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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Transition from formula in a bottle to milk from a cup at 12mths

12 replies

Jen1978 · 01/05/2008 12:31

HELP! DS is 1 yr old on saturday and I am beginng to think about what to do about his three milks feeds per day which he currently has as formula from a bottle. How do I go abut introducing cows milk as his main drink and how do I get him to drink the same amnount from a beaker instead of a bottle? Was going to gradually replace one feed per day with cows milk, but know he won't drink anbywhere near the same volume from a beaker as he does from a bottle - does this matter? Any suggestions gratefully received!

OP posts:

foxymagoo · 01/05/2008 13:40

My DS (23 months) had all his day time water from a beaker from 12 months but still had/has 7oz cows milk from bottle last thing and first thing.

He absoltely LOVES his night time bottle and I'm in no hurry to give it up as he uses 'big boy' cups during the day. I did try a beaker of milk but he didn't like it and only had 2oz.

Bottles are still such a comfort to them at this age and I would concentrate on the day drinks for now. Does he have water from a beaker at the moment?

I'm normally a very routine by-the-book Mum but disagreed with the 'do away with bottles from 12 months' rule..

Pinkjenny · 01/05/2008 13:45

Jen - am in exactly the same dilemma. Dd only sips intermittently at her cup during the day, there's no way she'll sit on my kneee in the evening or morning and drink 8oz (usually more like 5oz) from a cup.

I am going to drop her mid afternoon bottle in the next couple of weeks (she's not that interested in it anyway, too busy ), but for nighttime and morning, I'm sticking with the bottle.

Call me crazy!

firststeps · 02/05/2008 13:42

Hi Jen1978, DS1 is 2yr 4 months and still has milk before bed in a bottle . All other drinks he has out of either a tommee tippee lidded cup or an open cup and has done since about 12 months no problem. We changed gradually from formula to cows milk by replacing an oz in his bottle of formula with cows milk every few nights until he was drinking just cows milk after about a fortnight. HTH

flowerybeanbag · 02/05/2008 19:58

Blimey, I just came on to start this exact thread! So I'll bump it instead!

DS is almost one and still having 4 bottles a day (as well as eating me out of house and home doing BLW) and I am also wondering when/how to do the change to cow's milk.

flowerybeanbag · 02/05/2008 19:58

Or should that be cows' milk?

K999 · 02/05/2008 20:16

I have recently done this and I replaced one bottle at a time. Dd2 was on 3 bottles of formula and to start I replaced the one in the morning with cows milk. She actually seemed to prefer it! Then the other bottles followed. She still has her morning milk from a bottle and her nightime one from a bottle (she is 14 months) but in the afternoon she has it from a beaker.

Tbh I am not stressing too much about the bottle/cup transition as I know that she is capable drinking from both. She seems to take more if she drinks from a bottle at the moment!!

Leeeza · 02/05/2008 21:18

My DS was the same but the day after his 1st bday I decided to switch. He's been having real milk on his cereal for months and seems ok with it so i bought full fat organic cows milk and put it in his tommee tippee cup (normally has juice/water in it) and he wasnt remotely interested and screamed till i put the milk in his normal bottle and then drank it no problem. However, although happy with him drinking cows milk instead of formula i still wanted to get rid of the bottle - had to go throught at least 3 different types of cup before i bought one and he drank from it straight away no problem andhas been havin 7oz cows milk evry morning and evening sitting on my knee for the past 3 weeks - the cup he likes is a tommee tippee free flow and it's clear in colou with a couple of bear type people on it - seemed to be the fact that the cup was clear and he could see it was milk in it that made him want it.

SniffyHock · 02/05/2008 21:23

Both of mine liked these as a milk cup. Both switched very easily from a bottle.

Get your DS used to the cows milk taste first then get him used to the cup. I found the best bottle to replace first was the morning one as they're thirsty when they wake up so will drink it from anything.

DD is 20 months and still lay on my lap to drink her milk tonight from that cup.

Original poster

Jen1978 · 04/05/2008 20:52

Thanks everyone, this is all really useful stuff. Will defintely start replacing an oz a day of formula with cows milk till he gets used to it, although he has it on weetabix and ready brek no problem. think it might be easier to swop the lunchtime bottle for us as he has this before his nap and I will be too bothered if he doesn't drink much because I know he can make up for it in the afternoon. He has his milk about half an hour after rbeakfast in the morning because he started refusing to eat anything after his milk in the mornings when he was about 10 months, so not sure he would drink much from a cup at that time because he will already be full from breakfast - although saying that, this is the time of day when he drinks the least from a bottle so maybe this is the one I should change to a cup? Oh decisions, decisions, wish it were easy! I like the idea of a clear cup so that he can see it is milk, think that will make a difference because he gets so excited when he sees his bottle with milk in!

OP posts:

Tinkjon · 04/05/2008 22:22

Not sure what to suggest with the cup versus bottles thing, but as for how to switch from formula to cows' milk - just give the new milk to him! I simply swapped all of DD's formula feeds straight over to milk feeds instead and she didn't bat an eyelid. Saves faffing around with all that 'replace one oz at a time' business! Of course your DS might not take to the cows' milk straight away and that's the time to think about transfer strategies, but you might find it's not a problem at all and he won't even notice. Good luck!

Leeeza · 04/05/2008 22:41

I agree Tinkjon - I replaced straight away at 12 months - no replacing oz with formula - and he drank it straight away no prob.Good Luck x

Eddas · 04/05/2008 22:44

don't worry about it too much. When dd was one she was having milk from a beaker and i changed from formula to cows milk by chaning it gradually an oz at a time, as in 1ozcows 7 formula, then 2 cows 6 formula poor ds went from formual to cows with no mixing and still has a bottle, he turned one in april. i wouldn't worry too much abotu the bottle as long as he doesn't have juice/water from it. and just try a full bottle of cows milk. if he doesn't like it then gradually introduce it. My poor upfsb(unpreferable second born)

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