Switching from Formula to Milk - HELP

don't give up, it takes time....mix the milk in with the formual-3 parts formual and 1 part milk, do that for a week or so then 1/2 milk and 1/2 formual for a week or so, and so forth...eventually you'll work to all milk...my best friend put a very little bit of strawberry or chocolate flavor in her kids milk for awhile, now they don't need it but it got them to drink it the first month or so...also soy milk and rice milk are sweeter...and there are other options, my 17th month old is allergic to milk and he loves the V8 banana strawberry splash drink...do not give up...the battles of wills has just begun...in a year or two it'll be veggies...

My daughter who is now 10 was also a nutramigen baby and we tried milk with her at 1. She would only take it from the bottle and never from the cup until we started using an Avent cup which I guess was more similar to her bottle. She drank milk out of the bottle for probably 8 months before we finally just wouldn't offer her the bottle anymore. She's never been a huge cow's milk fan... My other daughter (8) was on soy formula as a baby and she was never able to tolerate cow's milk due to lactose intolerence. We tried soy milk with her at one year and she loved it. She still drinks it now. My 6 month old is on soy formula now, but she hasn't had the same issues the other two did so it will be interesting to see what happens with her! Good luck.

Mix the formula and milk, increasing the percentage of milk gradually until it is 100% milk. Hopefully, she'll be drinking milk before she even notices.

My son needed Nutramigen because of milk protein allergy, which fortunately cleared up after he was about 12 months old. And then we had to switch him over to milk--so 2 issues may be going on here--
First, how does she handle other dairy products? Does she have any digestive problems? If so, talk with your ped. about possible milk protein allergy (which could have been the cause of the acid reflux in the first place). If not, it's not dairy allergy.

Second--the taste of milk and Nutramigen are totally different (did you ever bring yourself to try that nasty stuff? I couldn't believe he drank it!). We mixed the formula and milk together and gradually tipped the balance in favor of milk until we had eliminated the formula entirely. And we didn't only put milk in a sippy cup at first--he had the mixed formula and milk in his bottle as well as a sippy cup so it wasn't like he was only getting each in a separate cup (which can confound things if your daughter also has a preferece for the bottle over the cup).

So I guess that actually makes 3 issues--the bottle/cup issue too. Don't worry too much right now about getting rid of the bottle. My son is almost 2, he drinks out of a sippy cup, a regular cup, OR a bottle, and he enjoys his evening bottle a great deal. As long as your daughter's moving in the direction of accepting other kinds of cups besides a bottle, why pull her off of the bottle at night so quickly? Especially when you're also changing her diet (milk for formula) at the same time? Night-night is a big separation time and it's natural for children to want the comforts of babyhood at that time. As long as she's moving forward with becoming more "big girl" with sleeping and eating and socializing patterns, why push a change like this at night? I think changing just one thing at a time is often the best way to go with these ritual-bound, routine-loving wee ones.

Good luck!
K.

I just went through the same thing with my 1 year old. What finally worked for me was mixing the milk with ready to feed formula (she was on enfamil) and gradually over a week increasing the amount of milk and using less formula. She is now taking the milk without hesitation. Good luck.

When I made the switch to milk with my children I began replacing 2 oz of milk in with the formula to get them used to the taste. After a few weeks of 2 oz i jumped to 4 oz until eventually it was more milk than formula.

have you tried mixing formula and milk little by little until she gets the flavor for the milk? Try 1/4 milk to 3/4 formula and go from there....

my daughter has been giving me the same probs
she was 2 in august. she LOVED her bottle! it was very hard to get her off of it. she only would drink her milk warm. once off formula we went to milk in the bottle. not even 10 seconds colder you couldnt fool that kid. then when i took the bottle away she was hard to get to drink milk in a cup. then it was only a special cup w/straw she would drink it. now i can barely get her to get a couple sips of milk each day. she prefers water. i have to talk to the doc myself on this. i dont know how to get her to drink it! she will dunk cookies in it, but what kid wouldnt? i know i havent helped much but lmk if you figure something out i would be interested in hearing
A.

T., i'm a mom of four and this is what i did with all my kids. the first time i gave them milk, it was 2 oz. in an 8 oz. bottle, the other 6 oz. was formula. after about a week or so, i upped the milk to 4 oz. with 4 oz. of formula. again after waiting a week or so, put 6 oz. of milk and 2 oz. of formula. again, for a week or so. then, they got the full 8 oz. of milk. i never had a problem with any of them. 3 of them were on soy formula and the last one, well, he went through regular, soy, nutramagen and ended up on carnation good start.

hope this helps!

B.

My 14 month old likes soy milk much better than cows milk and she still gets everything she needs. She also eats a lot of dairy so there is no shortage of calcium at all. Just an idea to try.

My daughter was also on Nutramagin because of colic. I was also told to switch her to whole milk at 12months. She hated it! The doctor then suggested Pediasure and my daughter loves it. It comes in a variety of flavors and it gives them all the nutrients they need. Of course it's more expensive than a gallon of milk, but the nutramagin was more expensive than all the other formulas anyway...liquid gold we used to call it!

Don't worry. Lot's of people are intolerant to milk- and many people think it isn't even good for you. Try giving her yogurt for breakfast- or cheese for snacks. My older son is allergic to dairy and has only drunk soy and rice milk- and my younger likes milk but doesn't tolerate it well (read: he can't poop when he drinks it.) They both drink soy and rice milk, and both are thriving and healthy. There are plenty of other ways to get vitamin D etc.

