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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask totally clueless questions about going from formula to cows milk?

18 replies

VulvaVoom · 08/08/2013 10:27

Hi all,

In my area you don't get an 8 month review with babies and the One year reviews are running months late.

Am starting to think about when DD turns One (and I go back to work) and how I can begin to reduce her formula intake - as she still loves her 3 bottles a day. She's almost 10 months old and currently has 1 before morning nap after breakfast, 1 in the afternoon before her nap then and 1 before bed.

I've just Googled it and I still have no idea on various factors including:

Should I try to reduce her formula intake before she's One? E.g. down to 2 bottles maybe?

How can I do this? She still loves it! I know I could offer snacks but she does a particular kind of whinge/cry for milk I'm sure.

When she's One, do I just offer her full fat cows milk in place of the formula, e.g. at the same times I do now, and even if she's still on 2/3 bottles a day or is it just offered as a drink??

I'm slightly panicking because she'll be going to a childminder just before she's One and I don't want to appear like I have no idea what I should be doing

Sorry for this long and probably boring post but I'm feeling a bit anxious about it! TIA

OP posts:

CookieLady · 08/08/2013 10:31

Sorry can't help you as I'm in the same boat!

Tee2072 · 08/08/2013 10:31

I literally used up the formula I had left as he approached one, I think I ran out the day before his first birthday, which was luck, not planning, and just started to give him full fat cows milk as soon as he was 1 at the same times he used to have a bottle of formula.

He was constipated for a few days but other than that, had no problems.

You will get people on here yelling at you because she's still using a bottle. Ignore them. My son used a bottle until he was 2.5 and has had no problems with teeth.

grabaspoon · 08/08/2013 10:33

By aged 1 I tend to serve milk with cereal at breakfast a cup of milk at snack times ie 1030 and 230 and then a cup of milk at bedtime 6.30

Yep just give her a beaker with cows milk no need to slowly introduce.

Flobbadobs · 08/08/2013 10:34

I wouldn't just switch over from formula to dairy, the way I did it (3 DC's) was to swap one feed, possibly the breakfast one to dairy from a beaker and just see how she takes to it before moving on.
I can only tell you how it worked for me but I dropped the daytime bottle just before 1 iirc. The bedtime bottle was last to go, DD2 is 18 months and still has her bedtime bottle, and DD1 didn't drop it till she was 2.

Offler · 08/08/2013 10:34

Im not sure how many bottles a day is right as I bf my 1 year old, but while I'm at work (4 days) he only get fed during the night, and morning / evening. Other days he gets it when he wants it!

As for switching from formula to cows milk, I would gradually transition it, start 3/4 formula 1/4 cows milk for a couple of days, then half and half for another few and then 1/4 formula, 3/4 cows milk etc etc etc!!

mrsjay · 08/08/2013 10:35

what I did was wean dds onto cows milk using milk and formula so make up your formula but less and top up with milk till they got used to it,then just gave them milk to drink between times reduce the Mls slowly over a few weeks and my dds were on 3 bottles a day at that age I think it is normal she still needs her milk, try and introduce a sippy cup you sound like you are doing what you are supposed to, although the last time 14 yrs ago so advice might have changed

Flobbadobs · 08/08/2013 10:36

Total ex posts there!
I should add though that I started the gradual introduction with DS because he had a small reaction to dairy for a while.

mrsjay · 08/08/2013 10:37

i meant make your formula with water as usual and add milk to that it looks like i said make formula up with cows milk

mrsjay · 08/08/2013 10:37

id also cut out the afternoon bottle for a sippy cup IME the night bottle is usually the last to go,

mrslyman · 08/08/2013 10:41

Watching with interest as DS2 is also 10 months and rather embarrassingly I can't remember how I did this with DS1 who is only 2.

I know it must have been gradual as he was 13 months by the time he had his last bottle, and I know I started giving him a small drink of milk with breakfast at about 11 months to get him used to the taste but I seem to have forgotten what happened in between.

scarletforya · 08/08/2013 10:46

Do they have to change to cows milk?

I offered dd cows milk just after she turned one but she didn't like it so I just let her have her formula as usual......

BrokenSunglasses · 08/08/2013 10:48

There isn't a right or wrong way of doing it, only how you choose to do it.

It doesn't matter if your baby still carries on with a bit of formula, you don't have to get rid of it completely at one year old. You could start by offering a cup at breakfast and getting rid of that bottle, then dropping them one at a time. Offer water in a cup at every opportunity so she gets used to a different way of drinking, which can take a while!

Once she comfortable with drinking out of a cup, the bottle will be more of a comfort thing, which there is no need for you to take away at night until she is ready.

KPidgeon · 08/08/2013 10:51

I breast fed but stopped that at 1 and moved to cow's milk. I only gave him cow's milk in the morning and at evening from 1. It took a while for him to like it-he only had tiny portions to start and some days probably negligable amount with but loves it now (he's 2 and a bit and still has it morning and evening before bed.
If your DD likes yoghurt and cheese etc I wouldn't worry about calcium whilst she gets used to cow's milk.
We gave it to him in a cup but it's a very bottle-ish cup! Very different to the sippy cups he has for water so he associates it with cosy milk!

Also- I have friends who BF and FF who are still giving their LOs formula morning and night at 2- don't think it matters at all. Cow's milk is cheaper I guess!

I would maybe drop the middle of the day milk though- as I found that if my DS had a lot of milk in the day time it stopped him eating a decent (!) amount of lunch.

Good luck! x

Original poster

VulvaVoom · 08/08/2013 11:01

Wow, thanks all, a lot of info to process but all very helpful!

Had not even thought about offering her some milk in a sippy cup, I may try that instead of her afternoon milk and see how it goes.

Because the time goes so quick, I'm still in the mind set of not offering her cows milk (from before she was 6 months) even though I do in cereal, so that doesn't make any sense!

OP posts:

mrslyman · 08/08/2013 11:42

if she's used to warm formula then you may need to warm the milk slightly. DS1 used to drink very little of the fridge cold milk, as he was used to warmed formula. We have phased this out and he drinks it cold now, but just thought I'd mention it.

noblegiraffe · 08/08/2013 11:47

One year olds don't need to drink cows milk as a drink at all so long as they are getting enough calcium from other sources. The amount of calcium they need isn't huge so this is quite easy to do with yoghurt, cheese, bread, and milk in cereal.
So you can just gradually cut down formula and not worry about replacing it with cows milk if she doesn't take to it.

KPidgeon · 08/08/2013 11:47

Oh yes- we warmed the milk. Gosh you forget every stage as soon as it's over don't you!

mrsjay · 08/08/2013 11:53

no you dont need to change at one there is no rule that says you have to but you can if you want, DD1 wasn't that keen on milk

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