Changing from Formula to Cows Milk

tadgh12

Our son is one and we are changing from formula to cows milk. Are you meant to water down the cows milk or just give full fat cows milk and if so how much cows milk is he meant to get a day?

LashingLady

I mixed it with formula at the start and then watered it down for a couple of weeks after cos I heard it can be constipating if they're not used to it. As far as I know it's the same amount as they were getting in formula so for a one year old that's 2x8oz bottles a day isn't it?

tadgh12

I had been giving our son 5oz full fat milk and 3oz water and he is fine with that - would you think i should try him with an 8oz full fat bottle and see how he gets on?? Also has anyone got an opinion on fortified iron milk that aptamil or cow and gate do?? Do you think its good to use them in the childs first year?

January

I didn't water it down at all and she's fine with it, loves her bottle of milk in the morning.

If you're talking about those toddler milks (the 1+ ones) they're full of sugar and a complete gimmick. Your baby doesn't need iron fortified milk, if he/she has a balanced and varied diet then they are getting all the iron they need.

cbyrd

Totally agree with adrienne, those milks were invented apparently to get around the advertising laws for baby milks. There was a piece about it on the consumer show last monday Eddie hobbs giving it loads for baby milk
I know that we always watered down the cows milk for a few weeks with boiling water (for my younger brothers way back before microwaves) just to heat them, none of mine really like milk so i've never used it beyond formula (9 - 12 months)
I'm struggling to keep my youngest on 2 7oz bottles a day. He'll drink maybe 5ozs then gives up..:rolleyes:

Cat Melodeon

We've made the full transition to cow's milk this week. My lad is 14 months old and we've been switching over since he was 12 months. We started by mixing his normal milk (expressed breast milk and some formula) half and half with cow's milk, but he got bad nappy rash almost immediately. We slowed down the switch to adding one ounce of cow's milk per week and that worked fine.

He gets 3x5ounce drinks of milk. I found he wasn't able for 2 x 8oz. The one before breakfast and the one before his nap are usually from a cup, the night-time one is still from the bottle. I sometimes skip the before-nap one if he seems like he'll sleep without it - he gets planty of calcium from cheese, yoghurts etc. We went through about 6 cups before we found one he would take - two weeks later he had mastered all of them, so I don't know if he just wasn't ready or if the one he eventually used was easier to figure out.

As for the iron, I definitely wouldn't be bothering with the follow-on milks. Broccoli, lean red meat, fish, beans, tofu, Brussels sprouts, poultry are all high enough in iron to meet a toddler/wobbler's needs. Serve them up with something containing Vitamin C to improve iron absorption - a drink of watered orange juice or a portion of Vit C-rich fruit or veg should do the trick (blackcurrants and strawberries are excellent, as are citrus fruits, red peppers etc - make sure they're fresh rather than canned or frozen).