My daughter gave up her bottle and the milk when she was 14 months. She now eats lots of cheese, drinks yogart drinks and eats frozen gogarts and drinks orange juice with calcium. When I spoke with my dr. she said she's doing great! The OJ w/calcium and the yogart drinks provide plenty of calcium. She is almost 2-1/2 and the only real milk she gets is the little in her cereal bowl. Don't sweat it, just try to get other calcium-rich foods into her and she'll be fine.

Hi T.,
Try mixing the two together. Start with 1/4 milk to 3/4 formula. Then gradually increase the milk over a few days. Should work for your lil one. You can do this even by the sippy cup. But, I suggest doing in the bottle first so she does not think the sippy is bad stuff.

Good luck =)

This may be too late, but you could try to adapt the method. The rule of thumb I learned was make one change at a time. In your case, shifting to milk and a sippy cup is two changes. In practice you would change to milk first by putting it into the same container you used for the formula - probably the bottle with a familiar nipple type. Your baby is much more likely to accept the milk in a familiar container.

Many mothers also do a gradual transition to milk. First week try mixing 2 ounces of milk to 4 ounces of formula in the same bottle. Second week try 4 ounces of milk to 2 ounces of formula, etc. Only after you make a successful switch to milk would you then attempt to move to a sippy.

I let my daughter stay on the bottle with 100% milk for over 2 months. I waited to introduce the sippy cup at a time when I knew that she would get more than 50% of her nutrients each day from solid food. That was how I could be sure that she would be getting enough protein.

Also consider waiting to give your baby juice for some time. The sugar in the juice, also served in a sippy cup, can be much more attractive to the child. Some babies start to refuse milk in lieu of juice. If you do give your baby juice consider mixing with water to take down the strength of the sweetness.

I awas going to say the same thing as Sue. Try mixing it with the formula. The first time 1/4 milk and 3/4 formula then a few days later 1/2 and 1/2 and so on. Good Luck

We had a really hard time introducing milk to our new 5 year old when he was 1 year. Our doctor suggested we try goats milk and that worked a charm for a few months then we tried cow milk again. Perhaps check w/ your doctor whether this might work for you? It was sometimes hard to find but worth it...

Hi T.. I may be able to shed some light on this...first a newsflash. Your daughter is not getting the nutrients you think she is getting anyway. Formula has very few trace minerals...Dog Food has 40. Most of the reasoning behind this is because the soil that our fruits and vegetables are grown in now is in soil depleated of minerals. Therefore the food does not contain the nutrients anymore like our grandparents and great grandparents. If you add a mineral supplement, you will take some of the pressure off the time table of switching her to milk. The calcium in milk is from a source that is animal based and loaded with antibiotics. She is actually smart not wanting any part of that. There are ways to get the minerals and nutrients into her in a raw, organic form so she has the best of the best. If you would like more information you can email me at: ____@____.com
I work with a Nutritionist!
Best of luck
D.

My daughter is also 13 months old and I am having the same problem. She will drink water from a sippy but not milk, no way. I know we are "supposed" to get them off the bottle but she is miserable without her milk so as of right ow she still drinks her milk out of the bottle and she also likes it warm. Friends told me to try the nippy cups which she likes but again only wants milk in a bottle. Hey sooner or later they will give it up...right? If your daughter likes Cheese, yougurt, ice cream and other dairy I am sure she is getting enough but check with your dr first. My daughter would eat a 1/2 pound of cheese if I allowed it. Best of luck.

Sounds like your little one is illergic to milk
Check with your pediatrician for alternatives

put a little chocolate in it. or ask the dr. if you could put some chocolate ensure in it.

Our son, too had Reflux, and the way that we switched him over, with our doctor's advice, was to integrate small portions of milk into his bottle of formula. For example 2oz. milk, 4 oz. formula for a few days, 3oz-3oz, etc. It was pretty gross to look at and smell, but this took about 8 days, and it worked.

She doesn't need the milk if she drinks other liquids and also would eat cheese and / or yogurt. You could also try a little soy milk. It has calcium and some kids prefer the flavor. Goo luck!

i know this may sound weird, but my son never liked plain milk. try to add some strawberry flavor to it. not a lot just enough to give a more enticing taste. i felt strawberry was a better call than starting them off on chocolate at such a early age.

My son and daughter were not the biggest fans of milk at first either. he consistancy is different from formula.I used a squirt of Nesquick, or strawberry nesquick in the milk they loved it!!!! They both only took it that way for a short while and they both drink plain milk like pros now. (my daughter is eleven and my son is two) They are both healthy and big milk drinkers. Milk and milk products cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese ect. are a great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and the crucial fats nessecary for good brain development,despite the current and ever changing hype to the contrary. For hundreds of years generations before us drank milk that went from cow, to bucket, to drinking glass, and those were some of the most robust and healthy generations compaired to what we see today. I'm sure your grandparents and great-grandparents drank whole cows milk their entire lives and since they were much younger than one years old, and they probibly lived well into their eighties and nineties. Or longer. Something to consider. Good luck, hope it helps.

Yoe need to start weaning the baby off the formula. Try doing it gradually. Try to do it ia an 2-3 week period. Start with a full botttle of just formula. Then every 2 night gradually reduce the amount of formulsa and replace it with the milk. The baby will not even notice the switch at first . By the time you are down to a 1/2 mixture of milk and formula the baby won't notice the difference.then by the time you are complete to all milk there will be no fuss because she is used to the taste of the milk.She will suprise you.
I am a mother or 3 kids : 14 yr.,6 yr and 1yr.did it with all. It works.