Introducing Cow's Milk

Hello J.,
I started the switch by mixing half formula, half milk. It does have to be whole milk because children need fat for brain development. I did continue to warm my daughter's milk for a while until she got used to the taste of whole milk. It tool a while to get her used to cold milk, but now she loves it!!!

Dear J.,
I am a 25 yr old mother of three & also pondered the question, why whole milk. I found out that answer. My pediatrician told me it's b/c babies 1-2 yrs old need the fat in whole milk for brain growth. That was very important to me so..needless to say, my one year old is on whole milk until two. I also was concerned about the fat and my children becoming overweight, but that is not the case being that one year olds are so extremely active...you know what I mean! Hope i could help you a little.
Take care,
J. C.

It definitely needs to be whole milk because kids their age need the highter fat and calories that are found in whole milk to help them grow and develop. By the time they are two they can switch to a lower fat milk. Just from personal experience, I would give it to them cold just because that is how milk is usually served so they would become used to it that way. I would try giving them a little bit of straight milk at a time and if they resist, try mixing it with formula. Good luck!

Hi J.,

Congratulations to you and your family!! As far as introducing cow's milk - yes, it should be whole milk. I would suggest an organic whole milk (WILD OATS) has reasonable prices. When introducing milk, I would recommend using a sipper cup. The serving size for milk is 4-6 oz. Children between 1-3 years of age need 3 servings from the milk group. This could be whole milk, yogurt or cheese. If the boys do not really like milk (some kids are not milk drinkers) - don't worry, they can get calcium from cheese, fortified cereal and vegetables.

As far as transitioning, just substitute one of the formula feedings with whole milk. It does not have to be heated milk - it can be cold. Remember, milk should be given in a sipper cup. Formula can be in the bottle. Also, the boys should be off the bottle by one year - 14 months at the latest.

Hope this helps.

L. Kandell, MS, RD, IBCLC
Registered Dietitian/Pediatric Specialist
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
AFFILIATED NUTRITION CONSULTANTS, LLC
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
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The reason peds want you to start them on whole milk is to build the myelin sheath on their nerve cells, which is very important for their motor skills and their brain development. Your boys are far from being obese; they sound like perfectly healthy little ones! It is important that they have whole milk at least until they are 2, better if they have it until preschool.

I gave my daughter milk and formula; about 1/4 milk to start with, then 1/2, and so on until she was drinking just cow's milk. She wasn't keen on the taste of cow's milk at first, but I've never heard anything saying that you shouldn't give them just cow's milk if they'll take it. Try out a variety of temperatures and mixtures; I'm sure they'll tell you which they prefer!

Good luck!

I just went cold turkey with the milk. My daughter was pretty easy and didn't mind the change, and she drank it cold. You should give your boys whole milk because they're growing right now and they need the little bit of extra fat and nutrients that whole milk provides. At about 2 or 2 1/2, your Dr. will probably say it's ok to switch to 2% milk. That's when we switched. My baby is now almost 5 years old and she's just fine on 1% since 3 years old. Good luck with your boys and I hope you get your horse soon!

J.,

We found that introducing it gradually by mixing was best. When we tried too fast, it was a little hard for my son to digest. By gradually, I mean maybe over a week or so. Infants need whole milk until about age 2. The higher fat content is good for brain growth. A lot of moms I know are also going with organic milk or milk from a local dairy to avoid BGH (Bovine growth hormone). I haven't seen any really good research but the concensus is that it isn't a good idea to give developing infants growth hormones. I've heard stories of early onset of puberty in girls, etc. Anyway, organic milk from the grocery store shouldn't have BGH. And some local dairies that deliver, like Longmont Dairy, don't use BGH. Technically, the local dairies are not organic, but BGH was my concern. We pay $2.33 for a 1/2 gallon of whole milk from Longmont Dairy. It worked out a little cheaper than what I was finding organic milk for at the grocery store, and we think it tastes better. Plus, it is convienient. Good luck!

You may want to look into finding a source of raw cow milk. If you buy a share of a farm, you are an owner and have the right to drink milk from your own cow (even though it isn't sold in the grocery stores yet). Some good information is on wesleyapricefoundation.com. I've heard that if you are allergic to pasteurized milk it doesn't mean you are allergic to raw milk. This is true for one of my dogs who can't tolerate pasteurized milk but has no problem with raw milk. Look it up on the internet. Raw milk is much healthier. You can also get collostrum when the cows have calved.

