Moving on to cows milk at 12m - what are the signs...

[champagnesupernova]

I am planning on continuing to b/f until my dss 1st birthday. (he is 11 months now). He has the occasional bottle of formula but much prefers the boob.
Have no idea how I am going to wean him off tbh (but I do want to) (But thats another thread)
He has been blw -but is now eating quite well.

Just wondering what the signs are that they are able to digest cows milk.
Ie. what is the difference between 11 months 3 weeks and 6 days and a year (nothing) but there must be something there.

TIA for your help with this.

Loopy thank you v much for that
I have to say I had never really given much thought as to what formula actually was iykwim

As Loopy said, it's not about digestion but nutrients.

The only problem some friends of mine have had was getting them to actually like the taste of it. It might be an idea to mix a little with each formula bottle over the course of a few days, gradually increasing the ratio of cow's milk to formula until he's used to it. (They don't all dislike it and I only did this with DD because I was low on formula. She loved it straight away.)

I don't think that there are specific signs that a baby is ready to digest cow's milk, not in the same way that there might be specific signs that a baby is ready to have solid food.

Anyway, isn't current advice that babies can have cow's milk from 6 months on cereal / in cooking etc? I think that they're just not meant to have it as their main drink until 1 year old, as wouldn't provide the right nutrition for them.

My 8 month old has cows milk on cereal, porridge and I cook bits and pieces with it for her. My elder daughters had absolutely no problem going straight onto cows milk, but they were formula fed so I don't know if that makes a difference.

DS is 13 months old, and is BF. He doesn't seem very keen to have cow's milk as a drink. We're just persevering by keeping offering it to him.