When to start cows milk?

[*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.