When do I take bubs off formula

[toms1]

Hi All,

My little one has just turned 12 months & am wondering if I can take her off formula & straight onto Cows Milk.

Has anyone got any tips on how they went about this ie; did you just swap her normal formula bottles over for warm milk. She has three main meals a day & I usually give her a bottle after each meal.:confused:

I don't have my next CHN visit till the middle of this month so don't want to leave her on formula that long to find out if she doesn't need to be.

[Elfin]

I took my bubs off at about 13 months and I started by mixing cows milk and formula together slowly increasing the concentration of cow's milk as sometimes they may not immediately like the taste. Hope that helps.

[DB&O]

Hi, another way you can so it, is to give babe a taste of cows milk & if they don't reject it, you can alternate between cows milk & formula until babe gets used to the cows milk taste. Good luck.

[xkwzit]

I actually just swapped out a bottle of formula for a bottle of straight cows milk, gradually over a few days, easier to understand maybe if I write it this way:
Day 1 1 milk, 2 formula

Day 2 (or 3) 2 milk, 1 formula)

Day 3 (or whatever) all milk

Both my DDs took to it straight away, no problems. If you heat the formula (or give it at room temp), you may need to heat the milk a bit for a while - baby might not like it straight from the fridge. DD1 didn't mind, DD2 took a while to get used to it.

Unless you know you've got a dairy issue, I think you don't have to worry too much.

Cheers

[Baby Girl]

I started with milk in DD1's cereal for a couple of days and then pretty much went straight onto bottles of cows milk. After about a week she was only having one bottle at night anyway because she was eating yoghurt and cheese like a crazy woman (and milk on her breakfast) and preferred juice or water to milk anyway. I figured she was getting the calcium and whatever else she needed from the other dairy in her diet.

[sugar n spice]

we have started giving ds 13mnth formula in the morning and when we go to bed and during the day he drinks water or water with a drop of cordial or those baby juices, he also drinks, cows milk, milo and toddler milk:D

[Narelle]

Can I just ask were all your kids already having cows milk aswell as formula (like on their cereal) or did you first try it when you swapped from formula?

[xkwzit]

Hi Narelle

My girls were both having cows milk in cereal, and yoghurt, cheese as well. So I was sure there was no dairy intolerance that I might need to be careful about.

Cheers

[Baby Girl]

My DD was having cheese and yoghurt before 12 months but I didn't start putting cows milk on her cereal until a bit after 12 months. She was fine with the other dairy so I didn't think she would have any probs changing over. After about a week or 2 with cows milk on her cereal I swapped her bottles to cows milk - basically that is when the formula was all used up and it was a case of buying another tin or seeing how she went on regular milk. She was fine so no more formula!!

[toms1]

Thank guys. That's a great help. I think I'll try to gradually introduce it on her cereal first like you said. She's been really good when it comes to food - she never turns anything down. So I think she might take to it quite well.
She loves cheese, but never took to yoghurt too well. She suffered from reflux through the 5 months i breast fed her, & only got over it when i put her on to thickened formula. but i didn't stress about it too much, as she never complained about her reflux & has always been a happy baby.

I honestly get more sound advice from these forums then I do from professionals