Milk

When do you start introducing whole milk? At what age? And how did you do it?

My girls have had yogurt and cheese (although not sure if Maia likes cheese) and have no problems. No history of allergies in the family. They'll be 10mo next week! (OMG! Where has the time gone?!?!)

Do I just let them try some milk in the sippies? Do I mix it with breastmilk? Do I add it to foods first?

 

We didn't do milk on it's own until almost 12 months. Once we got past 6 months, our ped. said if it had milk in the food, but was cooked or processed, it was ok. When we started milk as a beverage, we only introduced it in sippy cups, so that they could get used to the idea that sippies are for milk, and bottles were for formula. I believe that helped us with our bottle to sippie transition. We just gave them milk straight, not mixed with anything. I've heard of a number of people who mix with EBM or formula, but that wasn't how we did it.

Good luck!

 

We got the go ahead for whole milk until their 12 mo appt. Derek had a milk protein allergy so we had to do a yogurt challenge first. Once we started, I did a gradual switch in their bottles of substituting an ounce of formula for an ounce of milk. I did that for 2 days and then added another ounce of milk and did that for 2 days. After that I went cold turkey to all milk in the bottles and sippies. Then I gradually started dropping bottles and using sippies and we were done with bottles at 13 months.

 

We just started this week (so 10.5 months) offering a little milk in their sippies. Their pedi said a year b/c DD is on soy formula but she does fine with cheese and yogurt so we went ahead. They only drink maybe an ounce or two a day, they aren't so fond of the taste yet but so far it hasn't caused any stomach upset. We plan to as they up the amount of milk in their sippies decrease the amount of formula in the bottles and gradually phase the bottle out by the time they are a year.

 

We went from Alimentum straight to 2% with the Dr's ok...at 9 months. Griffin was at the 20th percentile and Ella was at the 40th...and he was fine with it. Both did great. We quit formula cold turkey. He didn't recommend mixing or anything. Just boom-milk. They loved it.

 

We switched at 11 1/2 months. We did formula in bottles one day, milk in sippies the next.

 

QUOTE(2BUSYGs @ Aug 10 2008, 12:46 AM) [snapback]922493[/snapback]
We went from Alimentum straight to 2% with the Dr's ok...at 9 months. Griffin was at the 20th percentile and Ella was at the 40th...and he was fine with it. Both did great. We quit formula cold turkey. He didn't recommend mixing or anything. Just boom-milk. They loved it.


I thought babies and toddlers were supposed to be on whole milk until at least their 2nd birthday for brain development.

 

We switched the twins at 1 year to whole milk. We mixed one bottle with half formula, half milk and they didn't notice a difference so the next feeding was straight milk and no looking back. It was actually a super easy transition. Switching to sippies from bottles was much more of a challenge until we found the one they liked the best.

I also was told that they should be on whole milk until their second birthday, but after that, they were supposed to switch to skim. I think we are the only ones I know who did switch to skim at two years. Most of my friends don't agree with that and refused to do less than 1%.

 

QUOTE(sharongl @ Aug 9 2008, 07:51 PM) [snapback]922496[/snapback]
We switched at 11 1/2 months. We did formula in bottles one day, milk in sippies the next.


it was that easy? cuz i'm thinking it's gonna be a tough adjustment...


and i voted 12 mos, cuz i asked our pedi on thursday and she said at one year we can give them whole milk, either cold turkey, or incorporate it in their bm/formula slowly.

 

So can I be giving them foods that are cooked with whole milk?

 

i don't see swhy not if you give them yogurt and cheese. i'm definitely not an expert, but i would think that would be a good way to start them on it, someone correct me if i'm wrong...

 

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Aug 9 2008, 08:35 PM) [snapback]922553[/snapback]
I thought babies and toddlers were supposed to be on whole milk until at least their 2nd birthday for brain development.


Yes, that's right. Babies and toddlers are supposed to be on WHOLE milk only, for brain development . ...not 2 %. It doesn't have enough fat .

 

This may be a big huge duh to the rest of you, but it's something that I just recently realized. I thought that whole milk meant it had 100% fat, so 2% was 98% leaner. That is not true at all though. Whole milk actually has 3.25% milkfat so it isn't all that different from 2% milk. That said my pedi did tell us that the babies should be on whole milk until they are 2. Different pedi's say different things though.