Enough Formula?

I would be a bit leary to start giving regular milk at this point. My doctor has told me that kids' kidneys cannot process cows milk until at least the age of 1. Also at this point babies can't eat enough calories, that is why they need the formula to complete their nutrition. I have a 9 month old too and even though I am so tired of spending money on formula, I am going to wait another 3 months to make that leap.

She should be drinking a lot more formula, and very little to no juice. And she will not be ready for cows milk until after 12 months, the formula has special nutrients in it made to aid in healthy growth that first year. Formula is a good alternative to breast milk, cows milk is not, and neither is juice or water which have no nutritional value.

Hi T.!
I'm a mom of three and while i kno wit's exciting to give them new foods, I think maybe you should wait a little longer to give her the stuff. My mom always said it would be ok, but I always waited until they were a full year for cows milk. My third one ended up being allergic to it, but it took us months to realize that! I would say slow it down a little and stick to less rich things...
good luck!!

I'll be blunt and tell you that you are making a BIG mistake by giving your daughter cow's milk at this age. Formula and/or breastmilk should supply a majority of your child's food intake until she is 12 months. Other dairy, such as cheese and yogurt are fine at her age. As for eggs, yolks are okay, but she should wait to have the whites until 12 months -- this is due to potential allergies.

This article gives you all the reasons why:
http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Feeding/Ask-Dr.-Sea...

This page has a handy chart for age appropriate foods:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030500.asp

T., doctors have always advised to start milk at 1 yrs. old, so I suggest you run it thru your doctor first!

It is too early to switch to whole milk. She should be a year old at least, for her little body still needs the nutrients formula provides, and whole cow's milk simply doesn't give her those nutrients. Also, switching to milk too early has been found to contribute to food and other allergies...even if she doesn't react to it on its own, she may develop allergies to all sorts of environmental stimuli later on because she went to milk too early.

I spoke with my doctor abou the same thing, transfering to whole milk. He said some milk is fine but not to have the majority of her milk be cows milk. He explained that there is damage to the intestines when the kids drink cows milk too soon. I am waiting, but I am sure there are others who will tell you the exact opposite. I guess in my opinion I would rather spend the money on formula than take the chance of hurting my little one.
Good luck. K.

i had to give my daughter and now my son some milk products like yogurt before one year but i would never give them milk before about a year. i gave my second daughter milk at just over 11months because i became pregnant again. the problem with milk is not just them having an allergy to milk but actually they run a higher risk of getting allergies later in life.

Keep giving your baby formula until she is 1 unless your child's doctor tells you otherwise. There are a lot of vitamins that are in the formula that the baby needs her first year. The formula is the number one thing she should be getting her first year. Also, juice is not the best to give to her right now and if you do dilute it with water because juices have a ton of sugar. I would only give your baby 4 oz of juice a day.

I have three wonderful boys. My youngest is 21 months and I have had to monitor their diets and the peditirician has always said that formula and/or breast milk is the most important thing they should have their first year.

S.

T.,

Giving and 8 month old juice and/or water instead of breastmilk/formula will slow there growth and brain development. My daughter had a few eating issues early on. Not gaining enough weight and such. we had to supplement with formula because she wasn't a strong nurser. Our pediatrian expressed how important breast milk and/or formula is for their growing brains and bodies. There is absolutly no reason to give such a young baby juice or water. Juice has no nutritional value. It just fills their bellies and they don't eat enough calories that they need to grow and develop. I would really consider speaking with your dr. they will express the importance of breastmilk/formula. Just because you baby handles if fine doesn't mean it's the best choice for their growing brains. Please speak to your pediatrian before making such a big change on such a young baby. If it's a finacial issue ask your pediatrian for sample or see if you qualify for the WIC program. Breastmilk/Formula is your best choice till you baby is over 1. Then start mixing down formula with WHOLE milk to transition her off the formula, slowly.

