Bit confused about milk...

[Lena]

Hoping someone can help. Nate is 11 months and still having about 3 x 8oz bottle of formula a day. I'm just wondering, am I supposed to be weaning off formula now or when he turns 12 months, do I just switch his formula to cows milk? I know he should probably be off bottles at 12 months, but thats not going to happen. He's not good enough with a sippy cup yet. He drinks well out of it when he wants to, but doesn't drink enough.

At 12 months i was planning on him having 2 x formula a day (morning and night) and replace his lunchtime bottle with cows milk in his sippy cup. Then after a month or 2 of that, then only a bottle of formula before bed. Then eventually get rid of that as well. Does this sound ok?

 

[Natasha2605]

We switched to cows milk at 11.5 months and she didn't notice the difference. Some babies do though and it could be a case of gradually introducing cow's milk one feed at a time. Your plan sounds like a good one!

Summer is also still drinking 30 odd onces of milk, a lot I think when she's on 3 meals a day plus snacks but she doesn't sleep without milk. I wouldn't worry about taking the bottle away, we have no plan to, Summer's happy enough with them I plan on gradually swapping bottles for cups etc.

Good luck xx

 

[QTPie]

Alex has one beaker of Toddler (formula) milk on waking, a beaker of full fat cows milk after his nap (about 3/4pm), then a bottle of Toddler milk before bed.

He eats VERY well, but the Toddler milk is "belt and braces" (better for iron and guts/mins than cows milk).

I intend to continue with Toddler milk to his second birthday (unless he decides to drop it beforehand).

I know, ideally, he shouldn't still be having bottles, but it is one a day and it helps him settle. I would look to drop that by his second birthday.

Personal choice really

 

[Lena]

Thanks girls. QTPie, I actually didn't know they made toddler milk (milk for children 12months +) so will have to look for it next time im at the shop (we live in the US now). He has, since he was about 2 weeks old, had bath,bottle, bed routine so i am wary of changing that (although, to be honest, he hasnt slept well since we've moved so i dont think it would make a difference).

 

[QTPie]

I have a feeling that there IS toddler (12+ months) formula in the US.... We went to LA just after Alex was 1 and I looked at the formula then. In the end we stuck to cows milk - for the 2.5 weeks that we were in LA/Colorado - because I couldn't get pre-mixed toddler formula: I prefer not to use the powder (I am too lazy ). We use Aptimil ready mixed at home.

We are going to Miami (Caribbean cruise) at the end of this month and I will take a supply of ready mixed formula and also healthy toddler snacks with us (was unimpressed that virtually all toddler snacks in the US have salt/sugar in them...)

 

[Laucu]

That sounds like a good plan to me. When Emma was around 11-12 months she stopped drinking her afternoon bottle, and since then has drunk 7oz first thing in the morning and 7oz before bed. We switched to cows milk just after she turned 12 months, and did it by replacing it oz by oz.

 

[Natnee]

We only dropped Belle's late morning bottle a few weeks ago, and she just has 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. She didn't even notice not having the late morning one. She still has both in bottles. I haven't really tried giving her milk in a beaker yet. She has her water during the day in beakers. We are also still using formula (toddler formula) as to me it's got more nutrients than cow's milk. Also on parr for cost. She has cows milk on cereal. I might try and wean her onto 1 of each a day. A friend of mine did this with her LO by reducing the amount of formula by 1 oz and replacing this with cows milk, then the next day by 2 oz and so on. So at the end it was just cows milk. I might try this method.

 

[MotherBeth]

I have a feeling that there IS toddler (12+ months) formula in the US.... We went to LA just after Alex was 1 and I looked at the formula then.

Yes, there's toddler formula! We use it.

 

[WW1]

Alex has one beaker of Toddler (formula) milk on waking, a beaker of full fat cows milk after his nap (about 3/4pm), then a bottle of Toddler milk before bed.

He eats VERY well, but the Toddler milk is "belt and braces" (better for iron and guts/mins than cows milk).

I intend to continue with Toddler milk to his second birthday (unless he decides to drop it beforehand).

I know, ideally, he shouldn't still be having bottles, but it is one a day and it helps him settle. I would look to drop that by his second birthday.

Personal choice really

That's almost exactly what we do as well

I'm not too bothered about her still having a bottle at the moment - she'll drop it eventually and to be honest we've got other things that we think are more pressing (like sleep training )

 

[bubbles123]

I started with half cows milk half formula at 12 months then at 12.5 months just switched to cows milk. He didn't notice! I don't use toddler milk, he just has two bottles of cows milk, one in the morning and one in the evening. He has a vitamin and mineral drop in his morning bottle. Much cheaper!
At 12 months he had three bottle a day, once he was on cows milks I replaced the afternoon bottle with a snack so he went down to just the two. I intend to offer the milk twice a day for as long as he wants it really.
He still has milk in bottles, refuses to drink milk out of a sippy cup of any kind. He drinks water in a sippy cup during the day. X

 

[OmarsMum]

Omar drinks 1 toddlers milk feed before bedtime & cow milk during the day. He drinks 2-3 milk feeds. He's not a good eater. When he's off food I offer him toddlers milk only for the extra nutrients. He goes through phases of refusing to eat esp when he's teething or not feeling well. xx