Why should you NOT give babies cows milk?

[shinyshilling]

Not meaning to be controversial...my DD has been fed SMA formula for 8 months. We began weaning at 6 months and she has taken to it fine, the only problem being that she doesn't drink a lot of water and I don't really want to give her juice. She has two bottles of SMA a day now, morning and evening and I have recently bought a Doidy cup which has proved to be much more suitable - she didn't like drinking from a spout. She was desperate for a sip of my glass of milk at the weekend and because she is not drinking much, I was just glad she showed an interest. She had a small amount, but I didn't want to give her too much as I know you're not supposed to. When can she start to drink cow's milk? Can I give it as a drink in place of water and still continue her SMA bottles? And is it detramental to give a baby of this age cow's milk at all? We have no history of allergies in our family and all drink a lot of milk!

it doesn't have the right nutrients in it (esp enough iron IIRC) and because it's quite filling, drinking too much of it can easily leave babies without enough appetite to eat food that does contain those nutrients.

If you aren't worried about allergies you can use cow's milk in cooking, cereal etc but you'd need to carry on giving her formula to drink until 12mo.

Hmm. I think she showed an interest because it is yours! how about putting some SMA in a glass and sitting her on your lap with it?

I don't want to replace the SMA, I just wondered about giving it as an additional drink, but I see what you say about being too filling and not nutritionally sufficiant. Will it do her any harm if I give it additionally?

Yes it will shinyshilling, because she won't having it 'in addition', she will drink that and then not have room for the formula or food that she would have had later. Cow's milk is not nutritionally good enough for babies this age.

I seem to remember asking my mw this question.

Milk has long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in it and the molecular structure of it in human baby milk is designed to feed a human and is digestible to them. Whereas cows milk lcp's are really for calves.

Our digestive system is ok with cows milk (unless there's an allergy, of course) as we get older, but a new baby can't manage it so well.

It's something like that anyway!

Oh that goes for formula too which is supposed to emulate human milk as closely as possible.

Human milk also is a lot sweeter than cows.

Thanks, that's all really helpful. So when should I introduce it?

12 months is fine I think if she's eating well otherwise.

it should be full fat until at least 2yo.

You can introduce it in food and with porridge or cereal or make sauces with it, the danger is only in it becoming a substitute drink to her SMA. Have you tried offering her a cup without a spout in the afternoon perhaps. Only put about 3 oz of milk in it to start with as she will spill some.

As a drink from 12 months.

Isn't it amazing how advice changes with time. My mum told me yesterday that she was allowed to give cows milk from 6months but only if it had been boiled and cooled because it broke down some for the proteins etc in it or something. Not that I'm recommending that. Just observing!

So is it ok then to use cow's milk to 'loosen' dd's baby food? She is almost 6 months and so far have been opening a carton of formula just to make the food the right consistency then chucking the rest away as she is breastfed. Such a waste, and can't seem to express enough to use in her food. I used cow's milk yesterday but wasn't really sure if I should or not?

it's fine to use as you've done, using it in food in small amounts.

Thanks Moomin for the quick response! Much appreciated,

I'm not sure I'd give it to a baby under 6mo, but I guess if you've started and she is tolerating it well, there's no point stopping.