Cow's milk - ok before one year?

[debster]

Can anyone tell me why you have to wait until a child is a year old before giving cow's milk as a drink? My dd is currntly drinking formula milk but will be one at the end of this month. We will get through the current supply of formula before then and I was wondering whether we have to stick rigidly to the one year rule and buy another load or can we start her on cow's milk before she turns one?

A week or two won't make any difference. I put both of mine on cow's milk at 11+ mths as we were going on holiday abroad and I didn't want the hassle of making formula/sterilizing.

I would say it's fine to start her on cow's milk when you run out of formula - another week or so isn't going to make a difference. Has she already had cow's milk in cereal/food etc., so you know she's OK re: allergies?

The only word of caution I would give is that she may not like cow's milk as a drink - it tastes quite different to formula and I know some children who turn up their noses at it. You can try and avoid this by giving it to her in a beaker first - so she doesn't expect it to taste exactly the same as a milk feed in a bottle (unless you already give formula in a beaker, in which case that won't work!)

I put my ds3 straight onto cows milk (from bf) at age 10 months. The advice I received was - only question is re.iron but if your dd has a good mixed diet then there should be no probs. (May also be a prob in bf babies if there is milk allergy in the family - not an issue with formula fed babies is formula is based on cows milk anyway).

I thought cows' milk wasn't recommended before 12 months as it's too low iron/too high in saturated fat. I think I read something like that on back of packet of Aptamil formula - since chucked out, so am speaking from (crap) memory.

Didn't think saturated fat was a problem at all for babies - that's why they have full-fat and not semi-skimmed up until "/3/5 years (depending on which expert you read)

I chucked out our last box of formula the other day but think it said something about sat fat/cows' milk on back. Anyone able to help re this?

Re acclimatising your litttle one to the taste of cow's milk - you can always mix the formula with cow's milk in the bottle/beaker and gradually increase the amount of cow's milk.

surely formula is based on cow's milk so if your child has been having formula then he is not allergic?

On the subject, why does the aptamil box say that you continue feeding formula until 24 months? Is it just to get you to buy more formula or is it because it is better for them?

Yes dd has been having cow's milk in cereal since 6 months and haven't spotted any allergic reactions. I think we will try and phase the cow's milk in by mixing it with formula over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for the advice brilliant mumsnetters.

Generally cows milk is not recommended because children that are born to parents that have some form of allergy (be that to food or hayfever or eczma or asthma etc etc etc) might develop an allergy to the protein contained within milk. I have no idea why a year is set but I can't see what a difference of two/three weeks would make except of course for people's comments about the iron content.

Allergies as an area are not really understood and so the guidance given is really just scientists "guessing". Mind you if your child develops a allergy is can seriously affect family life and so those of us with food allergy potentials (like my dds (because I have a serious nut allergy)) tend to be a little zealous about following current guidelines

Ds1 would not take formula after 6 months old. paediatrician suggested putting him on cow's milk. 1pint cow's milk would be better for him than 3oz formula. HV went ballistic mind!

Can't see that 2-3 weeks will make much difference, Debster.

And yet 15 years ago cow's milk at 6 months was the norm.