introducing dairy/ how does that work with formula?

[ommmward]

We are advised to wait until a year before introducing dairy, right?

So... how does that work with formula fed babies, what with formula milk being cow's milk?

[disclaimer: I'm a bfer, so it's a completely academic question]

I thought the advice was to wait until a year before cow's milk becomes the main drink - where you are replacing a bottle of formula OR breast-milk with cow's milk. I have been giving both my DCs dairy in cereal and their other solid food from around 6 months with no problem.

Dairy is fine from 6 months. As milkmoustache says, it's just that cows milk shouldn't replace BM or formula as a main drink. But you can use it on cereal, in cooking etc.

But formula milk IS cow's milk... so how does that work? I feel like I'm being really dim here.

formula is modified cows' milk, with sugar and vitamins and fish oil and stuff added

it's not that plain cows' milk is dangerous before 6m, just that it's not a complete food.

oh and the protein balance adjusted to make it easier to digest

I think they just say "dairy products from 6 months" to encourage waiting to wean until 6 months. Because ideally, you exclusively breastfeed for 6 months and then introduce solids (including dairy) alongside breastfeeding.

My health visitor did tell me that since I had introduced formula (I hadn't) I would be perfectly OK to give DS baby rice at 5 months (her suggestion, which I was questioning) because it was only because of allergies you had to wait anyway and formula is technically an allergen as it contains dairy. - pretty sure she had a screw loose!! But it does say to me that the 6 month limit (on dairy, wheat, etc, not food in general) is about allergies mainly, so if you had already introduced formula, dairy wouldn't be as risky as you already know it's safe. Apart from the fact that we know any solids before 6 months increase risk of allergy anyway.

Hope that makes sense! (PS Hello! I know you from somewhere else )

Who are you Bertie???!!!!

crikey. I thought I was pretty anonymised here

I thought the 6-month thing was about developing the right digestive enzymes.

hmm. So the no-dairy bit doesn't count for formula because the proteins have been fiddled around with to make it less allergenic??? It all confuses the heck out of me. Good job I exclusively bf really...

I'm anonymous on here too but I linked to your blog a while back on a thread and you said "Ooh that's me" I was under the name CherryChoc then but have since changed to a Harry Potter themed name which I quite like so will probably keep... I am f.s. .. we haven't chatted much but I do read your blog and occasionally comment

Erm.. back to the thread topic, the no-dairy does count for formula, the no-dairy is about allergens. (The no-solids-at-all is about digestive enzymes). Since formula is used when breastmilk is not available, and you couldn't base infant formula on (for example) carrots, it's pretty much an essential exception to the rule. The protein-changing doesn't make it any less allergenic, it just makes it easier to digest. So if you introduce formula to your baby at any age (including at birth) you are introducing the dairy allergen. Just another thing the formula companies don't bother to mention