Switching from Formula to Milk!

[Linzola1]

I posted this in the Maternal and Child Forum but no response! I called my PEDtoday and since Julian will be 1 on Saturday they said I could go ahead and strat getting him switched to milk! We didnt talk in much detail butI know we are suppose to give Whole Milk. Ineed advice and stories on how you did it!

[mami1323]

I started Jayden about a week before his 1st birthday and I also weaned him from formula.  I would mix in 2 oz of regular milk with his formula and then started slowly increasing the amount of whole milk and gradually reducing the amount of formula until he was completely off the formula.  

[LosingMyMindInGA]

What I do is starting around 9 months I start putting an ounce of milk in with the formula every few bottles then slowly increase the milk and decrease the formula.  I believe that you should make a sudden switch becuase babies systems need time to adjust.  Even though he almost a year old...you can still wean him.  Partially becuase of the taste difference but mainly to keep his system from getting messed up.  Babies should start off on whole milk (unless they have weight problems) becuase the fat is neede for brain development.  Since you say he likes the cold, I would start without warming it.  Personally I would take atleast a month to wean him.  But don't be surprised if there's diahrrea and gas.  As his system adjusts this SHOULD go away.  If it gets worse or you notice other symptoms like spitting/throwing up etc. you need to talk to the doctor about the possibility of lactose intolerance.  This doens' tnecessarily mean it's a lifelong dream.  My oldest son had lactose free milk until he was about 2.5 and he's done fine on regular milk ever since.

[Linzola1]

Thanks ladies! I am going to begin tomorrow! He has never liked his bottle warm and seems to like his juice a lot so I am wandering if he likes the cold! I will try both ways! Thanks

[chantal21]

I started with Jeremiah around 10 1/2 months...he was a big boy and I was also trying to wean him from breastmilk since I was pregnant again. He had been drinking rice milk for a couple of months prior to introducing him to whole milk, so it wasn't too difficult for him. I started out giving him 2oz in a bottle once a day for about a week or so just to see how he handled it. He did great so I gave him 4oz for a while and once he did fine with that he was drinking it like a pro! He is 14 months now and maybe gets whole milk once a day, about 6-8oz. He prefers rice milk and since he is plump and happy, I don't worry about him needing the extra fat from it. I never thought to warm it though! That would be a great idea for starting out.

[JoyRenee]

I actually started a little before the first birthday (about a month early). I started with one cup a day (lunch). Just watch to see how he does on it until maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. If he does well, just start giving him milk in every bottle instead of formula.

It helps to warm the milk up (put it in a microwavable coffee cup or glass measuring cup) because it can be pretty cold straight from the fridge! It doesn't have to be extremely warm, just enough to take the chill off.