Taking my baby off of formula

My child is six months old and weighs 25 lbs. At this point in time he is drinking two large cans of formula a week. At this rate by the time the doctors say i can take him off of formula he will be drinking four large cans a week. Can i take him off of formula any earlier than one year of age?

[jd1419]

It is not suggested--have you introduced food to him yet?  Because he should be eating more foods than drinking formula.  Does he drink water---just because he is thirsty he does not always need formula--try infantjuice mixed with water and also plain water.  Then talk with the doctor about supplementing a bottle here or there with whole milk--they may let you do to the little guys size.

[cugirl]

Everything I have read says infants should be on formula or breast milk up to a year.  It would be worth discussing with your pediatrician.  Ive heard that if you give babies cows milk before 12 months that it increases the risk of iron deficiency anemia and allergies.  Are you feeding solids and juices? I would think that would help cut back on the amount of formula you are feeding.

[MIA3]

I would not recommend you take you child off formula anytime before 12 months. Your child may develop milk allergies. Formula has many nutrients, fat stablizers and fortifiers your infant still needs. It could harm the childs developing brain and organs if he/she doesn't recieve the right nutrients and fats. I know formula is very expensive, there are programs like WIC that is avaliable at the health department if costs are an issue. I would strongly recommend that you talk to your pediatrician before you take him  off formula.  Mia

[JJety]

No, they need to be on formula or breastmilk for at least 1 year.  They get all of their nutrition from the milk, and the solid food is just "practice" for the first year.  You definitely should NOT stop, especially at only 6 months old.

[emma10]

You shouldn't ever have to switch off formula due to money issues.  And it is recommmended til 12 mos. Have you checked with pediatrician--sometimes they have deals/coupons/etc. or yes, WIC was great.  (Of course we had dairy allergy and tcouldn't use that part but it gives a lot of good food.)

[sherryroberson]

Try WIC! That's what i just called about today, Believe u me, i remember how much formula was 6 years ago! So i'm going ahead and getting it now to help with foods such as milk etc, plus i'm really going to need it for formula, so maybe u could give that a shot??

[AndiJ78]

Kids are expensive and that is part of the territory, my oldest weighed that much from nursing alone at that age. No, you should never take a c hild off formula before a year and I am stunned anyone's doc would suggest as much. Anemia, as mentioned above, is a very real concern as well as many other nutrients missing from cow's milk that infants require.

Like others mentioned, try contacting WIC, do some sale shopping, sign up on the formula websites to receive special offers and coupons.

Andi

[groovymama]

Hi there I switched my son to homo (3%) milk when he was nine months old my doctor said that was fine. My son is doing fine he is now 16 months and very healthly. Hang in there I know the cost of fomula is alot. Marci

[Crritter]

Wow, big baby, they are just growing and need the nutrition.  I agree with the above post, kids are expensive, you just need to stick with it.  By that age though your little one should be eating solids really well and you can cut back on the bottles, I think we were about a can a week, but the cans are all different sizes, so it's hard to say.  I would talk to your Dr. before you do anything like switching.  They need everything they are getting from the formula, it has way more stuff in it than milk.  Also you risk allergies at that age, that's why they want you to wait, I would at least till you are a little closer to 1 year.  Just push those solids, by a year they hardly need that bottle anyway, so it's good to get them eating well now.