How long did you keep them on formula?

Have got the boys on half formula and half milk. Reluctant to go fully onto milk as I feel they might be missing the nutrients in the good stuff! They have a balanced diet and eat well so should I just go for it and get them on full fat milk?

 

We switched to whole milk at 12 mos. per their pedi. We only mixed for the first couple days, then went straight to milk only.

 

We are doing half milk and half formula right now for my girls but plan on phasing out formula completely in the next couple of weeks. I was slow to transition them as they were preemies and they are just 1 year adjusted today. Have you talked to your pediatrician about it?

 

QUOTE(Kyrstyn @ Dec 28 2008, 02:10 PM) [snapback]1123883[/snapback]
We are doing half milk and half formula right now for my girls but plan on phasing out formula completely in the next couple of weeks. I was slow to transition them as they were preemies and they are just 1 year adjusted today. Have you talked to your pediatrician about it?

We have our 1 year check up and vacinations coming up when we return from holiday so might wait till then just to get the yes, they are doing great reassurance!

 

at a year we moved to half milk and half formula for a few months till we used up our supply of formula we had, we just added more milk to each bottle till the formula was gone.

 

QUOTE(twoin2005 @ Dec 28 2008, 11:51 AM) [snapback]1123872[/snapback]
We switched to whole milk at 12 mos. per their pedi. We only mixed for the first couple days, then went straight to milk only.


This is what we did. I switched very slowly--probably took about two weeks to go straight to milk only.

Their going to get their nutrients from solid food, that's why they don't need the formula anymore. If you are still feeding them baby cereal, they get lots of iron and vitamins from that as well.

 

Hi,
At our one year visit our pedi told us to switch to whole milk. So, we did it over a period of time until we had ran out of our formula.
I think we started 6 oz Formula to 2 oz milk and then went down from there.

Good Luck

 

We weren't fully off formula until 15 months. I had a nice discussion with their pedi who told me that the deadline of 12 months is a totally artificial one agreed upon by formula companies and some government agency 20 years ago. Breastfeeding mothers were encouraged to breastfeed as long as possible, but at least one year. Formula companies wanted the same guidance given to parents. Keep them on formula as long as possible, but at least one year. The government agency didn't want to agree, since formula was more expensive than milk, but in the end they agreed. So the recommendation became to use formula for "at least" one year. Over the decades that has become "switch to milk at a year".

All that said, formula is ounce for ounce more nutritious and more caloric (20 versus 18) than whole milk. There's no reason why you can't keep your kids on formula as long as you want, although like one of the PPs said, most nutrition and calories should be coming from solid foods.

 

We changed at about 12 1/2 months of age (they were sick on their birthday so we held off.) We went straight to cold milk in sippy cups. Took a few days for them to adjust.

 

My girls were on formula until 15 months, and would have been longer if daycare was willing (they WERE, but sort of *ignored* my request after awhile and stopped giving it to them)

My thought was that the formula is more nutritious, more vitamins supplied than milk. And more caloric. I was serving it as a drink WITH their meal, as opposed to a meal itself. They were off bottles before a year too, so we just put it in sippy cups. I did give it at home up until about 16 months in place of milk, but then just started with milk.


They make a next stage formula meant for 9-24 months, I figured it said 24 months for a reason. Never asked the Pedi, just did it on my own. Now of course, mine are lactose intollerant (started AFTER moving to milk) and I'm kicking myself in the A$$ for not giving them formula longer, but that's not to say it would happen with every kid. Apparently me and my brother both were lactose intollerant for a period when we were toddlers.

 

With my older two we just went straight to Milk at about 12 months. I never mixed it but we probably just used up whatever formula we had left and went straight to whole milk. DD #1 was on whole milk until about 3 1/2 and DD #2 was switched to soy milk at about 1 1/2 because of allergies. When they start eating finger foods they are getting more of their nutrition from other foods, and the fat in the milk is good for there brain development so they don't need formula as much as they do when they are younger.

 

We switched to whole milk at 12 months per the pedi.

 

At 11 1/2 mos, I ran out of formula. I thought I had another can in the closet, but didn't, & I refused to buy more...sooo....we went cold turkey at 11 1/2 mos. We dropped bottles at the same time & haven't looked back! It's been great!