When and How do you start giving them whole milk?

The girls turn 1 next month and the doctor said he's hoping they are drinking whole milk by then and gradually weaning off of formula. So, should I start giving them whole milk now? If so, how do you start introducing it to them? I'm so clueless on this stuff.

 

Our ped recommended the switch at 9 months. I did it gradually, mixing the formula with the milk, and gradually adding more milk and less formula. I can't believe they are almost 1!!! :hug99:

 

I was a nanny for twins before having my own and I remember that at 11 months we gave 7oz. formula and 1oz. milk. the next week it was 6 and 2 then 5 and 3 and we kept doing that. 8 weeks later it was all milk.

The babies adjusted well and it was easy for us as well!

 

I've done it without mixing the formula and milk. I give one cup of milk a day to Liam right now, I will gradually replace each bottle with a cup of milk.

 

My girls are exactly one week older than your babies and just over a month ago, I tried to start switching them to milk. Ooof....holy diaper rash! So I went back to formula and waited a couple of weeks. I've started adding milk again, this time much more slowly. Much how pp Tammy Fine posted. They hardly drink their bottles anymore, so it's not been too hard. And, knock wood, there's been no bad reactions yet and it's been about a week.

 

Mine went cold turkey at 1 year. They took right to the whole milk with no problems, either. Good luck!

 

We are switching over right now also. I added just two ounces to thier6 oz. bottle the first two weeks (2 of whole and 4 of formula). DD got a bad diaper rash, but I have been told that it would go away, and it has. My plan was to keep adding more milk and less formula until they were completely on milk. BUt, I am out of formula as of tonight, so they are getting a full bottle of milk starting tomorrow.

Wish me luck! DD is very picky about her milk!

My Ped told me no milk until they are one, but I want them off Formula by one.

 

Ronda, I also mixed the formula and milk together and we started about 10-11 months. So now is good! We used bottles until after 1... just couldn't get them off them right away.

 

I might be the minority. We went cold turkey sippies and milk at 11 months, 1 week. I was so nervous that someone would freak over having cold milk instead of warm formula and cups instead of bottles, but it really went fine. We never looked back!!

 

I wouldn't sweat it too bad. I started weaning mine as of their first birthday. I just started doing 1/2 formula and half whole milk and waiting about a week each time to see how they tolerated it. I did end up having one that started developing diaper rash with each bm she had and she began having worse and worse bms. SO, I took them both down to 2% since they were both within fairly good percentiles. They've been doing 2% ever since. SO, unless you have a problem with them being below percentile or not gaining well, I wouldn't worry too much about them HAVING to be on whole milk. 2% is okay too if anyone has any problems. I think the big thing also with the whole milk is the amount of vitamen D in it vs. 2% but you should also start them on a multi-vitamen around the age of 1 also. My First Flinstone or any of the gummi vitamens should work. We had to use the gummi vitamens because my girls didn't get teeth til late and were already use to eating the gerber fruit chews so I'd just add one to the fruit chews for them and they were never the wiser. They love taking their Flinstones though. They still take the My First Flinstone and that's part of our morning deal. I get them breakfast and their flinstone and now, I let them pick the color they want vs. me just handing them one. It involves them a little more in making their own decisions.

 

We started at 11 months to add a little whole milk to their formula (maby 2 oz.). The following week we added more and by their 1st bday it was all whole milk

 

I've been giving the boys whole milk for the past month or so. I started by giving them sippies of milk with meals. Now, they get whole milk in sippies during the day and only get formula when they wake up in the morning and before bed.

 

I plan to intro milk gradually at the one-year mark. But I was also hoping to stop bottles around the same time - maybe that's ambitious. My boys don't drink efficiently out of sippies so far (and don't hold their own) so hopefully they'll improve to the point where I feel comfortable replacing their bottles with sippes then. When do people usually stop bottles? I'm the only person I know not breast feeding so I don't have anyone to ask!