8mo: needs formula? or will cows milk be okay?

[PulsesARagingEyesFullofWonder]

Just a quick question.
DC3 has just started nursery.
I'm able to express some milk to give the nursery, but not enough to keep DC3 going all day.
My mind has gone blank as to why you only give cows milk when they get to a year old!
Do I need to give the nursery some formula to supplement my expressed milk? Or would cows milk be okay?
Thanks for any thoughts/ advice! :)

There's not enough iron or vitamins in cow's milk so formula required until they're one.

There's not enough iron or vitamins in cow's milk so formula required until they're one.

Sorry double post!

Yes, cow's milk is ok in cooking/on cereal after six months but it doesn't have the right balance of minerals/vitamins for babies under a year.

My dd went to nursery at 9 months and I was rubbish at expressing so although I carried on bf at home, I sent her with formula. She refused to drink it so would just have finger food and water all day and then mammoth bf when she got home!

I was terribly worried about it but my niece did exactly the same thing and they are both fine. I'd send some formula in, but don't worry if if he doesn't take to it, he will make up the feeds at home.

Exactly the same as onelittlepiglet here. And dd is now a healthy 10 year old :)

Thanks everyone.
Okay... that makes sense about formula vs cows milk for vitamins etc.
She's only there for 3 days a week, though, and she breastfeeds in the morning/evening/night (!!) and eats solids all day, so am wondering whether cows milk will be okay just for those 3 days while she's at nursery. So it's also useful to hear from people that haven't used formula.
This is all really useful. Thank you.

PS: I have nothing "against" formula! I'm trying to give myself an easy life, maybe :)
I also bought a tin of formula for DC2 and he never drank it, so am just exploring options...

Ds2 was 10.5m when he started with the CM and I just told her to give cows milk, I bf the rest of the time (hes only there 3 days). I think at 8m though I would do formula because they are probably not eating as much?

I'd still hold off on cow's milk as an actual drink for an 8 month old, even if it's just as backup for a couple of days - it's not just that it doesn't have enough of some things, it has too much of other elements and can be bad for a baby's kidneys/be hard to digest.

And agree, baby may just get by on whatever EBM you send in, solids, and water!