Changing from formula to cows milk

[Melly]

Could anyone give me some advice or tips on changing from formula milk to cows milk. Do you just replace one for the other when your child reaches 12 months or should it be done gradually or even mixed feeds?? There seems to be a lack of information about this topic in many books which just state that no child needs cows milk as a drink under the age of 12 months, although you can use cows milk for mixing with cereal etc from 6 months.

My dd is 10.5 months and I am trying to plan ahead. Perhaps I am making it more complicated and you simply replace one for the other?

Also would be glad to hear views about sterilizing. I know the current advice is continue to sterilize bottles for 12 months. I still do but wonder if this is strictly necessary now especially as dd is crawling and putting everything in her mouth?

I just dropped formula overnight, and gave cows milk. Dd didnt seem at all bothered and it didnt affect her tummy at all. But I know some people recommend mixing half and half if they take a while to get used to the taste.

I have to admit I sterilised about 5 times then put everything in the dishwasher. Dd was totally breast fed for 5 months so I didnt need to sterilise before then, then I couldn't understand why a steam steriliser would be less effective than my dishwasher - if you've ever opened one during its cycle it is b**y hot! Dd crawled at 6 months and literally picked up dirt from the floor and ate it, so I couldn't really see the point of sterilising

As far I sterilising goes, I understand that once everything is going in their mouths you don't need to sterilise soothers, spoons etc. However, the reason they say to still sterilise bottles/teats is because milk is a breeding ground for milk, and if there are germs in the bottle when you make up the feed and put it in the fridge, then by the time you warm the bottle the next day or whenever the germs will have multiplied frantically. It's just to be on the safe side, really. With fresh cows milk it will be fine, as you just pour it fresh from the fridge. HTH

All mine have had cows milk from around 10m as we were fed up with mixing bottles by then. Also stopped sterilizing around 5m as all were on the move, eating worms by then, never bothered sterilizing spoons etc..Have been told that sterilizing is considered weird in USA (any USA mums able to confirm that?)

I had given them all cow's milk in food, cereals from weaning and then when the formula ran out they just had cows' milk to drink. None of them has had any reactions/allergies...

I started using cow's milk to cool down dd's formula milk when I'd made it up, just to get her used to the taste, then used half & half for her milk that she took to nursery. Then when I'd finished the last can I had after her birthday, she just took all cow's milk. It never caused the slightest problem. As for sterilising, I never really sterilised anything, but when dd started taking formula at about 6 months, it was in a cup - I think you have to be a bit more careful with teats because germs can collect in a way they don't in cups. In your position, with 6 weeks to go until your dd's birthday, I would definitely have given up sterilising!

We did the mixing thing with DS from about 10 months. An ounce of cows milk, seven ounces of formula, just gradually increasing the cows milk until he was having all cows milk. He was having every feed from a cup by that time and we had stopped sterilising by that time as the steriliser had broken on the way back from holiday . I don't think it is such an issue if they are using a cup but believe you have to be careful with the teats on bottles.

Melly - like Enid we just dropped formula overnight, and no ill effects at all straight onto Full Fat Organic Cows milk (tastes so lovely - like the milk of olden times!). I had already started putting cows milk in with the cereal for a while, however, it was not a issue with us. As far as sterilising, we stopped all of that too at 12 months, changed our lives the cows milk and no sterilising, so much more time!. Good Luck.

Thanks for all the replies. DD has been having cow's milk mixed in her cereals and I use it in her cooking and there doesn't appear to have been any adverse effects, so will probably just change her straight over.
I will continue to sterilize for another six weeks or so because dd is still having bottles with teats and hopefully during that time I can start changing her over to beakers.
Thanks again for the advice

Hi! I was reading to get some info on switching to cow's milk. My baby is 9 months old and we live in the united states. To reply to an earlier posting, I haven't at all heard that it's "weird" to sterlize bottles in the usa only that most people just run the heated dry cycle on the dishwasher which is usaully just as effective. I wasn't very satisfied with relying on the dishwasher so I ran the bottles throught the avent sterilizer afterwards. I still sterilize most of the time unless I'm in a pinch and don't have the time. Also, it's a good idea to wash baby's hands before they eat that way if they have been putting rather dirty things in their mouths beforehand at least this will cut down on some the spread of germs.
I think I will try to switch to cow's milk around eleven months and just go fully to cow's milk and see how it goes. Thanks!

