When Is Milk Okay?

Formula has an amount of iron that is not in milk that babies need for the first year. Also, babies need the fat from whole milk at a year of age even up to 2 years old. The fat is necessary for brain growth.

Not until 12 months and I really don't think an 8.5 month old is taking in enough calories w/out formula.

12 months is when you move to regular D milk and no sooner they need all nutrients to grow healthy. Mother of 3 ages 6, 4, 14 months.

I never had my children on formula, but why are you rushing it? Do you usually do what your doc says? Vax? Go for well-visits? Wait on solids until 6 months? Why not this?
Years of studies show that you run a high risk of protein- or lactose-intolerance when you start too soon. At 8-9 months you can start processed dairy like yogurt and cheese. Hold off on milk until a year.
I'm also thinking you don't just mean you want to introduce milk but want to replace formula? Babies NEED formula or breast milk for a year. They get little nutrients from solids and milk DOES NOT have the food value that formula has. Even if you want to introduce milk too early, you can't take away formula, he needs it to grow and milk is NO substitute.

P.S. I have an Eli (2) and a Jordan (10 months)!

My dr said the same thing, but I took my son off formula at 6 months. He was a big boy (weighed 9lbs 3oz at birth)and he had 6 teeth by 6 months. He was eating table food and would not drink his formula anymore. I gave him whole milk and poly visol liquid vitamins. He did fine. You know your child and if you think he's ok to be on milk then put him on milk. I personally would make sure you use whole milk and give him extra vitamins. Good luck!

Hi T.,
My youngest daughter is 8 months old too. My best advice here is to check with your pediatrician as to why you should not start regular milk. It sounds to me like you've already made your decision and are looking for a little validation. In my honest opinion, the only thing you are going to gain from starting cows milk at such a young age is a baby with a very upset tummy who will most likely be very fussy most of the time. As its been said several times already, his digestive system is not fully equipped to handle and be able to breakdown the "foriegn" milk. I totally understand that formula is expensive, but in the end, it is much less costly than needing to provide a special diet for a child whose digestive tract was destroyed by introducing cows milk prematurely. When I worked in pediatrics, I saw quite a few cases of lactose intollerance and dairy allergies because the parents had the same way of thinking that you do. That it is just fine to ignore the doctor's advice. Please for the sake of your child's health, follow your doctors advice here.

i am a trucker too.please moms know better than drs sometimes.wait a little longer like another 1/2 mo.than mix it with his formula also if the dr tells u its not ok to feed that child i am a mom it didnt hurt my kids or my siblings or neices/nephews.sometimes i wonder if the dr had children or even knows how to handle kids as the kids dont come with handbooks on how to

Why do you think it is ok? All docs I have ever tlaked to (my son's, freinds who are docs, my husband) all reccomend keeping them on it for their first year. Why are parents so fast to take hteir kids off formula, put htem in big beds, make them learn to "read"? It is the most important part of your child's diet right now.
If it is financial, sometimes you have to make sacrificies for the health of your child.

The recommendation is waiting until your child is a full year old. Any younger and the baby's stomach just isn't mature enough to handle the proteins in cows milk. So parts of it can simply sit in his stomach or intestines and basically rot away and make him very very sick.

Hang in there.

I gave my daughter whole milk at 11 months since I was nursing and just not producing enough. I did cheat and start a bit early since the doctor said 12 months. A friend of mine also did the same. She also cheated by a month. Our babies were completely healthy doing this. Keep in mind that your baby still needs certain vitamins at this point whch are found in the formula/breast milk but not regular milk. This is why are doctors like us to wait at least a year.

The other problem with milk that no one has mentioned yet is that cows milk blocks the absorption of Iron in the body and can cause your child to become anemic when introduced into too soon. Anemia is a serious illness than can cause problems for you child for the rest of their lives. A simple search on google will give you loads of information all saying the same thing, don't switch until a year of age.

