Help! Gave under 1 year old cows milk

[whathashapoenednow]

Please don't come at me.
I am completely sleep deprived and made some mash potatoes for my children. I made more than needed and thought oh why not give my 7 month old some.

He loved it so I kept giving him some and he ate quite a bit of it. It was only after I had fed him I realised I had put milk in the mash potatoes.

Will he be ok? On one hand I'm thinking this is ridiculous on the other hand I'm thinking oh my god what have I done

Thank you for your responses. I am just not with it. I think I will try and get a nap o tomorrow at some point if possible so I can get back to a rational person 🤦🏽‍♀️

Hey op. It's normal to freak out over crazy shit, it's part of being a good a parent - at least I frickin hope so! Let this one go though. As pps have said, it's fine. Sleep deprivation is no joke either, I deeply and painfully sympathise. I get a decent sleep most nights now - know that it won't last forever even though it feels like it. I can't deny that some of my crazy still remains though...

Try and chill, and let the kid enjoy his mash potatoes 😋

It's a while since mine were that age so rules might have changed but I thought a bit in cooking was fine, it's just that you shouldn't give cow's milk instead of formula until 12 months.
I don't think I ever made separate mash for my babies anyway....

Agree with the poster who said that it's fine to use EBM in cereal if that's what you want to do but given your level of exhaustion I'd be tempted to get some full fat milk in and start using that

It has the added benefit they DH/DP can give breakfast whilst you have an extra 20 minutes in bed get ready for the day

In my day (yawn) it was normal to put a baby on full fat cows milk as soon as they got to 6 months.

Both of my kids were on cows milk by six months. One born 1998 and the other 2011. Both fit and healthy. Has advice changed in that time? It wouldn't occur to me that it was an issue. Breast fed both til then 🤷🏻‍♀️

@TheFormidableMrsC my kids were born in 2003 and 2006 and at those times formula/breastmilk was given until age 1 at which point you could switch to cows milk. Advice hasn't changed; what you did was against the UK advice.

Eh? They're supposed to have cows milk in their food from 6 months.

What's the issue?

What's the issue. My kids were Mac and cheese hoovers from 6 months ago, bro. Lou and cheese, cauliflower cheese, yogurt. All made with / from cows milk.

You are incorrect. these NHS guidelines state clearly 'Cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months of age, but should not be given as a main drink until your baby is 1 year old'

@OMGitsnotgood

They are responding to a poster who switched their 6 month old children onto milk as their main source of nutrition, not just giving it to them in food like porridge, cheese, yoghurt etc.

That is against advice.

Ah my apologies, I thought they were responding to the OP. At least the link I provided should put the OP's mind at rest.

I was replying to this post @OMGitsnotgood

Both of my kids were on cows milk by six months. One born 1998 and the other 2011. Both fit and healthy. Has advice changed in that time? It wouldn't occur to me that it was an issue. Breast fed both til then 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes its OK in food and cereal but not as the main drink until age 1

Sorry @dementedpixie I thought you were responding to the OP.

That's ok 🙂

Op, you are clearly exhausted and struggling. I think you need to get some rest and then perhaps look at other things you might be doing that are making your life more difficult because tou have got the wrong end of the stick. I know a woman who in her exhaustionand stress following a premature and stressful birth, was waking herself and her child every 2 hours for feeding.... until he was over 4 months old. She just hadn't clocked that was for when he was still tiny and needed extra help.

If you have been avoiding dairy, you are not only making cooking harder, you are missing out on many convenient and popular foods for babies this age like yoghurt or cheese.

I don’t understand the problem?
I was only ever given cows milk (from a cow in the back yard, no less!) as a baby. I think I turned out okay, haha!

* I jest, but it’s true - brought up in Soviet Union and there was no access to formula milk. Was adopted so no breast milk either.

I clearly remember it being absolutely fine to switch to cows milk at 6 months in 1998. It may well have changed after that but oh well. Son is a big, fit and healthy 13 year old. What on Earth did people do before formula and indeed if they couldn't breastfeed. They gave them cows milk. I'm not going to lose sleep over this!

And to add, at 6 months they were both on solids and had milk in porridge etc. Cows milk was not the main source of nutrition but part of it.

You are right I'm 100 percent exhausted but I'm not struggling .I just had a moment of madness yesterday. I always give the baby a separate meal to us. For example I will make spaghetti bolognese for the family but make a smaller batch to freeze for the baby with baby stock etc, I'll make a curry but make a separate one for the baby without the spice etc.

And the funny thing about this is that I do give my baby cheese and yogurt 🤦🏽‍♀️. Yesterday I just panicked as I just literally took the mash out of the bowl I had mashed it in put it on his plate and fed him which made me panic afterwards. I've had 2 hours sleep last night so maybe I will be able to function better today and I am literally looking at my post thinking what the hell was I thinking yesterday

If it's in something you cooked, all good!no worries at all!

@whathashapoenednow

I recommend doing bolognese, chilli or curry in the slow cooker. You can make one batch of bolognese for everyone with everything but salt and then salt everyone else's before serving/batching up for freezing. For chillis and curries cook without the chillis and then remove baby's portions. Then cook for another hour with chillis in.

Other than that just feed the baby what you're having but without salt. Everyone else can salt at the table. No need to cook separate portions and saves you some time and hassle.

@Notdeckingthehalls. No need for cow's milk when you have human milk.

OP you have done nothing wrong.

Hope you've managed a bit more sleep overnight and are feeling a more human today

Yes, it isn’t needed but the OP is an exhausted Mum of several children and there is nothing wrong with using cow milk in food especially if it means she can have a 10 min rest.