I don't know what I'm meant to do now she's a year old! Question about milk...

[TheOnlyPersonInTheRoom]

Dd has just gone 1 and I'm still giving her formula in bottles with teats. I've tried giving her it in a cup with a spout but she just won't drink out of it, I don't know why, and I've ended up pouring it into a bottle just so she gets it down her. I have been really paranoid about her getting 500ml. She has a bottle after breakfast and before bed (we have just dropped the 3pm bottle but I don't know if I should have)

The only other drink she has is water which she has from a sort of sports bottle thing (munchkin) or sometimes from a doidy cup but she tends to be a bit keen with this and throw it all over herself so I'm reluctant to give her milk in this (am I meant to?)

I suppose in summary my questions are:

1. what milk should I be giving her, how much and when?
   
2. if I should be giving her 'real' milk how do I heat it?
   
3. what receptacle should she have it from?
   
   I know I sound really clueless and I am. We are really only just getting used to formula and bottles anyway as she was breastfed til a couple of months ago.
   
   I've read 'birth to five' and its not very prescriptive about what I ought to do and I'm too scared to ring the HV.

[BigusBumus]

My boys still had their bedtime and morning milk in a bottle till they were about 2. They couldn't seem to work out how to drink it from anything else!

Cows milk is fine now.

I used to just warm it in the microwave and shake it really well so as to avoid hot spots.

[vodkaanddietirnbru]

1. full fat cows milk is fine from 1 year, you can still give her it in the am and pm if that's what she want
   
2. I didnt heat it as mine took it cold from the fridge. You could heat using a jug of hot water or using the microwave and shaking to get rid of hot spots
   
3. you could transition to some sort of cup if you want (it is advised to phase out bottles at around 1 year to help protect their teeth)
   
   around 300mls is recommended from 1 year and any other dairy foods (yoghurt, cheese, etc) plus milk used in cereal and in cooking also count towards this amount

[ChoccyJules]

Firstly, there are so many 'how it should be done' ideas that the HV may not tell you what the woman next to you on the bus is doing anyway, so please chill as you can't get it too wrong whatever you do.
DD still had her milk in a bottle for quite a while after she was one (I can't remember when she swapped to a cup but it wasn't particularly early). she then went onto a 'favourite' cup for milk and later would accept anything (but still has her fave cup, she's now 4 and has milk during bedtime story).
We swapped to cow's milk aged one. Warmed it in microwave for 30 seconds and shook it, just takes the edge off.
I'm sorry I can't remember how much she was on back them but it depends how much solid food she is taking and I like to err on the side of solids or they become too reliant on milk and won't eat. Two bottles a day sounds Ok to me but someone will maybe come along and tell me I am dreaming! I do remember her having a bottle at Nursery so maybe it was three per day for a little while? I think by 18 months it was definitely down to two bottles.
Sorry about the waffle, I'm remembering as I type!

[Olympicrock]

I'm a mean meanie about this, as soon as both boys turned 1, cows milk in a beaker. 2 days of stopping and they both gave in as I was being consistent. Lots of cheese, yoghurt and custard while they adjusted! My 20 month o.s still loves his milk in a special beaker as he gets up in the morning, after his afternoon nap and whilst watching cbeebies at bedtime!

[MrsApplepants]

I think the reason it is advised to no longer give milk in bottles with teats after 1 yr is that it is apparently not great for a child's teeth. Not sure if this is really true or not though. I think you can get dippy cups with softer spouts to make the transition easier.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Firstly, there is no need to give formula after one. It is expensive and completely unnecessary. She will be fine with full fat cows milk and the recommended amount is 300ml, not 500ml so hopefully that might take the pressure off you a bit too. Have a look here.

As for the bottles, you are right that they aren't recommended after one. I thought that it was to do with the development of the mouth and teeth too although you might want to discuss it with your dentist.

She may take a few days to get used to the transition though. Have you tried her with warm milk or cups with straws? Perhaps if you use the bottles but with a juice spout instead for a bit?

[filetheflightoffancy]

Is she a good eater OP? My DS is 13 months but no longer has milk as a drink because, try as I might, I just cannot get him to drink cows milk and I am not going to continue spending loads of money on formula! However, he is a very good eater and eats tons of cheese, yoghurt and has milk on his porridge/cereal so I stopped worrying about it really. I do try him with a little bit of milk in a cup every now and then but he wont drink much.

I told my HV about this and she said it was fine as long as I made sure he was drinking plenty and getting lots of dairy elsewhere. He wasnt bothered about no longer having a bottle at bedtime, he now just has a drink of water with his story.

Does she have the bottle as a comfort thing at at bedtime? I know that there are lots of kids who still have a bottle after 1, I think as long as you are good with toothbrushing then it would be ok?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

You might find that your DS does take milk soon file. My DS had a clear 2 months when I'd stopped bfing and he wouldn't accept milk. Once he started drinking it he became a right milk monster and still is at 8.

Your HV is right, if he is getting calcium right foods daily then it shouldn't be too much of an issue but if you do want to get him to drink some, try a cup with a straw.

[filetheflightoffancy]

Thanks jilted, I am going to keep trying every few weeks with different cups to see if he will drink it. He is such an unfussy little thing that I really didnt think it would be a problem, but tbh I hate having milk as a drink myself so can understand where he is coming from!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I don't do much dairy either. I think that as long as you are feeding them a calcium rich diet it isn't too much of an issue. Sardines and salmon are good.