It is good to wait until at least one year of age. Their digestive systems are fragile but strengthening daily. Don't rush -- introduce each new thing by itself and give the system time to get use to it. You don't want a lactose intollerant infant!!!!

We started the change over at 6 months with our second and third children. They were all ready eatting some of the baby foods with milks in them. We started with 2% and kept them there. I didn't have any problems with the transition. A lot depends on what you are feeding them. I tried listening to the doctor with my first one but when she hit 4 months old and was up every two hours during the night to feed I started adding rice cereal to the formula and she slept better and longer and didn't get so fat. I started my second child on rice cereal at two months and did the same with my third child. We used very little baby food with the second and third children, I could blend down almost everything we were having for veggies and fruits, meats are a lot harder but I have my grandmothers old meat grinder from the farm and it helped a lot. They got used to the taste of the real foods (I just left out the oleo, salt and pepper when I cooked the foods) and didn't have as much trouble going to eatting off the table with the rest of us.
I know the doctor's are trying to be safe but most of the children who get "nothing but formula" for the first year tend to be carrying a lot of weight they don't need to carry. I had an older family physician I was seeing tell me this. You need less vitamins etc. for the child if they are getting real food and don't need the added butter fat in whole milk. I prefer whole milk because the 2% we serve today is like drinking colored water but I was raised in farm country where we drank milk straight from the cow.

Listen to your doctor....WAIT...it's only a few more months! :)

Why are you in such a hurry? If it is a money issue then use a store brand formula - for example Target brand is so similiar to Enfamil the ingrediants are almost word for word. There are soooo many reasons not to start your child on milk until after 12 months and so many reasons to start them on whole milk. Babies need the extra nutrients that are only found in breast milk or formula. They cannot digest regular food yet at 8 months. The extra fat helps in development including brain development. Everyone gets into such a hurry when it comes to foods. I didn't even give my son anything other than breast milk and formula until he was almost 7 months old - not even cereal.

I switched my kids to whole milk when they weaned from nursing. Around 10 & 11 months. If you think he's ready try gradually switch. If it doesn't agree with him, go back to formula and wait a couple of months. Our mothers switched us to 2% at around 6 months. It was the norm back then. There are some babies who won't tolerate it, but if he has no problem eating cheese and yogurt he will probably be fine. Yes, your dr. will tell you 12 months, but you have to wonder how much $$$ the formula companies pay the AMA to have that recommendation.

T., you should listen to your dr. You should not put your child on regular milk until they are at least 12 months old.

Personally I would wait until your baby is closer to a year. That's what we did with Lauren who is now 3 yrs. old. We waited 'til a year, then we strictly put her on organic milk since it's way better for you.

Your baby needs the nutrients found in formula until he is one. Switching him too early may cause him many problems. Listen to your doctor.

Wait until he's one. Baby's digestive systems aren't quite ready for milk until they are about one. Plus, they really need the vitamins and nutrients from the formula. We started doing 1/2 formula 1/2 milk when my dd was roughly 11 months.

The standard is 12 months, and I have always heard that it can cause allergies if kids get foods like milk too soon.

Do you not trust your pediatrician? Maybe you need to switch to one whose advice you will follow...how are you decideding when they are right and wrong? That could be dangerous to your children if they happen to be right and you dissmiss their advice, why pay them if you don't beleive what they say?

M.

Dear T.,

Cows milk is probably never OK for you human babies. First of all it is designed to help baby cows double their weight in a very short period of time. Human babies aren't designed to grow that fast so it makes them fat. Secondly it is processed to the point where it is nutritionally ruined and in fact has been tied to heart and bone diseases. Lastly, it contributes to mucus formation which leads to ear infections. Do you need any more reasons?

If you do read Dr. Thomas E. Levy's book "Optimal Nutrition for Optimal Health. And look at Dr. Merkle's web site - www.3000health.com - look in the newsletters.

Soy is not a good substitute because it too is processed past the point of being useful. www.merola.com - for info on why soy stuff is no good.

