switching to cows milk from formula at 11 months?

Question

please help other moms!!

i came from my babies doc today,my baby has poor weight gain and even lost weight(they did bloodwork to check for cancer,anemia)
imagine what a long weekend ill have waiting for those results

the baby really doesnt take in much formula
she just wont,so the doctor told me to just start giving her reg milk

im confused for 2 reasons #1 i thought if the baby wasnt eating a well balanced diet of people food (which mine doesnt do that either,shes really picky) that you need to keep them on the formula

#2 if she doesnt want to drink,she doesnt want to drink,so what differnce does it make whats in the bottle?

i am soo worried what do you guys think about the milk?and should i not give her food until she takes in the right amount of milk,but then how would i do that??

Answer 1

Hi there,

I hope the weekend flies by for you! There are lots of reasons a toddler may lose weight or be a poor gainer. I am sure the doctor is just ruling out anything else.

As far as the cows milk goes: Whole cows milk has a lot of extra calories because of the milk fat. So the idea is that if you give her milk, she will be getting extra calories. Most babies switch to whole milk at one year anyway.
Some babies just don't take to eating solids like others do. Often times babies at this age are a little picky with solids anyway and choose just a few things they like and stick to them. This is common. I would offer her solids that you know she likes and give milk as you normally do. You don't have to give a certain amount of either. Just remember that milk is digested as food, unlike water or juice. So many babies won't take to solids because they are full on milk.

I know it's easier said than done, but try to relax and take care.

Answer 2

I'll start by answering question #2 first. The difference of what's in the bottle matters because of calories. For example (and I'm just making numbers up off the top of my head here) if she'll only take in 20 oz of liquids per day, you'd rather she were taking in 20 oz that contains 300 calories vs 20 oz that contains only 250 calories. Whole milk has more calories so that's why the doc would have you switch. There are also high calorie formulas you could look into if her ounce intake goes down even more.

Here are other thoughts that come to mind: if she doesn't like a bottle it could be the bottle, have you tried sippy cups or straws? Just a warning about switching to milk so you're not freaked out when it happens: her poop is going to smell a lot worse and will probably be a different color.

Answer 3

I would not give your baby cows milk sometimes doctors really dont know what there talking about. Since your baby can not eat regular food well yet either. Most important, a baby's digestive system can't digest cow's milk proteins. Cow's milk also has too much sodium, potassium, and chloride, which can tax your baby's kidneys. Until they are about 1 and have handle many other foods well but if not you should wait tell they are around 16 - 18 months.



They have special baby formula that is like cows milk but less hard on the digestive system. Its for 9-18 months. Its called next step by enfamil. Its the same cost as regular formula

Answer 4

Try holding out on the solid food until she is really hungry and maybe then she will take the milk. Feed her all the jar food she will eat and try mixing the rice cereal with either formula or milk. My baby loves scrambled eggs and homemade french fries cause they are soft. She is 11 months old and weighs 19lbs.

Answer 5

I started my boys on toddler formula at 11 months with every second drink. It tastes just like cows milk and you can get it in flavours. Which kids love. Plus it is packed with vitamins and all things good.
Have you tried a sippy cup? Mine threw their bottles at 6-7 months. They simply refused to drink them. and I have never had a problem with sippy cups. Each kid is different though.
Have you got her on baby vitamins?? my twins started taking them at 6 months.

If she would rather eat, feed her. If she wants to drink, give her one.

Answer 6

my daughter was drinking more the enough formula a day (1kg can every 2 days) at 9 months old so i had to switch her to milk and she started to gain more weight. she was always small so the milk helped her gain and hey tastes way better

Answer 7

my child was the same but he has always been small from birth.i switched to cows milk at 12 months and he has been fine.i'd try mixing the milk in mashed potatoes,weetabix,porridge,rice pudding.also give plenty of other dairy ie yoghurt, cheese stuff like that.hope results come out good for you both.All the bestx