Switch to Regular Milk

My daughters both went straight from breastmilk to whole milk at about 10 months. We did not have any problems.

My suggestion and what pediatrician's usually suggest is at 1 year old and to start mixing 1/4 milk and the rest breast milk or formula, then gradually increase to 1/2 milk, 1/2 breast/formula, and so on for about 2 weeks. I know with my second son, we had to go very slow because he had a rough transition and it took a little longer. He got really bad diahrrea, that's how we knew it wasn't sitting well with him, so we took about a month to make the full transition to just cow's milk. Believe me, you will know if he is having trouble.

You don't mention whether your son drinks from a bottle, cup, or you. If he isn't drinking from a cup (or bottle), that should be your first step. Place some breastmilk into a cup and get him comfortable with getting his drinks that way.

If/once he is comfortable using a cup, then slowly begin mixing the regular milk in. Should take about 2 weeks for a full transition.

Some ways to tell if he is okay - is he stuffy all of a sudden? Bellyaches? Rash? the normal types of things you would look for when introducing a new food to the diet.

M.

if you could wait just a month more, i would, although he wont be hurt by starting now. i would start out with just an ounce added to his cup or bottle with the breastmilk for a day to look for a reaction(more like an allergic reaction like a rash), then i would increase over the next couple of days until its all cows milk.

no, formula is not needed(unless you have a baby that is underweight, but i would assume the doctor would have already discussed that). at 12 months, cows milk replaces either formula or breastmilk since your child now should be eating healthy, well balanced meals.

why was your first son put on soy? is there any medical reason? assuming you dont have severe allergies, or a reason to suspect he would be allergic(like if he has already had lots of cheese and yogurt) he should be fine. as for upsetting his stomach, lactose intolerance is always a possibility, or just a sensitvie stomach. he would probaly have diarhea as a first clue. most children are fine though using milk. and if they arent, a month or two later, you try again and its fine.

i will say that he might not like it since breastmilk is more sweet. just be patient, besides, its better to start teaching healthy eating habits asap. dont sweeten the milk with syrup or anything, and dont give juice, or else milk wont be a priority for him.

and if possible, buy organic, milk is the one thing they say, if you can, do it.

I waited until after my son had his one-year check-up, mostly because I like the comfort of consulting the pediatrician (he's my first, so I like a lot of confirmation). I also decided to do part whole milk, part breast milk (and use up some of those frozen reserves at the same time) for the first few weeks, while he got used to the taste. This seemed to work out pretty well.
Good luck!

Congrats on providing breastmilk for this long! Of course consult your ped on when is the best time to introduce cow's milk. For us I started giving it in a sippy cup at every meal. It was up to her to drink it I did nothing to force it onto her. I would praise her when she did drink it. You might have to warm it up at first since he is used to his milk being warm. Signs that it might not be sitting well on his tummy can range from constipation to diarrhea, hives, eczema, vomitting etc. Believe me you will know if his digestive tract doesn't like it!

Congratulations on making it this far with breast milk. While the idea of switching twice I am sure is not attractive, cows milk will not provide him the right balance of nutrients. Perfect for a baby cow, not for a baby human. It would be better to switch him to formula and stick with that past a year than switch him early to cows milk.

I started the transition to whole milk when my son was 11 1/2 months. He went to daycare full time so I had them start adding a 1/4 whole milk to his breast milk bottles for a few days and then added 1/2 whole milk, and 3/4 whole milk until he was completely on whole milk. He did well with the transition and we didn't have any issues. If your son is having a hard time with the cows milk you may notice him becoming more gassy and or constipated. If that happens just slow downt he transition and give a little prun juice or more water etc... to help. Good Luck! And way to go for sticking to it so long!

I just wanted to say congrats for nursing for a year!! Pumping is hard work but is really worth the payoff for your son! The other posters seem to have covered the transition pretty well. I would definitely avoid the formula step, however.

Be careful trusting our advice - we don't know your son's medical history nor how he fits on the pediatric growth charts.

My best advice is to ask your pediatrician to see what they recommend.

We have 2 kids, 2 and 4 years, and we simply went cold turkey when we switched to whole milk at 1 year. We had no issues with either. Our son was on breast milk, our daughter on formula, and both transitioned beautifully.

Good luck!

I started the transition when my kids were about 11 months. With my son, my doctor told me to mix it half w/ formula (he was formula fed) and half whole milk. When I did that, he would not take it. Instead we alternated, one bottle milk and then one bottle of formula at next feeding. After a few days we increased milk, reduced formula and continued until he had just milk all the time. That worked for my daughter too.