Whole Milk

[ChinChinPassMeTheGin]

Hi mums.

I am a mummy of a 8 and a half month old bundle of joy. I already cook his meals with whole milk and I’m just wondering how and when I start to wean him off formula and onto whole milk for his bottles. X

1 year

Not before a year.

I know that they need formula until 1, but I had been told things like “at 11 months start to mix whole milk into formula”. I’m not going to start weaning formula yet I just want to know and be prepared for when it is time.

I gave the odd drink of cows milk from about 10/11 months but didnt stop formula until after 1 year

At one swap all day time bottles for cups of milk.

I kept using formula for morning drink until 2 (rather than having to give DC separate vitamins). Used normal mill throughout rest of the day from 1.

Just over 11 months I switched the morning bottle to a cup of milk, 11.5 months did the same for the afternoon bottle. That was last week... Not done the bedtime bottle yet, that is next but likely to be harder, so I think I'll reduce its size over time and offer milk in a cup, then eventually get rid of the bottle. I should add she certainly doesn't down a whole cup of milk in the way she does a bottle of formula, so I offer it through the day.

Erm I think just after 11 months I swapped morning formula for cows milk then around 1 I swapped the evening bottle to cows milk as well. Then the cows milk made his eczema bad so I switched to Oatly for a while, back on cows milk now.

Hi op, at 12 months old I did a straight swap from formula to whole milk and ds drank it straight away and and even seemed to prefer it. If he hadn't have taken to it I would have mixed half and half until he got used to it. My advice would be to just try a straighr swap and see what happens as you never know. You can always try mixing it and reducing the amount if needed.

I wouldn’t stop formula at all op. It’s much better for them than cows milk. Are you struggling with the cost? Aldi do formula which should be just as good as big brands.

If a 12 month child is eating a well balanced diet there is no need for formula.
Maybe pp is referring to your baby's current age?

Thanks everyone. I just wanted to be prepared for when the day came to put him onto cows milk. Money isn’t an issue, but thank you for your suggestion. This is my first baby so just wanting to be prepared as it’s the first baby in my family and things have definitely changed since my mother had me.

@Cornflakesncake Not true. Formula is much better for a 1-2 year old than cow's milk. If you're just doing cow's milk, you need to give additional vitamins (no matter how "well balanced" your diet).

Yeah I never understand the reluctance to just keep feeding them formula. Someone I know who works for the NHS (in a senior policy role for midwives) was criticising me for this and saying that NHS policy was to put them onto cows milk but with extra vitamins supplements that they won’t get from cows milk.

It’s sad but unfortunately I do think the NHS can get stuff like this wrong. It’s totally nuts to switch from formula (That baby is drinking and is perfectly happy with) to cows milk plus a load of supplements when it amounts to the same thing and formula is easier. Unfortunately it seems to be ideological (my friend was criticising me for “giving formula companies money”).

In Europe (Eg Spain) they have childrens milk in cartons in the supermarket with extra vitamins and fats (but it tastes horrible to me - as does formula). I actually don’t drink cows milk so I gave my dds formula as long as possible as it suited me (until 4 in my oldest case).

No need to move to cows milk early - formula is basically adapted cows milk for babies anyway (unless you’re using a specialist soy formula, etc)

@zsazsajuju I completely agree that it's ideological. It's just pushing the breastfeeding agenda (God forbid formula is actually healthy!).

It’s not an all or nothing thing. I breastfed but introduced one cup of cows milk a day from 12 months and did a combination until fully weaned from BM at 16 months. It’s not really something you need to prepare for

@RopeBrick agreed. And giving the “formula companies money” is part of the same anti formula and pro-breast at any cost agenda. Why give the “vitamins pills” companies money? Or the cows milk producers?

Formula was easily the healthiest thing my fussy toddlers ate (I DONT LIKE IT, ITS WET CHICKEN/ THERES BITS IN IT/IT TASTES FUNNY) but was the only thing I got criticised for giving them.

Not to put off the conspiracy theorists but surely health agencies tend to promote less processed foods, and formula is just processed cow’s milk. I don’t live in the UK right now and have never heard that a baby eating a balanced diet needs vitamins if they’re not on formula so not sure where this view has come from either.

OP do what you like after 12 months but before then please stick with formula as recommended by all major world health agencies.

@edgeofheaven - not a conspiracy theory but NHS policy. NHS policy and advice is also to give daIly vitamin supplements of vitamins A, C and D until 5 unless they are having formula. Check the website www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/vitamins-for-children/

Formula is much better for kids than cows milk “processed” or not. FYI - vitamin pills are processed! And so is cows milk from a supermarket!

Is cow’s milk in the UK not fortified with Vitamin D?

Bog standard cows milk isn't fortified. Think Arla big milk is cows milk with added vitamins

I cannot stress enough I wasn’t going to stop formula now.. I just wanted infomation. @edgeofheaven I can be prepared by taking in this information and making an informed decision when the time comes. Like I said, I wasn’t sure if it was the same as weaning a baby onto solids. God forbid I ask a question since I am a first time mum with no other babies in the family 🤷🏻‍♀️

Around 10/11 months the odd drink of cows milk from a lidded cup alongside formula feeds

12 months- swapped one feed at a time to cows milk over a short period of time. Didnt do it all in one go

Arla big milk is an option with added vitamins.

NHS advice is a catch all recommendation to account for the fact that "some children" are not getting enough of these vitamins from their diet (I. E. Their diet is not varied enough). If you have a fussy eater, or generally don't have a varied diet, then yes give supplements. Otherwise id say it is not necessary (but obviously every parent should make this decision for themselves). Same goes for formula over one. The child's diet should be varied enough that they'll get what they need from food (with the exception of vitamin d). I'm confident that my DC is getting a good and varied diet - eggs, meat, fish, veg, fruit and grains. Therefore I see no need to continue purchasing formula, or to supplement.

Anyway, this is all completely beside the point of the OPs question! If you want to switch to cows milk, go for it. In my experience it has so far been much easier than I expected!

I started from 10 months with both of mine. One was ff and the other bf, but they each started to have a small cup of cow's milk with an afternoon snack from 10 months. Then I slowly increased this to replace other daytime feeds working up to 12 months. FF one was switched 100% to cow's milk at 12 months and bf one continued to have usually 2-3 feeds after 12 months (usually morning, bedtime, sometimes during the night) until those got replaced with cow's milk or dropped altogether.

There is no magic switch that gets flipped at 12 months that makes cow's milk fine when it wasn't before. It's just that the bulk of milk should be from other sources until then. Equally, it is an adjustment for their digestive systems so it's best to do slowly.