My daughter is 13 mon. We just switched from formula to cows milk. We first started with 2% because I didn't want to buy two different milks... until speaking to our pediatrician. I thought the fat in whole milk was to add weight, however the fat is for brain development. We switched. We began with 4 oz of milk in the morning (plain milk not a mixture,) formula the rest of the time. Which was actually just at bedtime for us. She went down to one formula bottle a day, bedtime, 8oz. So milk in the morning, water/juice at lunch and in between, then add another 4 oz of milk at dinner (eventually, after tolerating the milk at breakfast,) then formula at bedtime. Our pediatrician said that babies do not need as much milk as we think, just three small glasses probably about 12 oz a day. We just stopped with the bottle/formula at bedtime. She misses it but it isn't stopping her from going to sleep and she doesn't seem to be hungery. We offer her a drink of water before bed, nothing in between dinner and bedtime (our Ped. says this will help them get used to not having liquids late or before bed and will help in potty training and night time bedwetting when the time comes.) Anyhow, just start with one glass of milk in the morning then add lunch and dinner and other drinks in between. Also, our daughter didn't like the taste of the whole milk but she did the 2%. I heard a number of things. We try to go with the healthiest. Add formula, which to me defeats the purpose of weaning off the formula, but now that I think about it, it would probably help with the digestion issues of whole milk. You would slowly decrease the formula. I am just kind of an "all or nothing" mom and I tend to just go for it, that being said our daughter had diarrhea for a few days in the beginning. I just refused to buy another container of formula. We also heard you can add carnation mix with the milk for taste. I am not so sure about this, I don't want her demanding chocolate milk... and don't know how much sugar is in the mix. I add a few spoons of strawberry yogurt or yogurt smoothie and mix, she loves it. We already keep it so it's not something extra that I have to buy. Any pureed fruit would work, just a small amount for flavor. This may be unconventional and maybe not pediatrician approved, but in small amounts. I drink ensure and muscle milk, both low in sugar and high in protein and I have added both, a few tablespoons to her milk. They come in 3 or 4 flavors and we don't have to buy anything special since we have it on hand. About 4 weeks in I started giving her plain milk, no added flavors and she drank it just fine.
Christine
Oh, at 12 mon. we were told she had to have vitamins. Liquid drops about $4 at walgreens. But I know many parents who's Ped. did not recommend any form of vitamin. They cant hurt, so why not. Either way I think your daughter will be fine.