Try rice or almond milk or if you can get it, goat's milk with minimum processing.

God Bless,

S.

We waied, per the doctor's instruction, until my daughters were one year old. We went directly to milk from formula. I've heard of other parents who's child had reactions and they had to mix 1/2 formula 1/2 milk etc until the child could handle 100% milk. Listen to your doctor - there's a reason why most all doctors and magazines/parents sites say to wait until a child is one.

Both my boys were drinking 2% by then. We never used whole milk I thpought that would be too much fat.

Hi T.,
I know it is very confusing with everyone telling you different things. I am the mother of 2 wonderful girls, 25 and 23 and the grandmother of a 6 day old little girl. The best advise anyone ever gave me was to go with my instinct. I breast fed my oldest one until she was 6 months old and bit me repeatedly. She went to both formula and 2% milk. The formula was in a bottle and the 2% milk was in a sippy cup. She slowly gave up the bottle and was on 2% milk by the time she was 13 months old. My youngest one was so tongue-tied that she was bottle fed after I starved her for 1 month trying to breast feed her. I made the mistake of listening to the doctors and not my instinct. At 9 months, she had her first operation to untie her tongue. She finally started really gaining weight then. She could finally eat from a spoon and use a sippy cup. She was on a bottle until around 18 months. Don't be tied to all the traditions and recommendations of doctors. For centuries, moms have used their instincts and their kids turned out fine. My oldest daughter thrived and my youngest daughter has overcome many obstacles to be a very good mother herself. I don't always trust doctors because they are human and make mistakes. I always question them and their incentives. Most doctors are in the business to make money, not a difference. I personally have told off three different doctors in my life and I wish I had told off a couple more. I even called one doctor a quack in front of at least three patients. Use your instinct. If you want to try the milk, make sure it is 2% and only in a sippy cup. Go with your gut from there. You will do just fine. Good Luck.
C.

You really need to wait. Babies digestive systems are totally developed until closer to one and they're just not ready for it. Plus when you switch to milk it cuts out alot of the fat and nutrients they need and get from formula. I know it's expensive, but it's what is better for your child. To do maybe at 11 months, but not any sooner. Goodluck

It is better to wait until your kid turns one year old before you give him regular milk. If your doctor thinks it is too soon to give your son regular milk, you probably better take his advice.

Do not put your son on milk yet. He is still too young for it. His digestive system isn't developed enough yet and he still needs the vitamins and minerals in the formula that aren't found in milk. Wait until he is a year old then you can take him off and put him on whole milk. I always waited until my children were a year old before I switched them to milk because like I said the digestive system cannot quite handle milk yet and because of the necessary nutrients in formula that they need that are not found in milk.

D.

I am 31 and have been married for 12 years. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 11,8,and almost 5. (Jan. 22)

Uusually they like to wait until 1 year to change over to regular milk. My son however started refusing formula at 10 months, so per his doctor's orders, we just put him on regular milk mixed with Instant Breakfast (so he still got extra nutrients). He is now 20 months and still LOVES milk with instant breakfast!!!

Our doctor told us it was ok to start vitamin d milk at 11 months so that's when we made the switch. My daughter had no problems. I value our doctors opinion not only because she's a doctor but because she is a mom to 3 boys, the youngest being less than a year older than my daughter.

Way too young - listen to your pediatrician!

Your baby's digestive system is still forming and developing and whole milk might be an unwelcome visitor. This could lead to allergies, food intolerances, constipation, diarrhea, or a host of other complications. Besides, when the baby switches to whole milk, they should only take about 24 ounces per day. I'm going to guess that your baby takes more than that in formula. Do you really want to take that risk just to save a few bucks on formula?

We took our child off of formula on his first birthday.

My kids basically weaned themselves off of bottles and formula and they both were on regular milk by 10 or 10 1/2 months. My doctor said it was ok at that point but he would've argued if it would have been any earlier than that. Anyway, they are ok and completely healthy even though they started on milk early.

