Formula to Whole Milk

One year is recommended as a minimum. The main problem with much earlier introduction is that formula or breast milk is a much more complete source of nutrition for a baby human's first year.

You can ask your pediatrician if you want specifics and they have recommended waiting for one full year.

You can also ask if 10 or 11 months would be ok, and what kind of benefits there might be in waiting.

The nutrition aspects of baby formula and breastmilk are extremely important in the first year because of all the neurological development and growth and change occurring. I'd try to hang on for a full 12 months. You might try a different brand or something if he'll drink/eat it and it's the idea of isomil rather than formula in general that's problematic.

Subtle effects of brain development are not always going to be apparent for years, even up to two decades or more for some things which are known to be genetic from birth. The effect a full 12 months of breastmilk or formula might have as beneficial or protective of optimal development may never be known 'for sure.' But, it seems like there may be a good effect if there is any effect from waiting a full 12 months before introducing regular cow's milk.

give yourself a lot of pep talks about what a great mother you are for being able to tolerate some personal distaste for just several more months (you endured more for pregnancy and birth) for a probable longer term benefit for your baby and your family (and your baby's later family when they are grown, and so on down the line as beneficiaries of this gesture of yours increase in number); 'patience is a virtue' (repeat as necessary to be convincing)

Everything I've ever read about the subject stresses that you NOT give children under 1 milk. Basically, it's a big change on their body and the formula is something that is easier for them to digest. During the first year the main thing is to get nutrients into the child and get them growing. I would certainly wait until the child is eating more table foods because they need their food to grow and be healthy. Oh, and just try calling up the ped. once and asking about switching. If they ever found out you did it that early without talking to them, I wouldn't want to be you or at least our doctors aren't nice here about stuff like that.

Yes, it is expensive to buy formula but you're talking to a person who was shelling out $20 a can until her son was 9 months because he was on Nutramigen. At that time my fiance' was making very little money and it was hard to get by but we had to do it for DS. We've all gotten tired of buying formula and also diapers later but you have to. Later on it will be clothes and sprots and whatever. It's always something. Oh, and if you have a big milk drinker, it's not so cheap either. $3 a gallon can get pretty pricey when you have your toddler and husband drinkng it.

Good luck. Only 5 more months to go :-)

~Leslie~

We did not use formula, DD was BF, but regardless our pediatrician said it was ok to start to *gradually* start the transition at 10 1/2 months for BF or formula babies. So when DD got bottles, I added some whole milk until gradually she was getting all whole milk. We also were cutting down on nursing sessions at the same time. We then stopped nursing at 1 year.

There are basically two reasons not to give whole milk until they hit a year old. The first one is that milk is not fortified with vitamins and minerals like formula is... Iron deficiency in infants can cause brain damage. The second reason is that an infant's GI tract is not mature enough to digest the large proteins of cow's milk, and the salt/protein content of it is too high and can possibly stress their kidneys. The irritation of the milk proteins to their digestive tract can sometimes cause microbleeding (not observable) and over time could cause anemia (see first comment).

It's not that long to wait for the switch. I know that formula is expensive, but the nutrition a baby receives is critical to their development. My advice is to bite the bullet and don't mess with it.

Below is a link to the AAP site with the full article on bottlefeeding infants. But here's a quote:

'You and your pediatrician should work together to select a formula that best suits your baby's needs. But be sure to give your baby formula, not cow's milk, for the first year of life. Young infants cannot fully digest regular cow�s milk as completely or easily as formula. Cow�s milk contains high concentrations of protein and minerals, which can stress a newborn's immature kidneys and can cause severe illness at times of heat stress, fever, or diarrhea. Also, this feeding lacks the proper amounts of iron and vitamin C that infants need. It may even cause iron-deficiency anemia in some babies, since protein can irritate the lining of the stomach and intestine, leading to loss of blood into the stools. For these reasons your baby should not receive any regular cow's milk for the first twelve months of life.'

Here is a link that might be useful: AAP 'bottlefeeding'

with my 2yo dd i started switching her at 9 months, but i only did about an ounce a week so it accually took me till she was 11 months old to have her completely on milk. however she was an extremely good eater. she was eating table scraps and snacked quite a bit through out the day so i wasn't worried about her missing any nutrients. i think it depends on there eating habits as well. i can sympathize with you on the cost of formula but be warned i didn't find i saved any money buying milk every week either. hope this helps

nadine

My baby is already 1 year old but my mother-in-law does not want me to introduce whole milk to her till she's 18 months. I searched everywhere and all the topics are about why we should NOT introduce whole milk before 1 year. No one talks about why we need to introduce whole milk at 1 year. Can anyone back me up with some theory besides cow milk is cheaper than formula??? Please help!

Alice, the one thing I can tell you is this...it's your baby, NOT your Mother in laws!!! If you want to switch your baby over to whole milk, do it!!!

Vickey-MN

Alice, I agree with Vickey. I wouldn't even discuss it with your MIL anymore.

There is a huge misconception that formula is a substitute for milk. Formula is a substitute for breastmilk, not all milk. The proper transition would be from breastmilk and formula to ALL food which includes, of course, cow's milk.

So once a baby hits about 6 months, they should continue with breast or bottle and start adding solid foods. At one, they can completely be off the breast or the bottle and just eat a wide variety of solids. They don't need a bottle at all and should be drinking out of a cup.

As for why the "magic" number seems to be "one" - I would like an answer to that as well.

