When to start cows milk?

[danniellabella]

I was wondering when it's ok to start introducing full cream cows milk, also, when to start introducing cheese (and what sort of cheeses are ok at what ages).

We use UHT milk in our house - is that ok for young children?

DD is almost 9 months old.

[Sammiejane]

Hi Danni,
MJ has been having cows milk added to food for a while now.
However when i make her porridge or weetbix i tend to use full fat organic soy... less likely to cause a problem and tastes HEAPS nicer

As for cheese, MJ has been eating that for a while now too, i only tend to gve her hard cheader and will not give those cheese stick things as they are full of salt.

I think Jazz should be fine with them at this age.
Some people say to hold off until 12mths, i was told by my cmhn that unless there was a direct allergy (you or matt) that it can be given earlier.

As we did BLS we gae it earlier than people doing the traditional solid introduction... but i would say at this age it shoul be fine.
Make sure that you introduce anything new in the morning thou, that way, if there is a reaction you will see it.
Go with your gut, if you are not happy, then hold off.

HTH

[danniellabella]

Thanks SJ.
The other thing I'm not sure of is how to introduce cows milk. Can I try giving it straight in a bottle? Does it need to be warmed or can I give it straight out of the fridge?

When it comes to adding milk to food (like weetbix) I make up a bottle of formula and put some of the formula in the weetbix and then give the rest of the bottle after she's eaten.

[*becstar*]

Danni I found for giving milk in bottles you need to introduce it slowly. So I start making up a bottle of half milk, half water and then over a peroid of maybe 2-3 weeks I slowly reduce the amount of water until it's all milk. GL

Are you hoping to use it to replace formula or as a drink in between bottles? It's recommended you use formula (or BM) until 12 months old. HTH

[danniellabella]

yes, that does help. I guess that if Formula/breastmilk is essential up to 12 months that I might just start introducing cows milk as you've suggested by diluting it to start with and just use that to substitute one or two formula feeds. She has about 5-6 Formula feeds as well as 3 solid meals and some snacks (Cruskits or milk arroroot biscuits).

[*becstar*]

Yeah, if Jazz is having 5-6 bottles a day then maybe one or two milk would be ok. I'd stick with the four FF though...I think that's the usual amount of FF in a day?

i've been using cows milk with Jake's food for AGES, lol. I was always told that full cream milk too soon will give them a belly ache, who knows how much truth is in that though I always warmed bottles of milk as usual too.

[Ezz]

I gave DS his first cup of cow's milk today & he wasn't very interested in it cold. Once it sat on the table for a little while, he was happy to drink it - I guess he likes it room temp?

[Janie]

I would be reluctant to start cows milk as a drink at 8 months. A bit of cheese, a bit of milk in your cooking, a bit of yoghurt, those things should be okay, but I would hold off giving it to her in bottles until 12 months. Or closer to it anyway

[Sammiejane]

Hi Danni,

i wont be giving it as a drink until MJ is over 12 mths.
im pretty sure that you should not be substituting feeds just yet.
But adding to food and giving dairy products like Yoghurt, cheese etc is fine.

[bon]

Adding milk to food, like breakfast or sauces etc is fine, as is cheese and yoghurt, but like the others said, don't give her cows milk to drink in a bottle until she is 12 months old. Once my kids were 1, I replaced their formula with milk cold turkey (no phasing out or anything) and they were fine - didn't even seem to notice the difference! Babies at 12 months of age should only have 2, maybe 3 drinks of milk every day - as you don't want them filling up on milk and not eating their food, which is where the bulk of their nutrition should come from.

[*becstar*]

Yeah...see mine wouldn't take milk cold turkey...that's why I had to slowly introduce it, and by then (at 12 mo) they were only having a bottle in the morning and night.

[Janie]

Oh, and UHT isn't okay for kids. Not on a regular basis anyway.

[danniellabella]

Oh, and UHT isn't okay for kids. Not on a regular basis anyway.

Ok, thanks for that. I guess when I start introducing it I'll have to get a small carton of milk from the cold section just for DD.

[Janie]

You'll be amazed at how much you'll go through actually! By the time you cook with it for her etc, you'll use a fair bit.

[danniellabella]

Janie: Do you know what it is exactly that is not good about UHT milk for young children?

[Snacks]

Natty started on cows milk at 11 months because she started refusing the breast and I didn't want to spend money on formula. She coped fine with it, but if she had have been FF I probably would've waited til 12 months.
My MCHN recommended warming the milk first because that helps to break down some of the proteins that their tummies may find difficult to digest.
DD was having cheese and yoghurt by 10 months, I think. I too go for the harder cheddar, though because I am lazy I buy the sliced cheddar or tasty and she enjoyed squares of that.

[ShootingStar]

DS was having cows on his cereal from about 9 months and in his bottle from 12 months.

[SammyRo]

I've been told by a children's dietician that cows milk in cooking and dairy in the form of yoghurt and cheese are fine before 12 months, but not as a drink as it is quite energy dense so you don't want them filling up on that rather than breastmilk or formula which has the added nutrients they also need till then.