Milk after 1 year.

[wattle]

Ds will be 1 soon, and I have some queries re milk.

Should I start mixing cows milk and formula together to wean him off formula?

How long do most babies continue to have bottles of milk for?

What sort of cows milk should they have? There are so many on the market now.

Thanks.

[draught]

Hi Cathy
I don't know about the mixing formula and milk as I didn't use formula - I just started giving my girls milk in a cup to that they knew it was different from the EBM they had in a bottle. So I weaned onto a cup, not a bottle.

As for what sort of milk - I go for the full cream "normal" stuff - and with 2 little ones I buy the 3 litre monster bottles these days :eek: Much of the material I have read indicates that there is no "magic" in any of the "new" milks and that with a balanced diet our babies will get what they need from the regular stuff.

My DD1 loves her milk - I have to restrict her to a cup when she wakes up, one before her nap and one before bed otherwise she would drink milk all day and not eat. She is nearly 3.......so I have no idea when the routine of milk might stop!

(gee I used up my quota of quotation marks with that one didn't I?)

[whatwasithinking]

Cathy,

I gave Hannah normal cows milk when she reached 12mths.

At first she had it in bottle but then after about 2mths she took a normal straw sippy cup.

[Peaceangels]

Cathy, when my two went on to cows milk around the 12mth mark, I watered it down - 1/2 water and 1/2 milk (full cream), then gradually decreased the water and increased the milk (just to help their little tummies with the changeover and it seemed to work!).
They both still have milk morning and night (DS1 in a cup, DS2 in a bottle - but trying to wean on to a cup), so not sure about how long? Hopefully someone can answer that one as I am curious now?

[draught]

I should have said - when I said "cup" - my girls also use the straw sippy cups. For some reason DD1 would never suck to drink from a normal sipper cup or a bottle - which is why it took until 12 months before I could wean her!

[WeThree]

hey girls, is it necessary to water down normal milk when you start to offer it to them, or can you just give to bubs as is? Coops never had it till recently, and still doesnt really like it, but Tilly will be 1 in a few days and i'd really like for her to have regular milk. :)

[Chickadee]

Cathy,
I didn't bother mixing milk and formula when I switched Chloe from one to the other. But then again, i didn't do it till nearly 20 months :eek: You might find he doesn't like the taste of the milk initially, in which case mixing might help the transition, but I'd try it on it's own first. Chloe also gets the full cream stuff. If you can start him on a cup now it will be easier than losing a bottle later.

[draught]

hey girls, is it necessary to water down normal milk when you start to offer it to them, or can you just give to bubs as is? Coops never had it till recently, and still doesnt really like it, but Tilly will be 1 in a few days and i'd really like for her to have regular milk. :)

Erin I have never watered it down - just gave it to them straight and they have both taken to it quite well (too well in Ella's case!)

[WeThree]

thanks theresa :) :)

[wattle]

Gee I'm glad I asked. Da da da (loud fanfare) Bubhub to the rescue again!

[rynosmum]

I'm glad you asked too Wattle !

My DS is almost 18 months and still has a bottle of formula when he gets up, before each of his 2 naps and before bed....and it's still in a bottle.......
A main reason is because the formula is just so convenient when I can take it out dry and mix it with the water without having to keep it cold.

SO, after this, I've decided to move him to a sippy cup over Christmas and move him also to cows milk. He already has custard and cows milk with cereal etc.

Has anyone used both cows milk and formula ? Cows milk at home and maybe formula if you go out ? :confused: Does this work or upset little tummies ?

[Chickadee]

Ryno'smum... I don't think it would upset his tummy to have both formula and milk. You might want to consider though that milk is very available when you're out and about as long as you can get to a store of some sort, even petrol station stores. My dd loves drinking milk from a cup or through a straw. I kept Chloe on formula for a long time thinking she could use the extra good stuff in it, but to be honest it was a huge relief when I could stop buying it and stop mixing, cleaning bottles, carrying supplies around etc. Now when we go out I only take a diaper, wipes, a snack and perhaps a small sippy cup - and it all fits in my purse ! Yay!