How do I start my son on whole milk?

Question

My son is a year old and we want to start putting him on whole milk a few times a day to slowly wean him off formula. How much and how often should we give it to him? I figured that we shouldn't just switch...perhaps start out with one bottle of whole milk a day? Has anyone's kids had problems switching?

Answer 1

Baby formulas are manufactured to include all the vitamins, essential minerals and other elements a baby needs to one year of age. They are highly specialized recipes that ensure that your baby receives all his nutrients as recommended by infant health authorities. Babies must not be fed cow’s milk for the first twelve months of life because their digestive systems simply are not equipped to digest the complex proteins. This is why baby formula is vital to their growth and development.

For the first four months of life, babies consume solely breast milk, or formula and sometimes drinks of water. The introduction of solid foods after the fourth month is an exciting time, as little ones experience new tastes and textures. However, regardless of the foods they’re eating, it’s still essential that they receive adequate quantities of formula each day, otherwise they could be missing out on important nutritive elements.

As baby gets older, being spoon fed gives way to finger foods and his interest in drinking from a bottle may wane. It’s far more fun to splosh around in bowls of mushy vegetables and to pick up interesting tidbits of fruits and breads. Parents have to be vigilant about continuing the formula regime and ensuring that bottles are finished before encouraging eating solids.

Once that wonderful first birthday party is held, you can start introducing cow’s milk into your child’s diet. It’s also a great time to wean from the bottle to a sipper cup and encourage your littlie to be more independent. Gradually replace one formula feed per day with a cup of cow’s milk and keep an eye out for any signs of intolerance such as rashes, changes in bowel movements or tummy aches. If any of these symptoms occur, it could just be that his system is not adequately developed to process cow’s milk proteins and you might be best to wait another month. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor to exclude any food intolerances.

The difference in flavor between formula and cow’s milk may or may not be an issue for your child. Don’t be tempted to add sugar, chocolate or other flavorings to milk because it will ultimately be difficult to get your child to drink unadulterated milk at all. Try a fun and colorful sipper cup, or different methods of drinking such as with a straw.

You can also try adding cow’s milk to other dishes while introducing it slowly to the diet. A little mixed in with mashed potatoes is a good idea, as is making up cereal with milk instead of formula. Custards are usually popular with tiny tots, and you can also start buying yoghurts, cheeses and ice creams that are made specially for such little children.

The most important thing to remember is to not begin your child on cow’s milk until they are at least one year of age. Formula is of course, more expensive and a little inconvenient at times, but it truly is the best food to give babies until their first birthday.

I hope this helped.

Answer 2

We never had any trouble making the switch. I started mixing the whole milk in with formula. For an 8 oz bottle the first one I would put 2 oz milk and then mix 6 oz water/formula. Then the next would be 3 to 5, then 4 and 4, and so on until I was making a whole milk bottle. It took about two days. Very easy. I just had to make sure that the milk was the same temperature as I had been making the bottles. Be careful heating in the microwave. Sometimes I had to add a bit more cold milk and really shake it up so it wasn't too hot.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Truthfully, we just switched cold turkey. Both my kids did great, they are now 3 and 2! Started putting the whole milk in their sippy cups and bottles. We didn't wean the bottle until they were both 14 months old.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

My daughter had problems switching. She became constipated so I went back to formula for another 2 weeks and then she was fine. I suggest swtiching out one bottle a day. Like one early enough in the day instead of later when he may keep you up at night if he has a sore tummy.

Answer 5

you can make the bottles half milk and half formula at first and see how he reacts. Then slowly start switching all the way to milk.

Answer 6

As long as you give him other foods (such as stage 1 baby foods, etc) to keep his diet balanced, milk should be OK. If you ever tried tasting formula, the stuff is nasty and most babies will gladly accept whole milk over the stuff.

If you want to make sure your son gets a balanced diet (i.e. he doesn't like baby food), you can always use milk as a supplement.

Answer 7

you are able to introduce small quantities of entire milk at 9-10 months. yet infant can't be weaned from breastmilk or formula until eventually around a 12 months. in the previous that ingredient, entire milk would not furnish the needed foodstuff, and is in basic terms too complicated on his abdomen.

Answer 8

start adding half formula and half whole milk to his bottle, slowly add more milk and less formula, after a while he probably won't notice the difference.

Answer 9

Introduce it slowly. Try mixing itwith his formula... for instance, if you normally give him an 8 oz. bottle, just mix 6 oz. of formula and 2 oz. of milk. Do that for a few days, and then bump it up. 4oz. formula, 4oz milk... and so on.
My daughter didn't like milk at first... now she loves it.

Answer 10

My daughter is now 22 months old and she never had a problem switching..but you can always give your child a toddler formula, one that you can give till 18 months old.