Switching from formula to cows milk - advice needed

[LittleLadysMama]

My lo is coming up for 13 months and still on formula.
She takes a bottle around 8am (5oz), another around 3pm (5oz) and a bedtime bottle around 7.30/8pm (7oz).

She doesnt always finish her bottles now, and I'm trying to switch her over to cows milks but she's not having it and I'm worried if I dont relent and give her formula then she won't get enough fluids in the day.

I offer water regularly and at mealtimes but she doesn't drink great amounts, just little sips here and there.

She will take cows milk in her porridge / weetabix but having no success with her bottle feeds. She knows its different and just refuses. Tried a cup for milk instead of bottle but no luck.

Any advice appreciated. I've thought about just offering cows milk only in the hope she eventually concedes but I'm worried she won't be getting enough to drink in a day.

How about trying soya/almond milk?

They only need around 11/12oz now. I would switch the 3pm to cows milk in a cup with a snack and it won't matter if she doesn't take much as the other 2 bottles will keep her intake up.

Milk in cereal and other dairy products count towards the amount they need per day

And to be honest I'd just stick to your guns, if she's having some water during the day then she's fine, even if it's a little bit.

if you're always offering an alternative (formula) she will refuse the milk, they're crafty just keep going with the milk she'll take to it eventually.

You could try mixing part cows milk and part formula and then increasing the percentage of cows milk in the mixture over a few days so she gets used to it gradually. A friend of mine did it and it worked. Good luck!

Thanks @whiteflower84
I did think as soon as i caved and gave her the formula and watched her guzzle it down that id maybe gave in too easily 🤷‍♀️
Might give soy a try if she continues to refuse after a couple of weeks

thanks @dementedpixie, I'll give that a try. It was the 3pm bottle I tried to switch milk for so will try a cup and just persevere. Given with a biscuit might mean more success 😆

I'd ditch the bottles ASAP and keep going with regular milk in a cup. Maybe warm it up?

thanks @MilkRunningOutAgain - I had read about that but wasn't sure. I'd imagine it would taste strange but could be worth a try 🤞

Yeah, teach her to dip biscuits in it. Not messy at all

What mean is take the opportunity for whole sale change. Get her onto a diff milk in a bottle and then you've got another issue.

There are lots of cups available to choose from.

With DS I mixed around 6 parts formula to 2 parts cow's milk. Then after a couple days 4 formula to 4 cow's milk. And so on.

From what I understand, formula is the equivalent of giving them a vanilla milkshake and then forcing them to just have plain milk again.

Doing it gradually helps them get used to the lack of sweetness.

I think i have every cup available in the cupboard as she really struggled with cups at the start so I tried them all!

I have a very very fussy child. When she switched, I did something similar to MostDefinitelyNot and slowly increased the proportion of cows' milk she was drinking. It took 2-3 weeks, but it worked.

My two both hated cows milk except on cereal etc, until they were 2 or so - they would only drink the Aptamil follow on milk. It's available for toddler age so is it worth seeking if she likes that?

Don't start on toddler milk. It's even sweeter than infant formula. She's only 13 months so there's plenty of time for moving to cows milk

I had considered that as im still giving her first milk at the moment. Will see how we go and if its a persistent struggle I'll give follow on a try

thanks everyone! I think I'll keep trying to switch her 3pm feed to cows milk in a cup and see how we get on from there. Failing that I might try mixing the two and gradually weaning her off it 🤞