Transitioning to Whole Milk.

The method of transition you are using is good. Try to give him less amount of whole milk, since too much milk can cause him to be anemic. Other than that he will be healthy.

I started both of my younger two kids on whole milk shortly after they turned 11 months and niether one had a prolem. I don't know if this is true or not but I was told with a milk allergy they would have respirtory issues and a runny nose.

Sounds as though you have a child with a great digestive tract and who handled the transition just fine. I wouldn't back track now if I were you - just wait a week or so and see how he is doing and if all is well - then you know you did just fine. I think as breastfeeding mothers we worry and worry and worry about the transition, when in fact some kids just are able to handle it sooner than others. (this is not to say that mothers who feed formula do not worry also . . . )
good luck.

You're his mom & you know him best. I say if he's had no reaction to the milk (which he would've by now) leave him be. Don't add back any formula. I remember reading that 24 oz/day is about the right amount of milk for a child your son's age to be drinking. Think about how much dairy he's getting from other sources like yogurt & cheese. If he eats a lot of either of those, then you may want to give him smaller bottles. But if you're not sure, or have questions/concerns, then ask your ped or an advice nurse.

B. - if he is ok with the milk.. then leave it alone. If you have not used formula before then I would not try now. You know your child the best and I am sure he will be fine. My son turned one in April and he transitioned very quickly and he is as healthy and happy as can be. They will let you know if they are not happy. Don't doubt yourself.. :)

It might be fine since he has been doing fine with the milk...but I would cut down a little. I was recommended by my pediatrician to limit milk intake to 16-24 ounces. That means 24 max. I have also heard 12-16 and 16-20 ounces. Cow's milk is the most common cause of iron deficiency in young children.

This is what Dr. Greene ha to say about the issue:

"Drinking too much milk can lead to iron deficiency. It irritates the intestines, and leads to iron loss. It can also make it more difficult for the body to use iron.

Most cases of severe iron deficiency in young children are in those who drink too much milk."

btw Goats milk is much better for children that cows milk, but it is also a lot more expensive. Don't mean to scare anyone, it is just a little know fact that cows milk isn't really as good for children as some think. In fact, human children don't need cows milk at all, though it is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. My one year old drink about 4-6 ounces every few days and breastfeeds 2-3 times a day.

At this point, there is no need to give him formula. Especially hearing his reaction to it. June 15th is only a few days away. So - don't even worry about it.

As far as I know the advise to replace one nursing with milk and waiting several days to replace another has more to do with mom than baby. It is about slowly transitioning your body to help alleviate engorgement. If you have both handled the transition then I would just stick with it. However, it does sound like your son is drinking a lot of milk. My Dr. told me, with both my kids, that when I transitioned from nursing to whole milk, I should give only 16 oz of whole milk a day. I have also read recently in a parent mag (I can't remember which one) that consumption of more than 16 oz of whole milk a day has been linked to weight problems later on. At your 1 yr appointment I would ask the Dr. how much whole milk to give, especially since you are also doing several nursing.

well I wasnt told anything like a little at a time my doctor told me now he can get whole milk now. i didnt have the opportunity to breast feed a long time but my son was fine with the transition between formula and milk

We only did a gradual transition in order to slowly introduce the whole milk so it wouldn't be such a huge change at once. They can start drinking cow's milk at 12 months, and since he's already made it through the transition, I'd just leave it the way it is. Especially since you are still breasfeeding a few times a day.

You are transitioning just fine, but I have to agree with those saying to watch the amount of milk you are giving your little guy. A couple of people mentioned anemia (iron deficiency). I'd like to clarify that. Milk does not cause anemia. Baby formula is fortified with iron, as is baby cereal, but milk is not. Babies that wean directly to milk sometimes end up not eating enough iron from other sources, especially if they drink alot of milk and are not hungry for enough other high iron foods. I weaned both of my girls directly to milk (not a formula fan!), but still fed them some apple sauce mixed with baby cereal each day to make sure they kept their iron up as suggested by their doc.
I hope this helps to ease your mind a bit. Your son is lucky to have a mom that seeks advice when unsure. Nobody know it all!

Hello B.,
Good job breastfeeding your little one and smart him rejecting formula. He obviously knows hwat's good. With resepct to the whole milk, just go easy, it might be a bit much for his system to handle. However, the key is how your son is reacting to the milk and food. If he's all right, there's no need to change your ways, but I would reduce the amount of whole milk.

Keep up the good work, S.

Your are doing it the right way. Continue doing what he is doing now. The next nursing session I would drop would be the early morning one and then lastly the night time feeding. This is exactly how I did it with all my kids and they all transitioned perfectly. Iwould limit his bottles to 1 or 2 a day since you are still nursing. You don't want to sabotage his eating with all that milk. Continue offering other dairy with his diet and he will be getting plenty of good stuff.

Good luck, Trish

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/0...

“Raw milk” is milk in its natural state, Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures Dairy, explains in this excellent article. It comes from the cow, without heat treatment or pasteurization, which is used to extend shelf life and to immobilize certain bacteria.

But people, milk, and bacteria can coexist. It is normal for milk to contain some bacteria, and human societies have been benefiting from these bacteria in milk for thousands of years. Fermented milks, for instance, have superior nutrient value and digestibility. Today these products are marketed as containing “probiotics,” as if this is something brand new.

Yet, bacteria have always existed in natural milk. In fact, bacteria:

Are earth’s oldest life forms
Are everywhere
Are essential for human survival
Comprise more than 90 percent of the cells in the human body
Public obsession with killing bacteria misdirects efforts at improving public health -- because relatively few bacteria are pathogenic. By constantly sterilizing, pasteurizing, and disinfecting, the balance is actually tipped in favor of the pathogens.

