Cows Milk

[grouphug]

After a discussion with my bfc I am going to continue bf until 10 months and then introduce cows milk as I do not want to use formula. I just wondered if anyone else has done this as I know guidelines are 1 year? I am returning to work two months after this but just wanted to have 2 months to get her used to not having breast milk anymore when she goes to nursery I also think 10 months is long enough as I find it tough.

Many thanks for your time.

[massiveNEWpantsface]

what are your reasons for not wanting to use formula? I believe that if you don't want to continue to bf, ff would be the best alternative just for a couple of months more...

[Lulumama]

cows milk should not be the main drink for your baby under a year, although i did introudce it from 11.5 months as we were going away ! the protein content is quite high IIRC and there are other reasons i cannot recall right now.

what are your reasons for not wanting to use formula?

[grouphug]

I wanted to go from bf to cm because that is the natural progression and I have had a formula fear put into me by my bfc I had traumatic first 3 months with bf and I guess I would have given up month one if she had not done that.

[Lulumama]

what is it about formula you fear? is it the composition of it? introdcuing formula too soon can undermine succesful breastfeeding but that would not be an issue if you were stopping anyway. i don;t know if it would be a terrible thing to introduce cows milk at 10 months ., hopefully someone else will have a more definitive answer !

[spicemonster]

I think that you should do what's best for your baby. And at under a year, formula is better for them - there are proteins that are hard to digest for babies and not all babies can tolerate dairy at all. If you're going to have a hierarchy of 'best' for a baby under a year, it's bm, ff, cows milk. FF is not intrinsically evil, it's just not quite as good as bm.

[spicemonster]

When I said there were proteins that are hard for a baby to digest, I meant in cows milk. I don't think there's much iron in it either iirc

[tiktok]

Cows milk at 10 mths is not going to have a bad effect, truly - but it would be better if breastfeeding was continuing alongside it. I'm assuming, grouphug, your baby also has other foods as well?

The big thing about no cows milk as a main drink until a year is overstated, in my view - it is a one-size-fits-all which really doesn't stand up to scrutiny as a recommendation for all babies.

The main concern would be iron. The protein in cows milk is virtually identical to the protein in follow in formula or in 'hungrier baby' formula - so no concern there. The iron in cows milk is not especially well absorbed by the baby, but if a baby is having iron in solid foods, and possibly contintuing to breastfeed, then it's likely all will be well - useful to talk this over with a nutrition-minded HV, though, rather than take my word for it as I have no nutrition or med quals (I am a breastfeeding counsellor with NCT).

I sympathise with the desire to avoid formula. It is a highly processed product, with many additives, and which is a hassle to make up from powder. Cows milk is, of course, processed as well, but it is closer to the original item than formula. For a very young baby, cows milk is certainly not suitable (and when it was given to young babies, it had to be diluted, boiled and sugared) and formula is preferable if the baby is not breastfed. But by 10 months, the evidence is most babies will be fine....though as I say, check it out first!

[grouphug]

Thank you, I think I will use formula during the day and breast milk at night from 10 months if I can, then go to cm from 12 months. If I can hang on in there I will bf for 1 year. I'm just at the 6 month milestone its such hard work!

[grouphug]

thanks tiktok thats great news. still ebf but going to do blw from end of 6 months v. exciting.

[Lulumama]

thanks for the clarification tiktok !

[lovemytinlids]

hi there,just want to add that although not ideal i put 3 of my children onto cows milk at 5 and 1/2 months as they simply couldnt keep any formula down,(i couldnt breastfeed due to a breast abscess and septiceamia)my eldest is now 15yrs and very healthy,i have just had another and am now having the same problems with him not being able to tolerate formula,he screams for hours on end,roll on 5months.pity the doctors show no interest in finding out the root cause as i would prefer not to put on cows milk but.....

[PuppyMonkey]

Oh phew! I just put dd2 on cow's milk at 11 months, not 12. Thought I was being really naughty, but glad to se it's not as bad as all that!