Milk question...when to Start and How Much

You can start to introduce milk at around 11 months, slowly, by mixing it part milk part formula. It must be whole milk until age 2, the developing brain needs the fats in it. Once he can drink milk straight without mixing in formula, you can get rid of it.

We started weaing at about 11 months. We started with 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk for a week to make it easier of a switch. Then the 2nd week we did half and half. Then the 3rd week we went straight to milk. We used whole milk for the 1st year then went to 2% at 2. He drunk 2-3 bottles of milk. Not sure what they are "suppost" to have. He now drinks milk all day and rarely wants juice. He has had no cativities and is not over weight at all so I let him have all he wants.

Milk is an amazing food if it comes from the right sources. It should be from healthy grass-fed cows that are organically raised. If you buy milk from a store, buy from Whole Foods where you can get non-homogenized milk. If you can find a small farmer near you, buying raw milk is the best. It is full of amazing nutrition, digestive enzymes and healthy fat and good bacteria. Most milk, even "organic" milk comes from factory farms that have grain fed cows that are never allowed outside, they milked until they have mastitis and other infections requiring antibiotics. They are not designed to eat grain, so they are sick and bloated from their diet as well. The milk from a sick and unhealthy cow is not nutritious. The milk is full of pus, bacteria, feces and viruses. This requires pasteurization in order to be safe to drink and due to the contamination as well as the destruction of the digestive enzymes, many people cannot tolerate milk. In children it can be dangerous as it can cause bleeding intestines, that is why it is important to wait a year. We personally choose to drink raw milk or go dairy free.

If you would like to know more there are some wonderful books and sources online:

http://www.westonaprice.org/
http://www.realmilk.com/where4.html#or
http://nourishedkitchen.com/10-reasons-drink-raw-milk/

Recommended Reading:
The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid
The Raw Milk Revolution by David E. Gumpert
Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

These sources will help you feed your child in a way to keep him extremely healthy as well as nourishing your entire family. It could change your life!

We started all our children on whole milk and they still drink that now (my oldest is almost four). Our doctor wants us to keep up with the whole milk because she believes kids that age need the fat content for brain development. Also because it is usually fortified with vitamin A & D. A friend's doctor is okay with her giving her babies 2%. I would ask your doctor, but would generally say that whole milk is the way to go. At one year old if they are drinking about 20 oz a day, that's fine. We eliminated formula as soon as we moved to milk (we weaned from formula, replacing one feeding at a time with milk just as we weaned from breastfeeding, replacing it with formula earlier).

Whole milk is only 4% fat, while 2% milk is 2% fat. To make 2% milk appear white they add sugar to it. Check the additives. Fat is brain food at your son's age, and unless you have a fat, and imobile baby, you have nothing to worry about. This is one of my soap box issues. Especially if you care enough to buy organic milk you should care about giving your baby good whole milk. When I was a child I was at my grandmother farm and she gave me milk straight from a Jersey milk cow and it was incredibly gooood. Talk about rich and creamy.

I would go with the advice of Jen C and Stephany, but would wait until a year before starting it. I believe that is what most doctors would tell you.

You should not switch until after his first birthday. At his 1 year appointment with his doctor, that's a good time to discuss the rest. Most kids are whole milk only. Some kids can spare the fat or need to continue their formula. It depends on the kid.

I have a 16+ month old who hasn't had cow milk yet and is none the worse for it. No allergies, but she doesn't need cow milk. If you want, you can do some research on the bioavailability of cow milk protein and nutrition.

There are certainly recommendations - talk to your ped at the 1 year appt...but from my experience (with two children) - switching is a process...my first started on milk just fine at 1 year. We used whole (the recommended choice). My daughter didn't wean (BF) until about 15 months...again to whole. Both would drink about 24 oz. a day.

cow's milk is for calves, not humans, and is not a good food for human beings at any age, but especially not for young humans (contrary to dairy industry propaganda). certainly if you are determined to give him milk, organic is better than nonorganic. see notmilk.com and other websites about the harm of cow's milk for humans.

Yup. Generally move to cow's milk at 1 year. And use whole milk (and high fat yogurt) until 2yo. The extra fat is crucial to the brain's development. 16-24 oz of milk a day is standard.

FWIW, like several folks below, I started switching my dd to milk at 11+ months. A little bit of milk mixed with formula. I wanted to see if her system would be okay with it. Generally, it takes about a year for their digestive systems to be able to deal with cow milk.

We switched my oldest over at 1 year exactly. I had stopped nursing since I was pregnant and he had his last bottle the day before his first birthday. It was an easy transition, but it's not so for everyone.

My daughter (the second child) didn't like milk at all. She nursed for two years and was completely uninterested in cow's milk. I was concerned - the calcium! the fat! - but did some research and milk's not that healthy for kiddos. It's mostly water, sugar, some protein and some fat - plus some calcium (but not the type that's readily absorbed) and some *added* vitamins. You can easily supplement these nutrients in your child's diet with healthier foods.