cow's milk question...

catou_98 wrote: Hi, anybody has made the switch to 3.25 cow's milk yet??? we are thinking maybe but I'm gonna wait till her 9 month chexkup on thursday to ask my doctor, anyhoo my sister-in-law told me that when you do swith them to whole cow's milk you first have to dilute it 50/50 with water, is this true?? I've never heard that before!!! any input would be appreciated! thanks and have a nice day!

supermom replied: We've always been told not to switch to cow's milk before they are a year old because of the possibilities of allergic reactions - and then use the whole milk - either 3.5% or 4% depending on who makes it and where you live....

aspenblue1 replied: I have not heard anything about diluting the milk. I was told no milk until 1 year old by my ped. I would recommend checking with your ped.

luelth replied: They used to recommend switching to cow's milk around this age, but now they say not to until 12 months. But when you do switch, don't dilute it -- I think some people make the switch by going 50% cows milk, 50% formula, and then decrease the formula as they baby gets used to the taste. But according to my ped, the reason for not giving milk before 12 months isn't so much allergies as nutrition. He has no problem with me giving Ethan cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese. And when we couldn't find a formula Ethan didn't spit up with, he even suggested trying goat's milk as an alternative. Didn't do us any good, though, so we're back with formula.

Lucy

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I put usually 6 ounces of formula and 2 ounces of whole milk. My doctor approved it though, and Zach is doing great!

MomToMany replied: I've always been told to wait until at least 1 year old to introduce cow's milk, and it should be whole milk. And then you're not supposed to dilute it. They still need all the fat that's in it. I would talk to your ped more about this.

MommyToAshley replied: I was always told 1 year too... I don't think I ever asked why. I just assumed it was because of allergies.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: They say not to give cow's milk because of one of the proteins in cow milk is not easily digested by babies. Formulas contain this bovine protein, but it's broken down.

My doc told me that since Zach is on formula, there is NO PROBLEM with us doing a little mixin, to get him used to it, that way the change won't be so drastic. That like switching to Coke from Pepsi... it's almost the same, but not quite....kwim?

In some extreme cases, this bovine protein can cause sever gastro problems, from mild cramping to severe bowel problems. It's just not worth the risk for some.

We started off with 1/2 ounce of 2% milk added to an 8 ounce bottle, and gradually increased the amount. Now we're up to 2 ounces added to a 6 ounce bottle. Zach is FINE with it, no problems whatsoever, and sometimes, we even change white milk to Chocolate milk for a little treat. He LOVES that!

Mommieto2Girls replied: So when do we start mixing in the regular milk? Madison will be a year old in less than 3 months.

Another question, if she is on soy formula, how do I give her regular milk ?

She does get regular milk in stuff like ice cream, mac n cheese, and she seems fine with it.

booey2 replied: We tried to switch Thomas over early, last September, but his stomach didn't agree with it so back to formula we went until after his first birthday in November. Then he went straight to Homo Milk no problems then.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: We also give him stuff like kraft dinner, cheese, ice cream.... he's fine with everything. We're going to be adding another 1/2 ounce next week.

CantWait replied: I switched Robbie at about 9 months old, and never diluted it. That's the first I've heard of that.