Toddler Milk or Cows Milk???

DD is just about to turn 1, she's on formula at the moment but I'm wondering if I should move up to the 12 months + formula or start her on cows milk? The GP just said it's up to me which I didn't find particularly helpful.

I've read conflicting things online and am more confused than when I started looking! She eats regularly and has a variety of meat, fruit, vegies & bread... she currently has 3 bottles a day

What's the pros/cons of both? Just looking for a bit of guidance!

What did you do and why?

Thanks :)

I'm transitioning DD to cow's milk atm, she's down to half & half formula/cow's milk but I still have a brand new tin of formula to use so will be a while before she is having straight cow's milk.
IMO the toddler formula's are a waste of money, and really just a marketing ploy on the part of formula companies. If you do find your DD isn't taking well to the cow's milk then I'd think about it, but I would try transitioning onto cow's milk first. FWIW DD is still having the step 1 formula, her body just couldn't cope with the Step 2 formula, so I think the "extra's" are just for marketing purposes...
You can still leave her on the formula she is on for a little while longer, it won't hurt her either way.

I put DD on cows milk, after a year of formula I was more than ready to finish with formula, DD is a great eater always has been that made the choice easy for me :)

if she has a well-balanced diet, i'd go onto cows milk, there's no need for the formula if a child is getting all the nutrients they need out of thier diet.

thanks for your replies! I love the idea of not having to buy formula... but the formula companies make it seem as though if I don't put her on toddler milk she won't be getting all the vitamins & nutrients she needs... talk about playing to my mum guilt!

I would put her on cows milk if I was absolutely sure she'd be getting all the nutrients she needed, but i'm questioning if she would or not...

ttc2, toddler milk is not a good option. The added nutrients in there are not readily absorbed, and they are high in sugar and tend to fill babies up so they don't eat the solid foods which will give them the nutrients they need. At 12 months some babies just don't eat well, and sometimes reducing the milk intake can be helpful. If your little one is not eating well and you are concerned, vitamin drops would be a better option than toddler milk. Sometimes the vitamin drops can also stimulate appetite so they end up working in two ways.

All the best.

Sorry to hijack :redface: but what toddler drops MR, and where would I find them?

FWIW ttc2, I agree with the others - toddler milk is more marketing then anything else IMO.

Thanks so much for your advice! So if at the moment the formula milk tin says she needs 2-3 bottles per day, does this mean she needs the equivalent amount of cows milk, or do they not have as much milk after 12 months?

MR - In a typical day DD will eat: baby porridge, vege rusks, multigrain sandwich with some sort of spread on it, a few fresh fruit pieces, a bran bar, 200g of dinner (usually meat & rice, or meat & vegies). Do you think her diet is good, or should be accompanied by some vitamin drops?

DD is 2.5 and DH still insists on buying the new Step 4 toddler milk with the vanilla flavouring. Since then DD is hooked on it (dare I suggest the sugar content). I like the idea of cows milk as she does have a pretty good diet.

Good thread ttc2. And great post MantaRay :-)

Goats or a soy milk can also be a good idea... We were BF, so diff journey than yours and MJ was still having feeds from me, but i used soy milk and goats occasionally (she didnt like it though, so we stopped that quickly) in food or drinks and then transitioned from these to cows milk.
My sister found milk upset her as a child, so wanted to try gentler options.

Great suggestions MR (gotta share the love thou ;))

ttc2, I am not a dietician but that sounds like a pretty good diet to me. Meat is a really important food for both iron and zinc so that's great that she's having that daily. I'm not sure how you are measuring her food, but if you are worried about her eating enough, perhaps just put extra on her plate at dinner and see what she eats.

With regard to milk, it is not required at all after 12 months. Many mums give cows' milk (or another milk) as an easy way of ensuring their baby is getting their daily allowance of 3 calcium serves a day, however it is quite possible for them to get enough calcium without milk. Other dairy sources include cheese and yoghurt, and there are many non-dairy sources of calcium - see this list for some ideas - The Vegetarian Society - Calcium Information Sheet.

Fleur, if you are considering them, pharmacies all sell vitamin drops. Pentativite is the most well-known brand.

My DS switched from formula to cows milk at 11mths. he was having it on cereal soooo why not.

He does have milk yogurt and stuff

My dr told me not to put them on toddler formula cause it has way too much sugar in it.

We started DS on the kids milk (not toddler formula, the actual milk in the cold section that has the extra things like omega). He had that for a little while.. but then just switched to normal cows milk as it was cheaper. DD just went straight to cows for the same reason. As long as theyre having a healthy well balanced diet, you shouldnt really need anything more than the cows.

Best of luck!