Why no cow's milk as a drink?

[Pook]

This is only really an "out of interest" topic. My dd is now 7 months old and b/fed but has cow's milk in cereal and for sauces etc. As far as I'm concerned she won't be having formula at all.
I know that the advice is not to give cow's milk as a drink, and some say it's because of iron content and some that it's because of allergies. But surely it can't be allergy-related advice if you can use it in cooking? And if my dd has water/juice with her lunch and no boob any more as I've dropped the lunchtime milk feed, what is the problem in giving her cow's milk as a drink at that time? Obviously not to replace a breast milk feed, but simply as variety and surely cow's milk has more vitamins and good stuff than water??
I find all the advice so confusing. Weaning and having a baby is more mentally taxing than work ever was - just so much more enjoyable. Well, most of the time. Will be going back part-time when she's a year and am looking forward to peeing/having coffee when I want without having to go through the whole "mummy will be back in a mo ...here's mummy again!" routine.

As far as I'm aware it's because their stomach is not mature enough to handle milk as a main drink until they are a year old, whereas the quantities used in cooking/cereals are a lot less.

My health visitor also advised me not to give cows milk as a main drink with breakfast (when they are over a year old) as the milk actually stops their body absorbing a lot of the iron in the breakfast cereal. This would be ok though if your baby eats a wide variety of foods which contain a good source of iron, but our DS1 wasn't the best at eating a wide variety so we were advised to give him diluted pure orange for drink at breakfast instead as that actually helps absorb iron.

It's very simple - up until the age of one milk is a baby's main food AND drink and cow's milk isn't considered nutritious enough to comprise the mainststay of your child's diet. There's nothing 'wrong' or 'dangerous' about milk, it's just that breastmilk or formula is more nutritious and contains vitamins/minerals etc (including iron) that cows milk simply doesn't have. As the child gets older and eats a wider variety of 'real' food, their nutritional dependence on milk as food drops and so you can then give it as a drink. As long as your child has good breastfeeds and eats well, then it won't harm her to have a cup of milk, but formula would be more nutritious or just give water. As HiddenSpirit says, calcium does inhibit the absorption of iron whereas vitamin increases it, so having real fruit with lunch and a bit of water (the best fluid IMO) would be a good way of encouraging iron uptake.

Thanks Aloha and Hiddenspirit.
DD an excellent eater and drinker already, and I really don't have a problem with not giving cow's milk as a drink - it just struck me, having been told by HV that allergies the reason for delaying intro of c milk as a drink, that that advice contradicted itself when given in conjunction with saying it's ok for cooking. Anyway, dd loves her cup and water (especially with clementine squeezed in!) and nowadays all friends and family on semi-skimmed so water easier to source when on the go. Still 4 other b-feeds during day, first thing and last thing on own, and breakfast and dinner after her solids. Defo getting plenty of milk from me!

HVs do seem to be a particularly uniformed lot don't they? I am sure there must be some brilliant ones, but the stuff I hear on MN makes me dubious.

My HV said not to give my DS1 cows milk on his Weatabix at six months as cows milk has too much salt in it and would be too much for his little kidneys to cope with!?!?!!??? Figure that one out!

Demented, never heard that one before! Sometimes HV's can make parents so paranoid

One reason cow's milk is harder to digest than formula is because it has more protein. Some of the sugars and proteins that are difficult to digest are partially broken down by cooking, which is why you can use milk in cooking but not as a main drink. My dd can't tolerate cows' milk, but tolerates cheese and yoghurt, so when I miss a feed I don't replace it with formula, but just make sure that she gets some cheese or yoghurt that day; and if she needs the feed then I make sure she gets formula, not 'fridge milk'.

Demented, it's the Weetabix that has too much salt for a 6mo, not the milk!

I've heard the salt one before Demented, this was the primary reason I always thought.

Interesting, it was definately the milk she was commenting on because she really pushes weatabix, beans and fish fingers etc from six months but I didn't think for a moment it was true that cows milk had more salt. Does it contain significantly more salt than formula? Have to say DS2 got his weatabix from six months with cows milk too just didn't mention it to HV this time.

Silly woman - milk isn't salty. It really is the nutrition aspect, esp iron that is behind this recommendation: See below!
Expert: Fiona Wilcock, MSc PGCE BA RPHNutr [See Biography]
Question: When should I start giving my baby cows' milk as a main drink?
Fiona Wilcock: It is recommended that you keep your baby on breastmilk, infant formula or follow-on formula for her first year. Once your baby has reached her first birthday, you can, if you want, start to give her full-fat cows' milk in a lidded beaker.
Why wait?
It is important to wait until your baby is one year old, as cows' milk doesn't contain sufficient iron to recommend its use before then. Also, after the first six months of breastfeeding, breastmilk is not a good source of iron, so breastfeeding mums should make sure that weaning foods contain plenty of iron. This means using foods such as lean red meats, liver pâté, iron fortified breakfast cereals, purées of dried fruit, and tofu. (Formula and follow-on formula milks contain enough iron.)

Having said that it does contain slightly more sodium than formula, but not the extent that it would hurt a seven month old. Weetabix does contain a small amount of added salt - I preferred Ready Brek for my ds when he was tiny, but I don't think Weetabix would do any harm either.

One point here, is everyone aware that there is absolutely no need for follow-on milk? It has no benefits over breastmilk or formula. Breastmilk does not contain high levels of iron but it is in a form that is absorbed more effectively.

I agree Mears. And actually if your child is weaned onto a healthy diet containing iron, then some studies show that a child over nine months does just as well on cows milk as formula anyway. I think it depends on what your child eats.

I always give it as a drink on top of whatever else and then just cows milk form 9 - 10 months

all are still alive and allergy free

Until a few years ago it was 6 months wasnt it?

So, does this mean I can carry on with Aptimil First and don't need to move to another milk?

BR

Yes it does BR. Mums often believe that they must change to the 'stronger' milk but if the baby is happy there is no need to.

Tah mears..