How to switch from formula to whole milk

[cojomo]

you guys have been so helpful in advising on solid foods, sippy cups, etc. we are now looking into weaning 10 mo old DS to whole milk soon. any advise on how and when?

-should we mix it in with his formula and increase little by little or just give it to him straight to try?
-serve it cold? (we usually warm up his formula before serving)
-how to serve...in a bottle or sippy (he just started with his sippy and has not mastered it yet)

we would like him to be on whole milk 100% by the time he'll be 1yo since we are travelling by then. is this a realistic goal?

[stillplayswithbarbies]

It may not be a realistic goal. Not all kids can tolerate whole milk by 1 year. My older daughter couldn't handle it until she was 15 months old. We kept trying every few weeks starting with her first birthday, but she had tummy issues until she was 15 months old.

There is nothing magical about their birthday that makes them able to tolerate the cow's milk proteins, it's just whenever their guy matures enough to digest it. That doesn't happen until around 12 months, but it can be later for some kids.

I would be concerned about replacing any of the formula or breastmilk before 12 months. Babies need the extra nutrients that are not found in cow's milk.

My younger daughter was fine with digesting cow's milk at 12 months. We started by mixing it in her bottle so that it was 2 oz of milk and the rest formula and gradually increasing it until it was all milk. We kept it at half and half for a long time because she is so tiny but by 15 months she was totally on milk. We still give her a nighttime bottle of warm milk now at 17 months, just to make sure she has had enough milk for the day.

[arivecchi]

I'd wait until you get the ok from your ped to switch. Normally, that happens at the 12 month appt. Like PP said, many babies are not ready to digest milk until then if not later. I would not rush it.

By the way, we switched cold turkey with both kids and it worked out fine. There was no need to wean ahead of time. They were happy to drink something other than formula.

Will he turn one before you start your trip?

[mikeys_mom]

I'd wait until you get the ok from your ped to switch. Normally, that happens at the 12 month appt. Like PP said, many babies are not ready to digest milk until then if not later. I would not rush it.

By the way, we switched cold turkey with both kids and it worked out fine. There was no need to wean ahead of time. They were happy to drink something other than formula.

Will he turn one before you start your trip?

None of my kids ever had an issue with switching. I always kept a bit of formula on hand. This way, in case they wouldn't take the milk, I would have something to give them. I typically ended up doing 2 bottles of milk and 2 bottles of formula per day for a few days just to finish off the last of the formula. I never had to mix milk and formula together.

[kdeunc]

With they boys we went cold turkey, milk in cups, no formula, no bottles on their first birthday no problems. With DD she was EBF and she started with cow's milk at 12 months and stopped breastfeeding at 13 months. No problems with her either. I would wait until 12 months. Good Luck.

[lchang25000]

I used ready to feed formula so I just poured half formula and half whole milk and gave it to DS like that for a few days. I started that when he was almost 12 months old. He still drinks his milk in a bottle, but water in a sippy. I know I need to try and wean him from the bottle soon.

[Fairy]

I'd wait until you get the ok from your ped to switch. Normally, that happens at the 12 month appt. Like PP said, many babies are not ready to digest milk until then if not later. I would not rush it.

By the way, we switched cold turkey with both kids and it worked out fine. There was no need to wean ahead of time. They were happy to drink something other than formula.

Will he turn one before you start your trip?

I'm a too. I wouldn't go before the 12 month mark, and I would even wait till the 12mo appt., even if that doesn't happen till almost 13mo. We went cold turkey, cold in a sippy, and we had zero issues. Doesn't mean you won't tho. Going cold turkey is the right way ... if that works for your DC. If it doesn't, then another way is the right way, whatever that ends up being. Don't worry! But get the 12mo appt. on the books.

[silver]

We switched to whole milk right after our DD's 12 month appt. We started by warming the milk to ease the transition. DD gets her milk in a sippy throughout the day but she does get a bottle when she gets up in the morning. It is part of our morning routine. I can't give up that time with her in our glider just yet.

[wellyes]

We went from breastmilk to whole (cow's) milk at 12-13 months no problem. I would not switch before then.

We did warm in a bottle, with the occasional cold sippy once she was used to the whole milk (a few weeks in).

Only nighttime bottle after about 16 months and no bottle at all at about 20. But at nearly 2 she still has 2-3 glasses of cold whole milk in a sippy or open cup every day.

[AnnieW625]

we switched cold turkey too at 12 mos to whole milk too, DD didn't seem to mind. We used Avent bottles so we switched from the nipple top to the sippy top at about 14-15 mos. old, it was a pretty painless switch. DD. We warmed it at first, but then she eventually took it cold with no problem.

DD now drinks soy milk as by 18 mos. she was getting a continuously runny nose and that stopped once we switched to soy. She gets a sippy in the AM, and one in the PM.