10 Month Old and Regular Milk

There is no reason to introduce cow's milk right now. Not one single reason. There are plenty of reasons not to though:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002448.htm

By giving him something he *doesn't* need you are taking up room in his tiny tummy and he's not getting something he *does* need. And if you read the article above he'll be getting lots of stuff he doesn't need and his body can't process the excesses.

Breastmilk and formula are primary nutrition for the *entire* first year.

There is no reason to do this. You are already feeding him what he needs. I would wait until he is a year.

It's ideal to allow your infant's intestines to mature another 2 more months and then introduce the cow's milk - this is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The reasoning is that the cow's milk protein is harder to digest and an immature intestinal tract can have microscopic bleeding and thus cause anemia--even though he's not anemic now. It's typically ok to give "processed" cow's milk proteins like yogurt & cheeses at this age so that'd be ok -- just wait on the milk to drink.

www.kidsbestnutrition.com

there is nothing magic that happens on his first bday.. but milk is not a complete food.. if he is not eating a complete diet of fruits veg grains meats.. he is not ready to go to milk. formula has all the vitamins and minerals included milk does not..

my duaghter was a horrible eater.. so we kept her on formula s bit longer till she started to eat more baby food and table foods.

if you want to start offiering a sppy cup of milk with one meal a day that is fine.. you dont wnat to switch from formual to milk suddenly or he may get diahrrea or contstipation. go slowly with the switch there is not hurry..

as it gets closer to his bday.. mix 2 oz of milk in a bottle fo formual.. then do 1/2 milk 1/2 formual..

I would wait longer, a little taste here and there is fine, but I would keep him on formula until he is one. My son was completely on whole milk at 11 months. He was BF but I was 8 wks along with my second so I had no more milk, and he would not take formula. The kid is big and strong so smart and has never been sick aside from a cold so it didn't hurt him.

I've read that plain cow's milk is too rough on babies' stomachs (which is why there is so much modification that has to happen to turn it into formula), and can cause bleeding in their gastrointestinal tract, which is why they shouldn't be given cow's milk until after they turn 1 y/o. You may not be able to see the evidence of bleeding, but that doesn't mean it's not causing problems. Breastmilk may not have as much iron as cow's milk, but your baby absorbs the iron that is in it **much** better than the type of iron in cow's milk and also the type of iron that is added to formula. Human milk for human babies; cow's milk for cow babies. :-)

Simply, No. Do not give cow's milk yet.

Introducing it early isn't good for his digestive system which isn't fully equipped to handle cow's milk. It could also be more dangerous if he happens to have an allergy. Milk also hinders the baby's ability to absorb iron at this age. I would wait just in case.

However, it is wonderful to give dairy products such as cheese and yogurt to your baby b/c the lactose is already broken down, unlike milk. You can get lots of ideas about dairy and younger babies here:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/dairy.htm

I did it at 10 mos but I 'weaned them on' by adding it to their breast milk...I did 1/3 then 1/2 then all by a year. Just in case it upset their belly or did something else like allergies.

My son I started around 11 months to feed him half milk/formula. I don't really see any harm in it. If you have been drinking milk too and he's BFed then I see no difference. But then again I'm not an M.D.

Well they say you are not supposed to until they are a year old because formula gives the baby all the nutrients and vitamins that they need. I waited with both of my kids. BUT I know plenty of people that didn't and their kids are just fine! A friend of mine switched over to whole milk completely around 8 or 9 months and I have a cousin that gives her baby both whole milk and formula. I don't think it would hurt to try...I mean it's only 2 months until he is one. They have certain ages to start feeding baby food and solid foods but only you know what's best for your baby!!! Good luck!

My son was actually on cow's milk at 10 months because he was refusing formula. You can definitely introduce milk products - yogurt, cheese, even ice cream if you choose.

Its best to stick with breastmilk/formula until closer to his birthday. Our original plan was to start replacing formula with milk 1 oz at a time 4 wks before our son's birthday (3 oz formula, 1 oz milk; then the next week 2 oz formula, 2 oz milk; then the next week 1 oz formula, 3 oz milk) to allow his system to adjust.

Well as long as it's just a little I don't see the harm in it. My daughter was exclusively breast fed but I wanted to have her completely weaned at 12 months and I wanted to start slow so at 10 months I started giving her 1 4oz sippy of cows milk a day. I figured that it was enough to get her used to the taste and drinking from a cup but not too much that I was taking away from all the breastmilk she still needed. She did well and liked it. She showed no sign of it bothering her tummy or changing her behavior or caused any problems with her poop so I think her tummy handled it just fine. So I say give it a try and see how he does.

It's fine. If it were me, I might wait another 2-4 weeks, but it's not too early to introduce milk...if he were 6 months I would agree that he can't digest it very well, but he's not. Go for it. I would however just introduce it slowly. Mix it with his formula and go from there. I started both my kids on milk at about 11 months and increased the milk ratio about 25% each week so that they were completely on milk by 1 year.

Why? Why would you NOT wait?
Other kids may have not had any huge problems with transitioning early but you don't know what will happen with your son and do you really want to take the chance of him being uncomfortable when there is not real reason to make him that way. I say wait.

Too many mothers are giving their babies cows milk before a year. It is really not healthy. The AAP recommends waiting until a year. It can cause serious health issues in babies. In my opinion, it is not a good idea to give any cows milk until then. Whatever you decide, please do your research first and talk to your child's doctor if you decide you may want to try it. Good luck! Here is just a little bit of info from KellyMom:

"Use of cow's milk before a year is controversial among experts. You might want to get your baby's doctor's opinion on this.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO cow's milk until after the first birthday.

Cow's milk is more specific to a baby cow than a baby human. Cow's milk formula is based on cow's milk but has been engineered to be closer to human milk (still a ways off, but closer). Many infants still have problems with cow's milk formula (allergies, GI problems, etc.). Babies who are exposed to cow's milk before their first birthday are more likely to be anemic, have diarrhea or vomiting, and/or experience an allergic reaction (the proteins in milk are more numerous than those in other milk products, such as the yogurt). The excessive protein load in cow's milk can also overload a baby's kidneys. It is deficient in vitamins C, E, and copper. It is harder to digest as well, often causing intestinal blood loss. A number of studies have also indicated that early introduction of cow's milk may contribute to the development of Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus."

its a personal choice. My friend did it with no problems. If you successfully given him yogurt, then he should like it and not have allergies. I mixed the formula with the milk in the beginning with my son. And he switched with no problem. I waited until one, but I tend to stick to the rules. Just my personality.