not sure where to post this... cows milk after breastfeeding

[JenT]

I want to feed until I don't have to give formula and can give cows milk.. I think that I have heard of mothers giving cows milk at 11 months and maybe even at 10 months.. if the child has a balanced diet is there any other reason you shouldn't do it?

Thanks

You wouldnt expect a child under 12 months to have a 'balanced' diet yet. Milk is the most important food for a child up until 12 months in any case.

So, I wouldnt want to scrimp on that meal before 12 months, personally.

My understanding is that cows milk won't give them all the necessary nutrients until they're 12 months old. I assume this is because its assumed by this stage they're getting enough of them from solids. Doesn't mean they can't have cows milk at all though. But as with everything, I imagine there isn't a magic switch at 12 months and they might be getting all the nutrients from solids earlier than that. Sure there are some experts on here who can help!

Got this advice from an ABM counceler:

I was told that for the 2 or 3 weeks before DD is 12 months it will be fine to give cows milk instead of bfing while she is at Nursery. She will be there 3 days a week for 2 feeds. That was reliant on me still bfing morning and night on those days. She made a point of checking it would not be a complete substitution for BM but a stop gap incase I can't express as I don't want to give formula only to change to cows milk a few weeks later.

HTH

Have also been thinking about milk... I guess in an ideal world kids would be bfed until they no longer required milk. This is clearly not practical when Mum needs to go back to work and with our cultural aversion to breastfeeding past about 12months.
My GP said he doesn't give his kids cows milk, as the way it is intensively produced now means it is harder to digest (mastitis for the cows who are constantly milked all day / antibiotics given to the cows / cow's milk really being designed for baby cows etc). He gives his kids oat milk - says it's fortified with all the calcium etc they need.
Other alternatives would be goats milk, soya milk or rice milk I guess.
Would love to know the pros / cons of giving the different types of milk for kids age 1+ if anyone has any research that would be great.