Why is it that some babies are recommended at a younger age then others to start drinking milk instead of continuing to be breastfed or formula fed. I know some babies who got the ok at 9 months and others not till 1 year?
Thanks everyone, So when I brought it up to my pedi. at my son's 5 month appt., she had told me that it is necessary to keep babies on formula as long as possible since milk does not have the nutrients required for brain development that formula or b.m. has.
It just depends on the pediatrician I think. I've had a pediatrician who told me it was ok to start giving my daughter cereal at 2 months while another suggested to wait until 4 months. It just depends on what they feel is best. Personally, I waited to make the switch til a year since the APA suggests to wait until a year; as children need the nutrients formula/breastmilk provides still at that point.
It depends on your pediatrician. My older boy has allergies to dairy and wheat, so it's always a good idea to keep an eye on that when you're switching over to milk.
its a doctor thing..they all have their own theories..I started weaning my kids off of formula when they turned almost a year..about the same time that they can eat eggs..didn't want to take a chance that it would have the same effect.
my 2 year old has never had cows milk. she is a human and she gets human milk! to take my human off of human milk and give her cows milk meant for a baby calf seems a little silly to me. Now formula fed kids need to transition as the nutrient need isnt met, but you can transition slowly. Nothing magical occurs on their first birthday, so if it takes you a month or so to transition the child is going to survive! start by mixing formula and milk and increase the ratio slowly
I formula fed my first and breastfed my second. I have never heard of a baby being recommended milk before 12 months. As far as I know, it is too harsh on their tummies. Breastfed babies do not need cows milk until they are weaning (though other types of dairy, yogurt, cheese, etc, with meals are good for them). Formula fed babies can start weaning after 12 months. Babies still need all the nutrients from formula and/or breastmilk until 1 year. Cow's milk just can't provide that.
All pediatricians have their own opinions on these things. That is partly why you see such a discrepancy in advice on this board or from other moms. Sometimes they don't have the most up-to-date info, sometimes they just don't agree with it. Luckily my pediatrician seems to be totally on board with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and her advice is almost always what I feel is best for what is going on with my son as well. In this kind of situation, I would follow the AAP. Their recommendation is a year. I'm surprised some docs are still saying 9 months, but they say other things I think are crazy too.
All pediatricians follow their own "guides". Ours follows the AAP. I never gave my children milk until they were 1 year old...
We got the OK from our pediatrician at 10 months for our daughter to have whole milk during the day while I was at work. My breastmilk had a really high level of a certain enzyme and it could not be stored (it would go bad after just an hour). She explained to us that the 1 year mark was designed by formula companies to keep you buying their formula longer. She said most healthy babies can take whole milk around 10 months. So we let Juliana have whole milk while I was gone, but she continued to breastfeed when I was home up until she was 17 months and she weaned herself.
