start the baby adjusting to the difference in taste. I started with 1/4 cows milk 3/4 formula until it was mostly cows milk then just dropped the formula.

Answer 3

Wow. First baby, hey. I believe the general advice (where it is given at all!) is 6 months for the boiled water thing - although of course that depends on the water. If the tap water is considered drinkable (does your daughter drink it herself, for example!), or if they use bottled water to drink, then no there's no need to boil it. There is such a thing as too careful you know - besides, at 10 months surely he's picking stuff off the ground and all sorts, which renders sterilising the baby's drinks utterly pointless!

And these days those nice men at Cow&Gate and Nestle say that fresh cow's milk is poison for babies and that you should only EVER drink their artificial formula milk - there's some new formula milk designed for up to six years old now, I see. But the health profession has yet to be swayed into helping them capitalise on this one (although if I know pharmaceuticals it won't take long!) so from one year old they are permitted to take fresh full fat cow's milk with the assurance that it won't kill them but "follow-on milk" would be better. My own opinion however is that in the absence of breastmilk, fresh cow's milk would be FAR better than formula. This is based on many, many, many observations I have made, in my own babies and babies of many friends, and also a dash of pure cynicism on my part I must admit.

Now watch the down thumbs start appearing!! ;-)

Also the advice differs from country to country as well as between generations, even between babies. The weaning advice was 4 months for my first son, but only a year later my friend was told 6 months, and now it's back to four months again (with a caveat, this time). And the sleeping one: we're all told to put babies on their backs (fair enough, that one) your generation generally put them on their fronts, and when I mentioned it in passing to my grandmother she burst out laughing and said they all had to put them on their sides!! Also I've just moved from the UK to Holland, and here it is different again - in the UK they say it must be whole fat milk if you give it from a year and here they say only half-fat. So I don't know where you are, but check your country (or region!)'s advice.

Answer 4

I started giving my son cow's milk around about 11 months. I would put about an ounce with his formula so we could see if he had a reaction to it and if his little tummy could handle it. For that whole month i gave him more and more milk until that is all he had. I then toOK him off of his bottle on his 1st birthday. As far as boiling water, i never did that, i gave my son bottled water only because we have well water and it is not good for little babies. Most city water is ok, just well water has some bacteria in it that infants can't handle yet. I would introduce her son to cow's milk around the time that she is trying to ween him off of the bottle, or start giving him milk in a sippy once a day until he gets used to it. There is no rule, every child is different and if he can handle it, go for it now! My doctors never told me an age on when to give him cow's milk. But i don't understand the boiling water to drink thing, unless you just have really awful water, then i would never stop boiling it, hehe!

Answer 5

Her pediatrician really should answer this question for her, since water quality varies from one area to another. Most places in the US have very good, well regulated water quality, so tap water is fine from the time you start using water to make drinks.

The American Pediatric Association recommends healthy children begin drinking cow's milk no younger than 12 months. Whole milk, with all the fat, is best for children until their 2nd birthday. After that, switch to whichever milk the rest of the family is drinking.

But again, she needs to check with her pediatrician before making a big change like that. Especially if there is a family history of lactose reactions.

Answer 6

I never boiled water either. Babies need flouride BEFORE their teeth come in (although she may have some teeth?) One year as everyone else said on the cows milk. This reduces chances of having a milk allergy later in life. Call the doc to get a list of other foods she should avoid for the first year.

Answer 7

Apparently 12 months is still recommended. For both the boiling of water and cows milk, I would wait till at least then.

Answer 8

You can have cows milk at a year old, and the doctor said I could stop boiling water and stop buying nursery water at 6 months...unless there is some sort of city water caution. Babies won't get harmed by the fluoride in the water but they won't be able to digest the cows milk well until after a year. Good luck to you!

Answer 9

My son started on tap water at 9 months and had cows milk at 11 months.

Answer 10

I stopped boiling the water for feeds at 12 months at the same time they are allowed to go onto cows milk,it has to be full fat milk.