Switching from Formula to Whole Milk - Chetek,WI

It is the Iron in the formula that is necessary for proper brain growth as well as other nutriants. If you are giving iron fortified infant cereal still then that would be better than cold turkey switch. I would start at 11 months and gradually decrease the formula and increase the whole milk, not skim or 2 per cent ( the fat too is needed for brain growth). The trouble is when they start eating other foods, the infant cereal goes "out the window". So make sure iron is available in other forms. Good luck to you, M. in Wisconsin

No you don't have to wait but she should be close to a year. I started weaning both my daughters from nursing around 10 months and I just went straight to whole milk. They did fine. But I did do it little by little like first was just one 4 oz sippy a day to make sure they didn't have any milk intolerance. And then I gradually cut out more breastmilk and gave them more whole milk. So just try a little and see how she does.

My pediatrician was pretty adamant about waiting until mine was fully a year old, because they don't have the ability to digest it well enough yet. So they will not be getting all the nutrition they need. What does yours recommend? I would follow the doctors advice or the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations first on this one.

At about 10 1/2 to 11 months old you start putting 2 oz. regular whole vitamin D milk in with 6 oz. formula. Do this for about a week. This should do several things.

1. It will let you know if she has any type reaction to milk. It may give her an upset tummy but this can be part of the natural transition process.

2. It will give her tummy time to gradually adjust to milk. It is often harsh.

Next week make it half and half, 4 oz.milk to 4 oz, formula. Kee p watching for any strange rashes or signs it is doing anything unnatural.

The 3rd week mix 6 oz. milk with 2 oz. formula. If this goes well after a couple of days consider it done and go with regular whole Vitamin D milk. By this time the baby is right at the year mark.

I had a parent in my Child Care Center who didn't realize her WIC was up the month her child turned one and didn't have enough money to pay out of pocket for formula to transition her baby slowly, she thought they would get formula the month they turned one and then the next month be on regular milk. That baby screamed every time she drank milk for days. She also had the most disgusting, stinky poo in the whole wide world, it would make me gag and puke if I had to change her, I could smell it clear out at my desk anyway and still gag but not puke.

personally I would switch to goat's milk if you can find a farmer, it is much easier to digest and more nutritious.

Our son started getting whole milk at 10 1/2 months. We had no allergy history, or anything else to worry about. We did transition and do half and half for about a month.

You should wait until your baby is one year before introducing whole milk because of the possibility of developing food allergies.

I started giving my son milk after he turned 11 months. I very gradually switched him over. I started mixing 2 oz of whole milk to 6 oz of formula for one week, the next week 4 oz of whole to 4 oz of formula for 2 weeks, then 6 oz of whole milk to 2 oz formula for 1 week. He never had one single problem with the transition and was completely on whole milk shortly after his 1st birthday.

I'd wait at least a year. We started our daughter on whole milk at 12 months and she got diarreah pretty bad and sometimes would throw up. We put her on the 12 month + formula. We're going to gradually switch her. She just wasn't ready.

How old is your daughter? Is she eating a balanced diet? I'll share my thoughts.. my daughter is 9.5 months (42 weeks) and I have recently started mixing her formula with whole milk. She was on Enfamil then at 6 months Enfamil Pro calcium enriched. She is 23 pounds and a very good eater although she won't allow for me to feed her anymore unless it's my food, she eats puffs, cheese, fruits of all sorts, grilled cheese just to name a few and anything else she can self feed really.
My plan is to have her on whole milk at 1 although I will use a vitamin supplement as well and likely still give her formula at bedtime.
There is a lot to be considered if you choose to do this before a year and just be sure she is getting enough of a balanced diet without the formula.
Good luck!

We also used goat's milk for my son from 10-12 months and he loved it! It was easier to digest and we had no allergy problems. We then switched at 12 months to whole milk with no problems. You can usually find goat's milk at most major grocery stores although I found it at Cub and not at Lunds--but make sure it is not the low fat variety. Of course, you can always go to a natural foods store as well to find it.