Hi J. well I just went cold turkey and they did not care.My two oldest liked it cold but my 2 year old likes it hot.I just put it in the mycro and dont leave it out cause it does go bad fast.Just try it both ways and they will let you know how they like it :)

hi! i have a 13 mo named katie. my ped took a hemoglobin test at the 9 mo check up to make sure she was ready. she was and i started her that night. i used whole milk straight. she was fine. no tummy problems. you can give it to them cold. she has been drinking cold milk and formula since 6 mo. she preferred it. the reason for whole milk until age 2 is for proper brain dvelopment. they need the fat. at 2 you get 2% or even less. we drink skim. katie has always been 50% height and weight. no refined sugar, no butter or oils, and no salt. lots of whole grains, fruits, and veggies. some of the thing she likes to eat are diced chicken breast, cheese, turkey lunch meat, juice packed mandarian oranges, banana, avacado, cheerios, the organic healthy handfuls snacks, stonybrook farms organic baby yogurt, and italian food. she hates bland foods. feed them a healthy variety and they'll do great! -thx B.

Hi J.,

I have 2 kids. One is 20 years old and just had a baby 4 months ago. I have a 12 year old at home. I put my daughter on milk and she was allergic and I didn't know it. I never put my son on it. I am allergic and it has gone down to my children. My son was on goat milk and then he went to rice milk the last few years. He use to like goat milk but my daughter made comments so he didn't want it anymore. My daughter has alot of problems when she has dairy to this day. Her son can't take formula of any type without a problem, so she has to send to New Zealand for goat milk formula. That is the only place that gives all the nutrients for babies. I had my husbands doctor say no one should drink milk, that it is for animals not humans. My husband of course has it on his cereal. If you put your children on milk, I would suggest watching for allergies and get it at a store that doesn't have hormones or antibiotics. We have Trader Joes and Sprouts in AZ. That is where I get it for my husband. I feel awareness and knowledge of what is out there and what goes into our bodies is very important.

T. B

Usully start them on the whole milk first and see if they like it by itself. Some kids do not and in that case mix it with the formula till they get use to it more. My kids both adapted well to regualr milk. I'd give it to them cold and again it depends how they like it. I gave my daughter room temperature formula and she was breast fed and she handled it cold fine. My son had heated fromula and was breast fed and he also had no problems with cold milk. Kids need the calcium from whole milk that the other milks do not offer till at least 2. I also have big kids in the higher percentiles myself. My daughter will be 2 and gets both skim and whole milk but she eats really well and is very healthy. But I actually breast fed her till just a few months ago. Well good luck you do have your hands full. Mine are 16 mos apart and keep me busy!

The reason everyone thinks you have to use whole milk is because they say babies need the fat in whole milk. This is simply not true! Unless your boys had a problem with gaining weight (which it sounds like they do not) then there is no reason you could not use 2%, 1% or non-fat. When my daughter turned 1, I started using the toddler formula (for babies over 1 year old) because she didn't eat a good variety of fruits and veges and I thought she needed the nutrients in the formula. After a few more months, I switched her to whole milk (simply because that is what I drink, not because she needed the fat). There's no need to heat the milk, unless it helps them get sleepy before bed =). I've never heard of mixing formula and milk together. I can't imagine it would taste very good! We just supplemented one cup/bottle of milk per day at first and then slowly replaced each cup/bottle one at a time until she had fully switched over.
Good luck! Hope I've helped some =)

I had this question with my daughter as well and turned to my girlfriend who is a nutritionist and helped me with my eating(I'm lactose intolerant) while I was pregnant. It is recommended that they drink whole milk because it has more fat in it, but my daughter drank 2% and skim milk. The calcium does not vary from the types of milk. Whole milk has just as much as skim milk, the only difference is the fat. They recommend you do whole milk for brain development as well, but at one year of age your boys should be getting that in other foods. I starting giving it a room temperature and then gave it to her cold eventually(actually pretty quickly). You can try mixing formula for the first couple times, but I would only do that after you try to give it to them straight unmixed at first.

When I switched my daughter to whole milk, I did it slowly. I mixed 3/4 formula with 1/4 milk - did this for about a week. Then went to 1/2 and 1/2 for the second and third week etc. By four weeks, she was taking whole milk - I warmed it to room temperature. When I first tried whole milk by itself, she wouldn't take it so that is why is mixed them. Whole milk tastes completely different from formula or breast milk and has different texture.

Good luck.

L.

the reaason it needs to be whole milk is because, the fat content is important in them putting pounds on. they will be running around before you know it and they need the extra calories. As for mixing it , I breastfeed, but i went into milk slowly. like in the oatmeal and once a day in a sippy cup. now my son is 14 months and is strickly on cows milk. It is a progression. you'll know when they are ready to switch ove all the way. and milk should not be heated. Unless it is being used right away. I leave my sons cows milk our for three or four hours at a time then change it out for fresh stuff. well i hope this helps ya! E.

