formula or cows milk for a 1 yr old?

[beansmum]

ds is breastfed at the moment and I'm going to carry on bfing for a while yet, but there will be 4 days this month when he will be at nursery while I'm in an exam. I usually go in and feed him in the afternoon but wont be able to on those days.

I used to express milk to leave him but recently haven't been able to get more than a couple of drops no matter what time of day I try.

so, should I leave a bottle of formula or will cows milk be ok?

full fat cows milk should be fine at 12 months + especially as you're coming back to breastfeed him after 4 days anyway.

Beansmum - I believe that it is O.K for full-fat milk to be given as a drink for babes over a year - but not before then. Cows milk can be used in cooking from 6 months but shouldn't be given as a drink as I think it is too low in iron and too high in vitamin A.

Formula First milks can be used up to one year - so I assume that it is recommended to use a follow on milk if you are not using cow's milk.

My dd is 7 months so I don't have any experience as such - this is just what I have read - but hope it helps.

If your ds is only used to bm - you may want to try out your preferred option in advance - you don't want to be stressed when you are doing your exam wondering if everything is O.K.

Hope it all goes O.K.

actually it's not this month, its next month! I'm going a bit mad I think. ds will be one by then so cows milk should be fine.

I will get the nursery to try him out with some the week before while I am around to feed him if he really wont take it. He's used to taking a bottle of EBM so hopefully it wont bother him too much that it tastes a bit different.

thanks for your advice, I didn't have a clue what the guidelines were for cows milk.

mY gp said that you only need a follow-on milk if you've got a fussy eater who may not be getting enough vitamins from their normal diet. If they eat well, cows milk is fine. Good for you for bfing for so long!

He may not even need it in the afternoons by then if you are feeding him in the morning and evening, although may make it up later. You could have them offer a beaker of water and snack instead. Wouldn't stress about it too much but may be worth having him try cows' milk ahead of time just in case he needs it. Forget formula if he is over 1.

either. i give formula as it has a few extra nutrients in. taste 'orrible though. dd doesn't seem to care though

Cow's milk should be fine at this age - if there's any reaction to it there's also likely to be a reaction to formula. You'd probably also know by know if there was any risk of intolerances.

It's so much cheaper and convenient than formula - isn't that one reason for breastfeeding until 1 anyway? Make sure it's organic, or if you're cautious, even UHT. You could also introduce it gradually.

I have just had to figure this one out myself. My dd turned 1 last week and i wanted to try her with cows milk. At her 10 month check up the nurse told me to use follow on milk for another 6 months but when the twelve month day came, I gave her a cup of cows milk with her food. She loved it! The next day i gave her morning bottle cows milk and formula for the rest of the day. She now has cow's milk through the day and one bottle of cow's milk at bedtime. I'm sure cow's milk would be fine at bedtime but it just reasures me that she's not hungry. I also give her a dose of Abidec just to make sure shes getting vitamins. Talk to your HV if you are still unsure but I just trust my instincts. If the baby looks healthy and chubby, she should be fine!

It's only going to be 4 bottles, spread out over 2 weeks, and as he already has cows milk in cooking and on cereal I'm sure he will be fine. I feel a bit silly worrying about such a little thing! He gets breastfed the rest of the time and eats really well so it doesn't really matter what I give him.

beansmum, I personally wouldn't worry if he just had water on those days, or a little bit of cows milk. Your ds will be great at regulating his own intake and will simply make up for it when you are together.