Hi T.,
I started mixing milk in my older daughter's formula when she was almost 11 mo. Our younger daughter had to be on soy formula & had to wait until she was 1 to start introducing milk in her formula. I think it depends on your baby when you introduce milk. Have you tried yogurt, cheese, or other dairy products? My nephew will be 10 mo. next week & my sister tried plain Yo-Baby yogurt (which is specifically made for little ones) & he got a rash. Good luck!
H.

Your doctor is right. Milk at 8 months is too harsh on their digestive systems. I'm curious as to why YOU think it's okay at such an early stage, especially with all of the information out there on milk and infants. Doctors don't make these things up just for the fun of it. They're facts. If it's because of the cost of formula, there are programs, like WIC, that could help you out.

Listen to your doctor. Don't make decisions in areas where you have no expertise, especially when it concerns your children. Doctors say 12 months, and I say that they're the ones with the degrees.

Hi T., yes it's fine to take him off of formula, I took both of mine off when they were 8 months old, and they're fine, just make sure you give him liquid vitamins.

I would follow your pediatrician's advice. Cow's milk is not natural to the human body. We are the only species that consumes the milk of a different species. Odd, isn't it?

Ask your pediatrician about soy, almond, or rice milk instead of dairy. They're all much healthier alternatives, and better tolerated by the human body.

12months is a good time. Any sooner and it could be too much for your baby to handle.. Breast milk and formula is best before 12months b/c it gives that growing baby all the nutrients it needs

I think this is too young for milk. Stick to formula, water, and juice for now.

Goat's milk is more like human milk and can be substituted for it very easily. My Grandma had a goat when she could not supply enough milk to feed one of her babies. Cows milk is not easily digested until after 12 months of age. So, even when you do go to cow's milk make sure its whole milk. I am not sure why you are going against your doctor's advice, do you not trust him? This advice is the standard to protect your child's health. A baby cannot digest the complex proteins in cows milk at 8 month. Stay on formula or try goat's milk; its such a short amount of time to wait in the grand scheme of your baby's life.

12 months is the age that you can start transitioning. Don't try any earlier!

You can take him off of formula, but go with soy milk if he has been vaccinated. If no vaccinations, you can use goat's milk or whey. The chemicals in the vaccines sit in the body for a long, long time causing illness and food allergies when foods are introduced too soon.

That is the normal age for switching to milk. Unless he is overweight and eats all kinds of foods very well, you should leave him on the formula.

1year...but my middle child was able to start on regular milk at age 10months.

I have always heard one year but my sister did switch my nephew at 10 months because he would no longer drink formula. I switched my daughter at 1 year and kept her on whole milk until 2 and then switched to 2%.

With the exception of my 5 yr old son, I have always had my kids off of formula before they were a year. If he drinks 8 ozs try making 2 ozs milk and 6 ozs of formula for a day. Then if he is ok with that then do half and half and so on. Within a few days you should know if he will tolerate the milk and change him completely over. If the Dr's had it their way babies wouldn't be eating anything but formula until they were 1 yrs old.

Good Luck!!

Regular milk is hard to digest, that is why a lot of peds recommend waiting until babies are a year old b/c by then their digestive tracks are developed enough to digest milk. I would not give my baby milk at 8 1/2. My son was around 10 months when he started eating the YoBaby yogurts. Yogurt has processed milk in it so it's a little easier to digest. I would say, keep your son on the formula for a while longer. My son weaned w/11 months and had a really hard time with digesting milk (whole milk and 2%) at that time and then he didn't want to eat yogurt anymore either. Long story short, he ended up loving rice milk which he is still on. And now, at almost 2, he will yogurt once in a while.

T.,
My daughter switched from formula to milk right before her 1st birthday and she did very well with the change. I agree, you should wait a little longer.
R.'

1 year of age. Give whole milk. Babies need the fat.