Should I Start Cows Milk?

He should be fine, just start out slow and mix it. I b/f until 11 1/2 months with both of mine and started whole milk gradually about 10 1/2 months. I didn't want to give formula for the reasons that you had. Hope this helps. K.

I intended on breastfeeding my son for a full year but was getting so many infections I put him directly on cow's milk at about 10 1/2 mos without using formula. The doctor said to try to hold out until 11 mos but we had no adverse effects from starting a little early.

I went back to school when my daughter was 6 months old. A friend of mine who had a 2 year old kept her for me while I was in class. She started drinking from a sippy cup and drinking cows milk at that time because the other little girl was - we never had a single problem. Go for it!

I started cows milk after b/f when my daughter was 9 months old. We had no problems.

R.,

Formula is much better for him than cow's milk. Why the hurry? Is it the cost? It would be better, if you have to take him off of formula, to put him on a soy milk. I have been through this myself with our #4, who we adopted from Guatemala and had to switch him early on b/c we couldn't get the formula that he was on and he wouldn't take any others. What we did was to actually keep him on formula (Nestle Natural cultures), but only 1/2 way. We mixed the formula with soy milk and he loved it. The ped. said it was fine to use soy. It is much much healthier for them and at that age, they are not so picky.
Take Care,
T.

My 20 month old started to self-wean at 10 months, and while he was already occasionally supplemented with formula, his doctor said it was okay to wean him right to cows milk at that age. We have no family history of cow's milk allergies/sensitivity and he had been doing fine being supplemented with cow's milk formula, so that was a good indication that he would do fine. Definitely check with your pediatrician to be sure, but it should be okay. Although, you may want to buy one more can of formula anyway and start of gradually with a little milk in each bottle and increase it slowly until he is fully on milk.

Just wanted to add, make sure it is a whole fat milk, as he needs the extra fat until age two for proper brain development during the second year. Also, do not use soy milk. Even though it is a healthy alternative for adults, it is not really appropriate for young children due to its estrogenic effect.

It won't hurt him one bit. I started my daughter at 11 months after finishing the formula.

i would. that is what i did when mine were little. no it will not hurt. first make it like half milk and half water. and then reach up to all whole milk. shoould be fine.

I think my sister in law gave her kids cow's milk a few weeks before they were 12 months old. I can't remember right of hand but I do remember giving my son cow's milk a few days before he turned 12 months and I just gave my almost 12 month old twins ( 12 months in 5 days) milk today. I just think doctors don't want babies drinking milk too early.
I would make sure that you do not have any milk allergies in your family first. That is the only reason I can think of not to do it early.
Hope this helps.

Jennifer

Absolutely...
I can clearly remember my LACTATION consultant at Palms West telling me that there is no "cow's milk fairy" that magically waves her wand at 12 months of age. LOL
I, too BF for 9 months, transitioned to formula for a few, then switched to whole milk a bit before 1 year.
Initially, I replaced an afternoon feeding and warmed the milk slightly (as her bottles were also usually slightly warmed). I DID NOT MIX THE TWO... YUCK!
She took it well and I watched for any tummy upset/allergic signs over a few days... then I replaced another feeding. I think the last one I replaced was the morning bottle because that was our cuddle time!
OH.... While you're switching, it's the perfect time to get rid of the bottle. I never offered milk in a bottle... sippy cup only. That way the new taste of milk was never associated with a bottle... always a sippy cup. I never had a problem getting rid of the bottles this way.
BTW ~ I have an almost 11 month old son and I plan on switching him soon. (He'll be 1 on Nov 27th and I can't wait to stop buying formula!) He was BF until 6 months (because I went back to work earlier) and formula fed for the last 4 months.
Best of luck with your transitioning!
T. B.
Mommy to Katie almost 3 and Mattie almost 1

PS I'm sure if you talked to your ped, they would say the same thing about starting milk a few weeks early?

Cows milk is alot harder to digest and has alot more sodium. Those are the main reasons why you should wait. Milk is also related to alot of allergies. If you think about it a baby cow has four bellies to digest their food. We only have one. Just something to think about.

I breastfed my two sons for 1 year then started 8 oz soy milk and 16 oz raw goats milk daily. the raw goat milk is brought into our whole foods market by a company named "Golden Fleece Raw Milk" this is what my pediatrician recommended for us. She warned us not to drink pasteurized milk as it would be impossible to correctly digest it. my two boys are doing very well on the combination and since i started drinking just 6 oz of the raw goat milk daily, my allergies have cleared up.

Hi R.,

If you're planning on giving him cow's milk, a few weeks early shouldn't matter. I will suggest that you buy organic. (It's not that much more expensive anymore and it's definitely cheaper than formula.) One of the reasons canned formula gives little ones constipation is the chemicals that are in it. The preservatives, the antibiotics and hormones in the milk used, and just plain store bought milk has antibiotics and hormones in it too.

My daughter was diagnosed as lactose intolerant when she was little and I dodged cow's milk. Turns out the alternative I used was worse for her. And to top it off, she ISN'T lactose intolerant. She drinks cow's milk fine, but only organic. She was having reactions to ingesting the chemicals they use to preserve it.

Hope I helped!

M.

R.,
I would mix part formual and part cows milk so his stomach can adjust slowly to the milk as it is harder to digest. It is also easier as cows milk has different taste and consistency and it should be an easier transistion for him.

I agree with Mandy's respond. You can wait 1 more month to be sure before giving your son a cow milk. Do not rush, baby's stomack very gentle.
Goat milk even better, than cow's milk. You can boil it first for a few weeks.
Good luck.

Sincerely,
V..