Hi T.,

I work in pediatric clinic (but only in the billing dept) and all our doctors recommend sticking with formula until your baby reaches 1 yr. I also fed my son yogurt & cheese at 7 months and eventually mixed his formula w/ whole milk once he reached 10 mo to slowly introduce him to milk. The main reason they say to keep formula until a year is because it provides them with all of the nutrients they need until they old enough to have balanced real food meal for every meal. Ultimately it is totally up to you when you want to cut out formula, but just wanted to share what I know from working w/ pediatricians.

hi
I would like to said that your baby is to young to stop giving milk , i just went with my doc for my baby he is 18months old and he needs to drink 20 to 25 oz a day bisedes yougurth and cheese, well thats what he told me.. this is until 2 years old ... and even if you dont want to give him milk for wherever reason you can try as I do soy milk they sell formula too, they need all the nutrients and motre if you are not breastfeeding , that so far there isnt nothing much better , but all the formulas tried their best and there are pretty good...I undestand they are expensive but our kids health are first...
good luck and everything will be fine...just keep feeding vegies and fruit ....

Julia L. is correct. Unless your child has just become a baby cow, you should not be giving her cow's milk. It's nutritionally formulated to grow a baby cow, not a baby human. Formula or breast milk should be given until your child is old enough to eat all solid foods (ofter 18 months or longer). There is a lot of information out there about how cow's milk is not a good option for anyone, much less babies.

I would keep giving formula until age 1. It's not so much about a possible allergy, but more that young kidneys are not very well equipped to filter the high amount of sugars and other things that cows milk contains. It's hard on the kidneys until they mature a little more.

Why aren't you talking with your pediatrician about this? S/he should be guiding you with your baby's nutrition.

Formula or breast milk should be baby's primary source of nutrition for at least the first year. I think most doctors won't advocate fluid milk instead of formula until one year old. There is an issue with iron absorption in the presence of too much calcium. Regular cow's milk does not contain the amount of iron an 8-month-old needs. Formula does.

Any baby up to the age of one needs to get their main nutrition from breast milk/formula. Other foods at this age are more about practice and introducing new flavors and textures than depending on them for their daily calories and nutrients. Your pediatrician will give you the green light when it's fine to introduce new foods that can be harmful (e.g. dairy around 9 months - not milk, however - egg yolks only, nuts somewhere between 1-3 years, etc.). Babies cannot break down cow's milk easily and allergies are common if introducing it too soon. In fact, the way cow's milk is processed, even a baby cow cannot drink it. Stick to formula (or breast milk, you didn't mention if you were nursing) and save the cow milk for when she's older. It's funny, our kids grow up SO fast and I know with our little girl we were so excited to hit those milestones and next steps. Now our baby is almost 3 and I don't know where that time has gone. Relax and take it slow, she'll be older than you think soon. :-)

unless allergies run in your family, babies can eat pretty much anything... although, "they" will say to stay away from straight milk until after age 1 (the proteins are difficult for the babies to digest). recently, pediatrics has changed their views about when to introduce highly allergenic foods (strawberries, eggs, peanuts etc.). they've determined that it doesn't much matter when they are introduced.

however, i would stay away from juice.. it's bad for their teeth and just "empty" calories. it's sugar water... juice is not healthy. any pediatrician and dentist will tell you...

good luck!

Talk with your pediatrian, but she should probably have formula until her first birthday. You can still give her cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese etc., but formula has extra nutrition that cow milk doesn't.

I remember with my daughter the doctor said it was okay to give dairy if it was cooked in something, but just plain milk was too hard for their bodies to break down (enzymes or something?). So if they had macaroni and cheese it was probably fine but try to wait til closer to their birthday for straight milk. I would definately ask your doctor to be sure.

you're her mom...but according to everything that I have read and heard, you should probably do a little more research on an appropriate diet for a baby. I believe that egg whites are on the no list, until at least one, so if you continue, you may want to just do edd yolks (this is only when giving JUST egg - the whole egg is fine if it is cooked INTO something like a cookie). Also, cows milk is something that you should not introduce until a year...and then, it should be whole milk. Finally, a baby does not really need juice - formula/breast milk and water...

Hello,
Your baby is much too young to have cows milk at 8 months old. She needs all the nutrients that are in the formula for brain development. Her body can't even effectively digest cows milk until she is at least 1 year old. So, I would suggest putting her back on her infant formula full time. You can give her some dairy products before a year of age, but I would ask her dr. when to do so. Good luck!