It is difficult to get at the truth because so much research on milk is little more than advertising -- self-interested and commercial. But you can educate yourself directly and make health choices without the intervention of so-called “experts.”

If you do, you will find that raw milk, loaded with beneficial bacteria, is the better choice. Sources:
The Rodale Institute May 15, 2008

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Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It is quite an oxymoron to have to call milk “raw,” as though there is something unfinished about it. It is pasteurized milk that we should really be calling attention to, as this is the type of milk that’s been adulterated and turned into something not fit for drinking.

It’s ironic, too, that Louis Pasteur, the mastermind behind the “pasteurization” process, is revered by scientists and food manufacturers alike. As McAfee pointed out, pasteurization is useful if you need to drink low-quality (i.e. disease-ridden) milk.

But it’s the 21st century.

And it’s time you demanded milk that’s safe and healthy as it’s intended to be: straight from the cow.

Even Louis Pasteur Admitted He Was Wrong

Interestingly, Louis Pasteur did not only discover pasteurization. He also came up with the “Germ Theory of Disease,” which states that “a specific disease is caused by a specific type of microorganism.”

This is what spurred doctors to begin disinfecting their surgical instruments in boiling water -- clearly important. But it’s also what became the basis for modern medicine, including the pharmaceutical industry. Now, this theory certainly has some merit. But it’s become largely simplified and over-relied upon, even today when we know that disease is caused by many more factors than a simple germ or virus.

Which brings me back to the milk.

Government agencies would have you believe that if there’s bacteria in your milk, that will make you sick.

Well, this is the same type of oversimplified and incorrect logic that allowed pasteurized milk to proliferate the market in the first place.

In reality, bacteria is in milk for a reason, and as long as it comes from a healthy cow, the good bacteria will keep the bad bacteria in your gut in check, and will proceed to do the same inside of your body.

So the next time you hear someone talking about the merits of pasteurization, you may want to tell them this:

Upon his deathbed, Louis Pasteur admitted his theory was not entirely correct. Instead, he conceded that physiologist Claude Bernard had it right.

Bernard said that microbes do exist, but that “terrain is everything.”

“Terrain” refers to your body, and his theory means that it’s not the microbes that determine whether or not you get sick, it’s the health of the body in which they exist.

To prove his theory, Bernard reportedly then drank a glass of water filled with cholera to show that the germs wouldn’t make him sick.

Yet, the folks over at the FDA are still spouting off ridiculous statements like “drinking raw milk is like playing Russian roulette with your health.”

Have You Heard of “The Milk Cure”?

Countless anecdotal reports exist from regular people around the world who have experienced the health benefits of drinking raw milk. Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, asthma, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic ear infections and more often seem to clear up when raw milk enters the picture.

Yet, long before milk began being called “raw” or “pasteurized” -- back when milk was just milk -- there was something called “the milk cure,” and it was used by the Mayo Foundation, which today is known as the Mayo Clinic.

An article by Dr. J. R. Crewe of the Mayo Foundation on this very topic was published in Certified Milk Magazine in January 1929. You can read it in its entirety on the Real Milk Web site.

In it, Crewe quotes William Osler, author of a standard medical textbook of the day, who described “milk as being nothing more than white blood. Milk resembles blood closely and is a useful agent for improving and making new and better blood.”

The milk cure was a combination of a detoxifying fast and nutrient-dense feeding, which included milk “given at half hour intervals … totaling from five to ten quarts of milk a day.”

The treatment was used in many chronic conditions, but according to the article “chiefly in tuberculosis, diseases of the nervous system, cardiovascular and renal conditions, hypertension, and in patients who are underweight, run-down, etc. Striking results are seen in diseases of the heart and kidneys and high blood pressure.”

What did the doctors conclude?

“When sick people are limited to a diet containing an excess of vitamins and all the elements necessary to growth and maintenance, which are available in milk, they recover rapidly without the use of drugs and without bringing to bear all the complicated weapons of modern medicine.”

Imagine that!

Ready to Try it Out for Yourself?

Many of you reading this may have heard about raw milk, but are hesitant to take the plunge. Well, I suggest you talk to people in your area who drink raw milk and eat raw dairy products. I assure you there are more raw-milk drinkers around than you may think.

Keep in mind that raw, grass-fed milk is full of things that your body will thrive on: good bacteria, raw fat, cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and much more.

And you don’t have to stop with milk. Most raw-milk providers also offer other wonderful raw dairy products like cheeses, sour cream, kefir, yogurt, butter, and fresh cream.

The flavor of these dairy products is probably like nothing you’ve ever tasted -- rich, creamy, sweet and incredibly fresh. And when you add in the superb health benefits, well, you just can’t go wrong.

Unfortunately, raw dairy is still illegal in many parts of the United States, but its popularity is growing and hopefully it won’t be for much longer.

In the meantime, you can locate a raw milk source near you at the Campaign for Real Milk Web site.

This is a good local source for the centrall valley:
www.organicpastures.com

When I switched my kids (all 3 of them) i just stopped formula (I didn't breastfeed because I didn't produce enough milk for my boys). I pretty much quit altogether on their first birthday (formula) and gave them whole milk only. If I had been able to breastfeed I probably would have done it a little longer, just because of the bonding and stuff. If he's not having any issues with the milk though, I don't think it's a real issue.

Re: raw milk mentioned by another poster....I'd ask my pediatrician about this. milk straight from a cow has a lot of risks, especially with babies. All kinds of diseases can come with untreated milk, and there have been multiple deaths from this. Your safe bet is to stick with the store bought milk.

Hey, I did the same thing. I used the 2% milk is the only difference. I continued to do the bottle of milk during the day and breast feed morning and night. Once I was ready to give up the breast feeding, I feel as though both of my kids transitioned beautifully. You are the parent, so trust your instincts. Good luck!