MonaVie: Drink it for Health, Share it for Wealth!
www.YurVic.com

All three of my very healthy daughters all drank "cows" milk at 11 months old...they are now almost 9, 10, and 14...
It won't hurt him....
Have a great day!

i switched my son (now almost 2 years old now) to whole milk at 10.5 months old and he likes it way better then the formula.
D.

I just wanted to put this out there for consideration...

First, let me just clarify that I am not into super healthy eating (we're a family of junk food junkies), I do not buy organic, and I am not a vegan...

But humans don't need the milk of another mammal to survive and thrive. We're not a big milk drinking family. Talk with your pediatrician to be sure your child's diet has enough of what is in milk, like calcium, vitamin D, and healthy fats like omega-something-or-other (sorry- I can't remember all of the terms-- I know my pediatrician said you can get it from fish and flax)

I started both of my babies on cows milk at 11 months. I didn't want to do it before then, but I figured it was ok to switch a few weeks early. I think that the recommendation of 1 year is just a guide. However, my SIL startd my niece on cow's milk at about 6 months, and now she's sick a lot. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I thought that was too early.

I switched my son from b/f to cow milk at 11 months and he made the switch just fine. I had already been working with him with sippy cups for a few months and just used that. I think I read that they only need a cup or two of milk a day, while they're taking in other dairy products.

R. M,
I think that if you are not going to follow the advice of your child's physician/doctor, then you probably already may be aware of some risk. Changing your child's diet from breast milk to canned formula caused him some temporary digestive problems. It is not unusual in my experience for children to become constipated with formula changes, especially if that formula is fortified with iron. Their system has to adjust to the changes, the same as you and I would have to. In my opinion, it's great that you were attentive in that, one year is when most mother's switch to whole milk in communities that I have lived in. Some mother's wait until later than that. Maybe if your Grandmother or your own Mother is available they maybe able to advise you and guide you as you change your child's diet. Or maybe you can draw from what you did in the case of your other children when you felt it was time to make dietary changes.

J., a mother and grandmother
____@____.com

I started switching to milk around 11 months thinking it would take a while to get used to milk from formula. He had 4 cups of formula a day then -I switched one out each day (Leaving the night time one for last) and much to my surprise, on the 4th day he had all cow's milk and we never looked back! I think when it's within a few weeks of being one, it is fine. I am also a big believer in organic milk, especially while they're drinking whole milk -because the fat is where the pesticides and bad stuff reside!

Good luck on the big switch!

You're fine--go ahead and start it! It's not like their digestive tracts "magically" mature at exactly 12 months--it's a gradual process.

I started giving my son regular milk before he turned a year old. I asked around and almost every one that I talked to said that they gave it to there children before they were a year and none of them had any problems. I don't think that you will have any problems. Plus, my son enjoys the milk much more than he does the formula!!

R. ~ You should consult your pediatrician, but I started my son 2 months early with no problems.

The only thing cow's milk is good for is turning a 60 pound calf into a 600 pound cow in 6 months. -Marilu Henner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw

I personally don't think it should be a problem to switch. I do home daycare and have been doing it for 20 years and always the 11th month I will start to add regular milk and half formula at the beginning and then add less formula and they wing right into the Milk and if it's a problem them mom takes it up with the doctor but one month is not going to make a difference. Good luck to you.
D.

I breastfed my babies too and introduced cow's milk while still breastfeeding. Just know that cow's milk does not have all the necessary nutritional values that breastmilk has. I would say it's perfectly fine to introduce cows milk early...as long as you still intend to breastfeed.

I remember reading somewhere that the reason doctors don't recommend milk before 12mo. is because they don't want parents replacing feedings of formula/breastmilk with milk out of convenience since only the formula/breastmilk has the nutrients your little one really needs.

My sister in law is a pediatrician and she always told me each child is different. Some doctors change over as early as 11 months, between 11 - 14 months is safe. If you feel uncomfertable a remedy that worked for my son and it is not stimulative nor addictive for his bowel movements is to put a half teaspoon of Karo Syrup in every other bottle with either water or formula/milk. This softens the stool. if the stool gets to loose stop the Karo and wait a few bottles before given it to him again. I did this with my son for 5 months and he is 7 and does not have any problems since he was a baby, thanks to my sister in laws advice. Hope this is helpful!

Stay at home mom with a 7 year old and 15 month old.

It 'wouldn't hurt to try, just make sure you start him on fresh milk slowly, and watch for any diarea. They usually adapt to the change well.

I say go ahead! I breastfed for 10 months and then we gave our daughter Silk (soy milk) until she turned one, but I don't think anything "magical" happens when they turn one that suddenly makes cows' milk okay. He's so close to a year I doubt it would hurt. You could try the silk if you are worried. They make it in vanilla and very vanilla, and both taste great.

I would mix cows milk with the formula or breast milk to transition him slowly to cows milk. My friend gave her son cows milk without transitioning him and he had to go to the ER with really bad constipation. Maybe that is why your son got constipated from formula. Did you start him off by mixing the formula with breast milk? Try to add only a little bit of cows milk at a time and make sure that he is eating well so that he gets the nutrients he will be missing from the formula.

Absolutely! especially if he is a good weight and relatively healthy. My boys both stopped br feed really early- not by choice something just happened and poof no more. My oldest who is now 5 would not touch formula (i tried them all!) so I made the executive decision to put him on and he was fine. I told my pediatrician and he gave me some liquid vitamins to put in it that formula sometimes has more of but that was it. My second who is 18m did ok with formula but I switched him over too. This was beneficial for the fact that formula is way too expensive nowadays and both seemed to have a similar prob like yours with constipation. Ireally think rules out there are too general and it should be on a case by case basis according to health, weight, growth of each individual child. Start in small amounts and see if there are any reaction but I doubt it. (not too mention I would love to know if the formula co. out there had anything to do with the 12m rule to begin with-haha)