When Did Your Child Transition off of Formula?

Updated on July 11, 2011
E.C. asks from Fort Covington, NY
8 answers

I have a 16 month old who still gets a bottle with every meal. The first one he gets milk (actually he gets Almond Breeze - he really doesn't like milk and think he might have a mild allergy - getting him tested at the end of the month), the 2nd he gets formula, the 3rd Almond Breeze, and the 4th (immediately before bed) is formula. He has started to refuse the Almond Breeze bottles so I thought I would switch the feedings so that he gets the "milk" before his nap and his bedtime. I was thinking this might be an appropriate way to transition him off of formula? How long did your child get formula? Thanks!!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone! After a few days he started to reject the bottles. He'll still drink the one before naptime and the one before bed. I've been mixing the pre-nap one with half Almond Breeze and 1/2 formula and he doesn't know the difference. He still gets the full formula before bed, but I must say that 2 bottles a day instead of 4 is progress! We'll see where we get in the next few weeks :)

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M.T.

answers from New York on

My first baby had formula. I didn't transition her off of it, I simply switched to whole milk as recommended at a year. Infant formula isn't necessary for babies over a year. One year is the recommendation. At sixteen months, he can get milk in a cup with his meals, doesnt need full bottle feedings anymore. My second baby, who was breastfed at that age, got milk in a cup with meals. I would also focus more on giving him meal foods, not snacks like goldfish and "puffs."

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I.K.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi E.,

With both of my kids, they were a year old when they got off the formula. I would mix the formula and milk half and half and then use less formula and more milk and by around 13 to 14 months, they were drinking just milk.:o) Good luck!

I. K.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

The *complete* switch? Between 18mo & 2 years. Not sure the exact date/age. Solids introduced at 1 year, then about 50/50 solids and formula, then just supplementing with formula for some time. He was a fast grower, there was no way for him to get all the nutrition he needed to support his growth without it.

H.G.

answers from Dallas on

Does he eat well? The formula is for the vitamins and nutrients for him before earing real food. I would stop the formula. My kids didn't like white milk either so I gave them chocolate milk and apple juice. Maybe instead of the formula try pediasure? I would put all of this in a sippy cup too. No more bottles at that age. My baby was 19 months before I was able to take it away for good so I would go ahead and start now! Goo luck mama!

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J.T.

answers from Dallas on

i'm pretty sure formula is intended for babies up to 12 months old(they do have a "next step" toddler formula, but i never fooled with any of those). to me, the bigger issue would be getting him off the bottle and onto cups or sippy cups - at that age, a child should be eating most of their calories rather than drinking them. oh, to answer the question specifically, mine were off of formula/bottles right at a year.

L.M.

answers from Dover on

My kids' doctor had them off formula at 1 year. With my son we started introducing some milk at 11 months. With my daughter, we just switched her.

B.L.

answers from Missoula on

My kids are off at 1. Start doing half of formula with half of milk and then slowly decrease the formula. I would try coconut milk. It's spendier, but my sister has to do that with her daughter who is lactose sensitive. It's healthier than milk anyways.

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

We got our dd off of formula when she was about 13-14 months. We only gave her formula in a bottle, everything else was in a sippy, so when she quit the formula, she quit the bottles too. I started with only giving her formula in the morning and before bed, milk other times, and then taking away the morning bottle and eventually the evening one.

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