I have fed my son things mixed with eggs and milk etc, and he's fine, but I'm holding off on giving him regular whole milk until he's one. There are a lot of other nutitional reasons why you should give your baby formula or breastmilk until they're at least one.

hi T.

I would eally concider talking to your dr. I know that it can cause allergies if you start it early.it seems that if she likes it it would be ok. but I personally wouldn't go to just straight milk ease her in to it. we are transtioning from breast milk to formula on my end.

If she is having no problems and the doctor says nothing? than why stop. If you think about she is very close to a year old, and if you feel that bad a professional opinion. Our lil man is 10 month and we have given him a a few things that other mother might do, but if the child body is taking it well, then i feel it is ok.

Formula should be your baby's primary source of nutrition until they're one year old. Cow's milk is too hard for them to digest so she shouldn't have that until after she's one. It's not primarily an allergy issue but rather a digestive health one as well so even though she's already had some milk I would suggest waiting until after her first birthday to give her anymore.

Hi T.,
The Doctors don't suggest giving a baby milk untill they are a year because of allergys to be developed later on in life. And their little tummys just can't handle it... I am curious as to why you thought to give your eight month old eges and cheese...and quit giving her formula? If it because of money issues, and can't afford the formula, I can understand that, but there is WIC. Its not a good idea to give a baby eggs, and cheese and milk at such a young age. I think mother's a lot more recently are trying to rush the baby to grow up. You are not the only mother to do this. I am not trying to make you mad or hurt you, but I think that you should for now stick to the baby food and formula. Might stear away from allergies later on in life.

Good luck.

Your baby should be on breast milk or formula until 12 months!
Your baby should also, only have egg yolks until a yr old as well as no peanut butter and no honey until 24 months.
Please speak to your ped about this.
D.

I have three kids, but that doesn't make me an expert. But, from what I have been told you really should wait until she is 1 and your told by her doctor before giving her regular milk. Their tummy cannot process the cows milk quite yet. Also, I chose not to give juice to my kids, it is packed full of sugar and what they really need is the nutrients in the formula for their brain development. Even now I would rather they have gatorade or low sugar drinks for their lunches. My youngest is three and she mostly drinks milk. You don't want her filling up on water and juice and not drinking her formula. I don't think the eggs and cheese are a problem, but double check with her doctor. The main thing is watching for food allergies at this age.

Hope this helps.

T.,

This is information that I've received from my kids' doc, and my MIL who has a degree in early childhood education.

Until your little angel is 12 months old their bodies just aren't developed enough to deal with the proteins and everything in cow's milk. They also need the fats in breastmilk/formula/cow's milk to help brain development until they are 2 years old.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

I would say to wait because formula is fortified with vitamins she needs, milk is not...

I don't have kids yet (will in May!) but I know that the difference between breastmilk and cow's milk is that the breastmilk (and I'm guessing formula) contains short-chain fatty acids, whereas cow's milk contains longer chain fatty acids. For little babies, it's easier to break down the short-chain fatty acids. Your daughter is still probably getting something out of the milk, but it's harder for her body to break down and really utilize at this point than it will be when she's a little older.

I totally agree with everyone else. You should definately wait to introduce your daughter to regular milk until her 1st birthday. That is what all the Drs tell you. The formula has nutrients babies need and milk is not designed for their tiny systems yet.

The day my son turned 1 I started to switch him over and I did it slowly, mixing formula and milk and slowly making it more and more milk. I did it over a week. I started with 1/4 milk to 3/4 formula in each bottle and slowly increased the milk till it was all milk about a week later.

Hmmm...T., have you talked to your pediatrician about giving an 8-month-old cow's milk? That's pretty young. My background is in experimental research/child development, and the studies I have either been a part of, or are familiar with indicate that cow's milk should not be given to infants younger than 12 months. But, again, talk to your doctor. There are other options, and your doctor is the one best qualified to guide you. Good luck!

The formula is important the first year of their life. Its ok to start introducing milk around 9 months but not to replace their formula until their first birthday. There are extra nutrients in the formula that are hard to find naturally or would require a tummy bigger than our babies have to take in during a 24hr period.