Transitioning to Milk

We had the same problem and I am waiting a little longer to give her milk. I tried with 3/4 formula 1/4 milk then 1/2 and 1/2 but it just doesn't agree with her stomach so I'm taking it slow. She is on the 9-24 month formula for now she is 14 months. My doctor said to try agin next month. (I have tried soy and it has the same effect as milk, lots of diaper changes!!) I gave her all organic too, except the 9-24 month formula I haven't found it in organic.(I just started giving that to her last month)

I don't know why milk is so important. There are lots of ways to get the same nutrients. As I heard once on TV, "the purpose of cow's milk is to turn a 100 pound calf into a 600 pound steer in 6 months." Millions of kids around the world never drink cow's milk - it isn't available in countries where there is not enough grazing land. If you do it, I think avoiding the hormones and other junk in the milk is good. There is an excellent children's nutritional formula, soy based and totally pure, which will provide all the nutrition your child needs without resorting to milk. If you're interested in more info, let me know. Good luck!

Hi D.. If your dr. said its okay to start going to milk than go ahead and try it. Just watch for any mood changes, gas, or other problems. I was never a huge milk drinker so nursing my son had no problems but when we went to whole milk he stopped sleeping well at night. He got so gassy and miserable but my cousin's little girl was on nutrimigen formula and transitioned to milk fine.

Hi D.,
I had both my boys on Alimentum and then transitioned to Rice Dream Enriched Vanilla rice milk. I add Flax seed oil to make up for the lack of fats. They both love it and day-care has been wonderful about letting me provide rice milk for their breakfast cereal.
Another advantage to rice milk is that it doesn't spoil as quickly as cows milk, and when it does spoil it doesn't smell as bad.
Compare the labels. The enriched rice milk is just as good, sometimes better, than whole milk, except for whole fats. In our house, it is definitely worth it to supplement with the oil and keep the milk out of the fridge. Everyone is happier.
Good Luck, C.

my daughter was on the same formula for 7 months. i started transitioning her to whole milk a month before her 1st birthday. i did a little at a time. i would do one ounce of milk and 7 ounces of formula then increase it every week. she has done great and never had a problem. good luck!

I too had a spitter, he was a very large 10 lb. newborn but seemed to spit no matter what i gave him, breast milk,or formula of all sorts, I even tried adding a smidge of cereal, but he continued to throw up. The doctor told me not to worry because he was gaining ok, but i had had it with the messy clothes and always smelling sour,(both of us)so at around 8 months i tried regular milk and wouldn't you know he stopped spitting, or better described as projectile vomitting! What a relief. I was worried too but he's 20 now and 6 ft tall. I think we were ok making that decision.

Our pediatrician had the best method - switch to milk and to the cup at the same time. Milk goes in a cup (soft straw cup or sippy cup), not a bottle - mixed with formula (or breast milk) at first then over the course of a few days mix it with more and more milk and less and less formula/bm. It worked like a charm for us (as well as for my girlfriend's two kids who also went to the same pedi and followed the same method). At that age there wasn't a big seperation issue from the bottle and that was that.

Best of luck!

Sounds like your daughter may be allergic to dairy? My son was & once he was 11.5 months he needed to also start whole milk. I go to a homeopathic doctor & also brought my son when he was 10 months old. I asked what I could give him instead that would not upset his tummy. They suggested Rice Milk & because they need fat in their diets (in milk as well) until they are 2 they said to put 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in the milk. Now he will not even drink regular whole milk he loves the rice milk. He has not had a tummy problem since being on Rice milk either.
Also Diane B comments are always off the wall I would ignore her comments. Milk is very important for babies again some are allergic and need something like Rice or Soy milk instead like I said above with added olive oil for fat until 2 yrs of age. But for those who are not allergic milk is very important. You can also buy Hood they do not add hormones any longer like other brands do. Sorry I needed to add that because she is strange with comments on just about everything I have read.

Try the organic milk, if milk is making her sick use rice milk and/or soy milk. You get the same benefits without the issues milk gives.

Hi D. - With both my girls, the transition to whole milk lasted a few weeks before the were drinking only the milk. Some people suggest you can mix the milk and formula so that over time the milk pretty much replaces the formula - like starting out with 1 part milk and 2 parts formula, then half and half, etc. I actually didn't do this, rather, I started by introducing milk at meal times, and I kept the formula feed for first thing in the morning, before nap time, in the afternoon, and before bed. My girls drank milk with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This way, if they didn't take to it, I knew they were getting their nutritional needs met by the bottles throughout the day. I found that it did take some time, but they slowly began to prefer the milk, so I began to spread it out to first thing in the morning and before bed. After a while, it was all milk, and around 11-12 months, I found with both girls that they gave up the big bottle when they woke up and before naps and bedtime anyway, so that wasn't an issue. My 13-month old drinks about 12-14 oz. of milk a day now, which my pediatrician says is great (she said anything over 10 oz. is fine, though obviously not too much either!!), and she drinks it basically all at mealtimes with the exception of a little right before bed as a wind down.

One last thing - I let my girls drink from their bottle at first, then started to put the milk in a sippy cup and began to slowly introduce the cup over the bottle in a way similar to giving milk over formula. You don't want to change both the milk AND the cup all at once. When I knew my girls were okay with the milk, I gave the cup more than the bottle, then slowly took the bottle away completely. My 13-month old is not totally drinking both water and milk out of a sippy cup. It can be confusing with all the changes - just take it slow and remember than it is a process. Good luck!!

I would try the Next Step Formula and go with Soy! Enfamil makes it and it's a powder but it's great. She may have issues with milk and I am telling you try her with a plain lowfat yogurt, during the day (lunchtime) and try it for two weeks to see if she can handle it. My son had a terrible reaction to milk and he had been on the Nutramagin brand formula. Food allergies are terrible and you don't want to find out without at least taking it a bit slow, espeically since you know she couldn't tollerate regular formula .. my son is now 5 1/2 and he still drinks Soy Milk and it's perfectly fine for him. He eats dairy no problem now .. it all takes time.

One of my daughters had to be on this same formula and we transitioned her to whole milk but this was 10 years ago and I am not sure if it is whole milk now. It might be 2% now. I started by doing something like this.
If she takes 6 ounces of formula then you put 5 ounces of formula and 1 ounce of milk. Do that for a few days and then reduce the formula. Do 4 ounces of formula and 2 ounces of milk for a few days and then keep going so eventually she is on just the milk. It may take as long as a month or so but that is ok.
Good luck

I think you should try goats milk first. Goats milk is the most similar to human milk so the fats and proteins are much more gentle on babies' stomachs. All throughout history people who couldnt nurse used nanny goats. Nowadays you can just run to whole foods probably even shaws and find meyersburg (meyers something)goat milk right in the dairy area. Even adults who cant digest cows milk drink this. There is even goats milk yogurt at the supermarket. Many countries label cows milk as inadequate for children under 2. Although we dont really get to hear much about it there is a lot of controversy about cows milk for children because it is actually really hard on the digestive system. I think just for the equal convenience you should at least try goat's milk. it's better and just as easy to find.