Has anyone - given their child

mom2tripp wrote: whole milk before their first birthday?

luvbug00 replied: we did. Mya was needing the calsium. (sp.) She was a premi and so they had us give her formula for the first 7 months or so and then we did bothe whole milk and formula. She was fine with it.

booey2 replied: We tried with Thomas cus I was running out of formula, well that was a big mistake. He ended up with it running out both ends. (sorry TMI) It varies from child to child, if you want to try and the doc okays it then go ahead.

ediep replied: nope, we watd until the ped told us to start milk at his 1 year well visit

gr33n3y3z replied: We didnt bc mine all had milk allergies

coasterqueen replied: Nope, not until well after her 1st birthday. There is enough documentation out there telling me (and so did my PED) that a baby needs formula or breastmilk for the first year of life for minimal optimal brain growth and development. They will not get the nutrients needed for this growth from regular cow's milk.

This being said I know many who have done this. So you have to determine what is best for your family. I will also say that don't always go by what your PED says because there are a lot of *old fashioned* ones who will tell you it's fine.

kimberley replied: nope. milk allergies here also. but the two girls i babysat started around 10mos old. (bf for 6mos, formula for 4mos). they had no problems but there are also no known allergies in their family.

moped replied: I know lots that have at 9-12 months..............are you thinking about it?

angelhair replied: I did not with my son, waited till one year, but i would talk it over with the pefdictician and see what she says and go by her advice. love dee

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Nope... with my kids, started them with a little bit of milk in their bottle like a t 3 months (table spoon) and increased gradually all the time - by 10 months old both were on completely whole milk.

No allergies, and both my kids are advanced in several stages. Not tooting my horn here - they`re both well above the guidelines for what kids their age should be able to do.

mommyx3 replied: I would ask your Dr first. I know some kids do well on cows milk before their first birthday and Im not trying to criticise(?sp) those who start earlier, but I think formula has added vitamins and stuff they need that first year.

A&A'smommy replied: I gave Alyssa some when she was 11.5 months old to get her started she LOVED it!

jacobsmama replied:
I kinda did the same thing and by about 10 month we were on regular milk too and Jacob did great!!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Is Tripp not interested in formula anymore? Just wondering. Wil still loves formula, so I'm sticking to it and may keep giving it to him long after his first bday, which is BTW, right around the corner!! Eek.

mom2tripp replied:
Tripp's never had formula! I nurse him and he eats A LOT of solid food, I mean ANYTHING WE EAT pretty much. He's been biting me lately and won't take it very much except for in the morning and a little at night, it's like he doesn't want it at all!

MommyToAshley replied:
Maybe you could pump? Although Ashley wouldn't take expressed BM from a sippy cup.

I think I'd talk to the ped before switching to whole milk, just to be sure.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
I didn't BF for very long, so I'm not one to give advice there. But sounds like he's eating great! I would probably just check with his ped first. Now I know some of you are opposed to formula if you're BF exclusively, but I'm only suggesting that maybe supplement with a little formula during the day when he doesn't want to BF. Or just plain water? I know this is a sensitive topic, but that's probably what I would do if my child didn't want to nurse any longer and was still under one. All I'm saying is that I would choose formula over whole milk.

Good luck!

Mommy2BAK replied: Blakley's ped recommended that I have her on whole milk by her 1st B-day. So when she was 11.5 months old I gratually added it to her formula and within a few days she was drinking whole milk alone in her bottles. She loves to drink whole milk in her sippy.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I should add that by that time also my kids were eating mostly table food... loved their fruits and veggies, and the doctor said that with their diet they didn't need any additional vitamins....

I should also add that if my kids were lacking in certain vitamins / nutrients, I definitely would have given them a supplement, or formula!!

mom2tripp replied:
Pumping does not work for me anymore!!! I think I would have to build up my supply again to pump and I just don't have the patience for that, I think Tripp is getting plenty of vitamins and he is still nursing a couple times a day so I hope that is fine.

mysweetpeawill, thank you for your advice I think it's a great idea!

RAFANOMENON replied: my son JUST turned one, and I'm having the same problems! I tried mixing whole-milk with formula, and the smart little bugger could pick up on the taste, and rejected it! he's guzzling his formula down and it doesnt seem to keep him full. *shrugs* over here...

one more week till the check-up! i'll keep you all posted..