Hi I am a mother of three. I breast fed my children and the last two I would supplement whole milk at the age of almost ten months. I also had them drink from a sippy cup instead of bottle. Evenentually they were just drinking the whole milk. Within a month I'd say they were drinking from a sippy and drinking whole milk. At night I would just warm it up in the micro and they did just fine. It was a perfect way to ween them from breast milk/formula and the bottle all at once. My one year old whom is almost two still likes a sippy at bedtime. The pedatrician said they need the fat from the whole milk. But my four year old drinks one percent. It just varies on the age.

Hi J.,

11-12 mos is fine to introduce cow's milk. Try and use an organic (no hormones) milk like the Horizon brand. Whole milk is recommended since the little guys need some fat. My understanding is that you should use cooled, boiled water and mix one cup 50:50 with a cup of milk, so that the mixture is *warm*. Test it on the inside of your wrist for ok temp. Add one teaspoon of sugar (really!) to improve taste and mimic breast milk for sweetness.

Hi J., Wow twins thats a lot of work. I have 2 boys 3 & 5 and when they turned one I just repalced their formula with whole milk. They had no problems adjusting. I think they liked it more. I would say as long as they are good eaters you would not need to add any formula. The whole milk is good because they get more fat that their bodies need. I also never heated mine, and never seemed to have any problem with that. Good luck! L.

Hi J., I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. What i was always told is mix the whole milk with the formula for a week or two, (like 1/2 & 1/2 ) then slowly make it more whole milk than formula. What i do is just warm it enough to taker the chill off. My daughter will drink it cold, warm or room temp. I did the 50/50 mix of fromula and whole milk for about a month only because i had a bunch of formula to use up, with my son i only did it for a week. It's up to you and how you think your babies will handle it. then after whole milk start the 50/50 with cow's milk & whole milk till they are use to that. hope this helps. A.

Just to reassure you, even if your boys never drink cows milk they can still have proper nutrition. 2 of my kids were sensitive, and I gave them goat's milk. Also lots of calcium in brocolli and sunflower seeds. Most mammals(which is what we are) nurse, then wean completely off milk.

I would follow your kids cues, and it does not necessarially hurt to introduce new things. But it they seem bothered by it, you can always go slow. And look for signs of allergy if you were not giving them a milk based formula.
Rotating every few days may reduce the chances of developing allergies.

I'm guessing that in no time at all and they will be indicating what they prefer.

Good Luck, be glad they are healthy!

My daughter was about 80 percentile at 10 months and her doctor suggested to start her on whole milk. I have heard whole milk because it has all the nutrients and fats babies still need. I didn't heat it and I also used this transition time to move her to sippy cups only. No more bottles. I did it cold turkey, I heard that was the best way, and it worked very well. I used up the rest of her formula then switched to milk.
Good luck, hope they like it!

Yes start out by mixing, I did 2oz mil and 6 formula, and just kept decreasing formula and adding milk over about a month or so, once I just to 2 oz formula I just did all cows milk, whole has more fat for the when they are two the dr may tell you it fine to use 2% now. I wouldn't change the temp yet let them get used to the taste. Don't want too many changes at once, my son is 3 and still does not like ice cold milk I microwave it just enough to take the chill of, I have no clue when he will out grow that. Good luck!!

I never had a problem with it.

J.,
Chances are, unless your boys turn out to be lactose intolerant, they'll transition to Cow milk really easy. My son had no problem with the switch at all. I wouldn't even bother mixing it in with formula or worry about heating it.

K.

Hi J.,

My son just turned 3 and I started him on cow's milk at 1 year old. I just made the switch, I did not mix with formula. You want whole milk because they still need all the fat and calories for proper development. I have always been told/read that until 2 you should use whole and after 2 you can switch to a lower fat variety. My son always wanted it heated to take the chill off so that is what I did but other kids make the transition to cold milk just fine. My son always needed formula at nap/bed times so I started by adding it to his bottle instead of formula. Then I worked on getting rid of the bottle shortly after and moving to sippy cups, but I figured the transition to milk would be easier for him with a bottle, one change at a time, lol. The transition to milk was one of the easier ones for us, he didn't seem to mind the difference at all. Good luck!!!

T.

take and give the milk whole and just pour the whole milk stight to the kids and see if they will take to it

whole milk...my kids' pediatrician always said the fat in it is good for them.

:) cold turkey worked fine with all my kids :)