On a personal level, I never gave my kids milk until they were old enough to eat cereal with a spoon. Even now, they don't have milk unless it's with cereal or cookies. With everything I have heard about hormones in milk, I just wanted to avoid it as much as possible. I looked into organic milk, but it's almost $6 a gallon - OUCH!

well my son is almost 9 months and lately hasn't fully stopped but has definetly slowed down on the formula,i guess he doesn't like the taste since he's eating more grown up foods,he doesn't have teeth so the food is mashed in case your child also doesn't have teeth and my pedio. said that it was totally fine to switch him to whole milk, i've also been adding whole milk to his formula for over a month now to see how he would react to it. So every child is different for some kids they need to wait longer if their nutition will suffer but otherwise if you want to switch but you have to follow your child if they're still fully enjoying the formula then keep giving it to them until you see the interest stops

my son is 2 and a half week away from his first birthday and i have started him on whole milk. i wanted to get him used to the milk before he gets his birthday shots so that way he doesnt have to deal with everything at one time. i know everyone says its good to wait until 12 months to the dot but i was wondering how much of a difference in this short of a time?

I dont know,I waited a year. My mom says she started me on it at 8 months though because she couldnt afford formula anymore and I'm still alive and doing fine.

My question is does it have to be whole milk that they switch to? Can it be 2% or less???

My baby is 17 months old. I switched her from formula to whole milk when she was 1 year old, and have just switched her to skim milk. I think they reccommend whole milk for the calories, but my girl is a very good eater, and gets her calories. So, I switched her, it makes it easier, everyone else in the house drinks skim. My sister's kid on the other hand, is a skinny minny. I would definitely keep her on whole milk. Christy

I switched from formula to whole milk around 6 1/2 months. I only mixed in about 1 ounce per week with the formula so it took quite some time before she was completely on whole milk. She was also eating pureed foods very well, so she was getting plenty of nutrients. Now, she is 4 years old and is a bright happy child. I don't believe it effected her. At that time the doctor did tell us to wait until 12 months. We simply never told him she was drinking it. I think it is a personal preference that people decide through research and experience of others. Hope this helps someone.

Cow's milk is not a good idea for infants, and I believe most should wait until their child is at least one year of age before adding it to the diet. Even at that point, it should be given sparingly (along with any milk-containing products such as cheese). The proteins in cow's milk are not very digestable, and with all the junk in cow's milk today (growth hormones, antibiotics, etc.) it is a good idea for all children to have as little of it as possible. Milk is high on the allergy scale, it is implicated in ear infections, and is also implicated in juvenile diabetes. The protein called casein that is found in milk is a common culprit in allergies for children. Breast milk is a perfect food for children - the proteins are digestible, the fat to protein ratio is ideal, and children thrive on it. I, for one, am disappointed there are not more choices of formula out there when the breast feeding either slows down or stops. Soy formula can be a problem, as it also is somewhat high on the allergy scale. Why can't some company develop a rice-based formula, and use healthy, unprocessed oils in the formula? Rice is very low on the allergy scale, and digests more easily than soy or cow's milk. Here are some links to more info on infants and cow's milk. I hope this is helpful.

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/mmilk.htm

http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/cons/acf2f78.htm

My first child was exactly 1 when we started her on milk, but my second child, who will be 10 months next week, has been doing EVERYTHING faster..... she is trying to eat food we prepare for dinner, standing, and even teething faster than her sister. She has been very uninterested in formula for a few weeks now, and we've had to throw so much out that I gave her whole milk this week, and she loved it. I think we as mothers try to research EVERYTHING and want to do what is best for our child.... but some bulletin or article can't tell us what we already know about how to make our kids happy and healthy!

i tryed my daughter on cows milk at 10 months ,she was terribly constipated i switched sraight back to formula

my son is 9 months..and u as a mother know when and whats right for ur child. a ped. only knows what she has seen of ur child what once a month until they are 6 months old. but we are with our kids everyday. they think bc they have a degree they know everything. and its not true ppl learn everyday from others. degree or no degree. anywho. my son is beginning to hate his formula. so im doing what some of the other mothers are doing..and doing the whole milk one ounce at a time..and they are going to get constipated..duh.. what did they do when u tried switching them to solid food..they spit up.. got constipated..but u stuck with it..obviously..bc they are eating the solid food now.. its all about trial and error when being a mother or a parent...obsticals will face u but u have to stick with it. they have baby sapositories..and prunes or apples.. there are lots of natural and other ways to cure the constipation..but anywho.. i am doing the ounce at a time..and i cant wait for that magic day on his birthday when i can toss all those darn bottles away!! lol. but my son is doing just fine..!!but other moms have good points too.. make sure ur child is eating plenty of solid foods before u transition though. my son gets about 17 oz of formula a day..he hates it..he would rather have juice..so i found vitamins that are 8 bucks from enfamil they smell nasty but if ur worried about them not getting good nutrition..get them those.. once bottle lasts forever..and if ur not getting ur fomula for free..and ur baby is on enfamil lipil ar.. i have tons of cans i will absoulutly GIVE U! lol click the link below. last name fagan

Here is a link that might be useful: webpage

My son is 7 and half months and now i wouldnt dream of putting him on cows milk until he is 12 months,like i said i tryed my daughter at ten months and it made her constipated,it was so bad she sceamed in pain trying to pass a poo,it actually got stuck,yes kids get contipated when on solids but at least they are a little older and can cope with it better,and not just that after reading all other stuff about the health benifits and things im not willing for my child to suffer just because i dont want to buy formular anymore,when my daughter turned 12 months she didnt have any problems switching,anytime before that their bodys just arnt ready,it costs me a fortune in formular but my son is worth it

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