When I finally got a dishwasher it coincided with having another baby, so I asked about using it instead of a steriliser for the bottles. The midwife said that we shouldn't use it until after we have passed the sterilising age because the salt content used in dishwasher powder/tablet isn't good for the baby, whereas a steriliser uses only water and is therefore much safer.

I stopped sterilising after 6 months, and just rinse them out when they come from the dishwasher now, just to make sure.

As for changing from formula to cows milk, I just changed it over a few days, substituting one for the other. My kids have been slightly different in that they had to outgrow a dairy allergy before this could be done, so I was a bit wary, but they were old enough and suffered no ill effects. My youngest is still on formula at 15 months though as he has a more severe allergy to dairy and soya than my others had so he is still reacting.

From about 10.5 months I gave one cow's milk cup a day, then 2 and so on until down to one formula a day. Then shortly after DS's birthday we ran out of formula an dhe was fully on cow's milk.

lou33, have you ever noticed a salty taste from your cups after they have come out of the dishwasher? I doubt it. sorry to your hv but that sounds absurd to me. And what about the sterilising tablets you can use in some sterilisers? I'm not knocking sterilising, but the salt thing sounds like paranoia to me...

Enid it wasn't the health visitor it was the midwife, and yes i do notice that certain things seem to have a coating on them, especially plastics. I don't think it's absurd or paranoid , we don't give salt to young babies for the reason that it can cause serious damage to kidneys, so why not be safe than sorry? When using cold water sterilising it says you are always supposed to rinse afterwards in boiled water, so i guess that would rinse away any salt in them, though I don't know for sure what is in sterilising tablets.

I use my dishwasher as a steriliser (ds 8 months) and have been doing since about 6months) for the two bottles a day he has at the childminders (3xweek) and he certainly shows no ill-effects. I also think its a case of paranoid midwife. There has never been a case of a baby being hurt by a dishwasher!!

If you have a film on things after they have been washed in the dishwasher, you have either not got enough rinse aid, or you can alter the amount of salt by turning the dial normally located in the top left of the doorframe.

Sometimes you also need to use two dishwasher tablets depending on the load, ie a full program and how dirty the dishes are. One tab is suitable for a quick wash or glasses wash only. The new powerball tablets are not recommended, my new Bosch autologix is always telling me to add rinse aid and salt and we have a water softener. I now use the ordinary tablets and have no problems.

Bosch do not guarantee your machine if you use 3in 1 tabs according to the engineer.

I'm no expert but just like in a washing machine, there shouldn't be any detergent left in the clothes at the end of a cycle, surely any salt should be rinsed off dishes at the end of a cycle?

Aloha I did say that from 6 months we did the same, I am not saying that dishwashers should never be used.

Each has their own opinion , I am merely passing on the advice given to me, you don't have to take it. And having had previous dishwashers using various forms of cleaner, yes there are still types of plastics that leave a film when everything else in the load is fine.

I still stick to what I say, salt is extremely bad for children and I for one am not going to take the risk. Doesn't really bother me if I am overprotective or paranoid, it's my choice!

I think that the best way to clean bottles if not boiling water is to do it by hand with hottest saopiest water and bottle scrub brush. This way you can rinse and rinse to get all film off. I sometimes rinse my glassesout when i use them from dishwasher. It seems like there is a film on them most of the time.

Couldn't agree more with lou33. I certainly notice a film on plastics - so teats - when they come out the dishwasher. I am a parnoid rinser too, lou33!

It's never on china & glass.

Try the plastic test. Take teat and bottle out of dishwasher, add boiled water, cool and shake, then taste. Let me know whether you taste soap/detergent. You might be surprised.

Course, could be that me and lou33 need to invest in new dishwashers!

I think that was meant to be paranoid rinser!

emmaij - sorry but I think you do need a new dishwasher!! Or more salt/rinse aid etc. We have a Neff, and nothing ever comes out with a film on it (except the time when I washed dd's paint pot in the machine and it was acrylic paint and everything came out with a lovely yellow coating...but thats another story...)