Why do babies need to go onto cow's milk & not stay on formula ?

[yvonnetermi]

My 13mth DD has been on formula since 8mths. I have seen on this forum & heard from other mums that they move their little ones onto cow's milk from 12 mths.

Silly question but why ? What's the hurry ? I thought there were vitamins added to formula so isn't that good for them ?

What do you all think ?

[mankymummy]

cost?

[mankymummy]

cost?

[zwiggy]

convenience

[LittleMyDancing]

By 12 months they should be getting their vitamins etc from solid food, so you don't need to spend all that cash on expensive formula.

they only need milk for the protein and calcium by that age.

[gagarin]

Extra calories in formula.

Solid food should prob be main source of calories by 1 year so formula would give too many.

Cows milk is a drink & breast and formula milsk are foods.

If a toddler has lots of formula then appetite for "real food" might be reduced.

So, for example, a bottle of formula at 7am would prob mean no breakfast required until 9 or 10. Or a battle over breakfast at 8 when the lo is not actually hungry.

But no worries about carrying on with formula for bedtime drink if that's what you do in your house - treat it like a hot milky drink at bedtime if you want.

Or during the day if you can afford it and that's what you want to do!

[Olihan]

Because cow's milk is a fraction of the price.

Because cow's milk doen't line the pockets of the formula companies.

Because formula is a 'food' whereas cows milk is a drink and by 1yo they tend to be receiving most of their nutrients from real food so they don't need formula.

[yvonnetermi]

Thanks for the replies - great explanations ! I will start to introduce cow's milk slowly and see how we get on.