When Did You Start Whole Milk? *Edited*

my kids are now 19 and 13 and when I stopped breastfeeding and we were switching to milk, I had bad luck with whole milk. neither son tolerated it well. after a few vomiting episodes, switched to 2% and all went well. after they were about 2, we went to skim and all is well! the 19 year old is 6'4" and the 13 year old is 5'8". both are strong and healthy, play sports and have never had anything broken yet!!
knock on wood.

I started my baby at one year as most of the books seemed to suggest. She doesn't have any sign of allergies and I knew that there was milk in other things that she ate such as pancakes and so thought it unlikely that she would have an allergy. I also read that one of the reasons to wait until 1 yr is that a babies liver needs to develop to be able to process well the milk by products.
I started slowly by adding some whole milk to her other milk and gradually lowered the amount of the non-whole milk.
My doc also told me that it was very important not to use 2% or skim, that toddlers need full fat for brain development. he also said that the follow on milk by enfamil et al are a waste of money.

The poster at the bottom is incorrect. 2% Milk is not watered down, it is cow milk with some of the fat removed. If your child were allergic to cow's milk, they would be equally allergic to whole milk as to 2% or skim milk. If they know of a child who had a milk allergy and can now drink 2% milk it is because he has outgrown the milk allergy, not because the milk is "watered down". Also, though some people have had success with goat's milk, it is not a safe substitute for cow's milk if your child has a cow's milk allergy. The proteins are similar and goat's milk could cause an allergic reaction just as cow's milk does.

With my first I think we stuck primarily with breastmilk until she was two, since there are so many benifits to it. With my second I added whole milk (after the last breastfeeding of the day) when he was just over a year. I did this because I got pregnant and my milk supply decreased.

Breastmilk is so good for nutrition and immunity, that I encourage you to focus on that. If you want to add milk because you are hoping to reduce the breatfeeding then that's fine, but don't feel like you have to:) If you do start on milk it should be whole milk until they are 2, because they need the fat for brain development.

Hi there!

We started our daughter on whole milk at 12 months. As a baby, she was not able to drink the regular formulas and was on soy and while I was breastfeeding I had to limit my dairy for her. It took a few weeks to transition her into whole milk. After seeing negative change- diarhea, bloating, cramps etc- when we started whole milk we went to soy and gradually added the whole to the soy to transition her. We noticed the more frequent rashes and someone suggested that I try the Oberweis whole milk. We did that and have had no problems since then.

I like the Oberweis since they claim to be anitbiotic and hormone free. It definately tastes a lot better then the milk in the plastic jugs. Wish I could buy it for myself too but she is the only one who gets it :( lol Great in your coffee though!

We started the milk as soon as the Dr said it was safe to do so. We were going to stick to the second stage of formula but the Dr said it was a waste of money to go ahead and switch. The Oberweis is more expensive then other milks- about $3.50 for a half gallon but it is still less expensive than formulas- but well worth it in my opinion!

Hope this helps you make a decision that feels right for you and your son. Ask your ped. what he thinks you should do if you are really concerned about the milk and the issues you have with it. Good luck and many blessings!

I nursed my daughter for almost 18 months. I tried giving her whole milk around 13 months and she wouldn't drink it. She ate Yogurt but wouldn't drink milk, so I just continued to nurse her. She finally ended up drinking milk after I weaned her. We don't have any milk allergies. There's no reason you can't keep nursing him, unless it doesn't fit into your schedule.

I introduced whole milk at about a year, give or take a month or two with each of my kids. I started doing it at mealtimes, and I also used it as a way to get them off the few bottles they'd get two days a week while at daycare. Mom's milk was in bottles, cow's milk in sippies. I just figured why keep the bottles around? It was just a natural progression that they both kind of lost interest in me gradually after a month or so, except for nap and bed time nursings.

There is no need to ever start your child on cow's milk. There's soy milk, rice milk- all which are fortified. If you still plan to give cow's milk, please give organic only because regular milk has Growth hormone, antibiotics, and other chemicals!

Hi Jennifer- I am a SAHM of 4 (8,7,5 and 19 monthes) I nursed all exclusively for the 1st year- then started dropping feeding on every week or 2 until all were weaned by 14-16 monthes. I chose to do this becuase non of my kids ever took a bottle and I was ready to be able to spend more time with my husband, the other children (ex an overnight with my oldest in Brownies) None of my children seemed upet or missing the nursing- I would distract if it came up. I also personally believe (I totally have a do what works for YOU! parenting mentality) that once my kids were old enough cow milk that we moved on to cow milk (we also had no allergy probs)
Well that's my story- best of luck with what you decide for oyur little one!
Beth

If a child is getting enough human milk then there is no need for cow's milk. Your pediatrician should be supportive of this as well and nursing to age two is the recommendations from the World Health Organization.

Hi Jenifer,
Do you drink milk? If you do then you shouldn't have any problems introducing it now. My son had problems with digesting the milk protein that he got from my milk, so no dairy for me all 14 months of nursing. At 14 months I slowly gave him juice and whole milk mixed (baby smoothies) and he took to that. We haven't had any problems since. Try it and document any fussy times (gas pain) to see if they corrilate with feeding times. I hope I was helpful:^)

My dd is 13 months old. She nurses about 3-5 times a day. I give her a little organic whole milk in a glass at dinner time, but that is about it. I just wanted to start her on it so she would be used to it when she eventually weans. To answer your question you really don't need to give him any until he weans. He is getting all the milk he needs from you. But if you wanted to give him a little with his meals or something just to get him used to it that would be fine. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it until he weans. Toddlers really don't need that much cows milk anyway, as long as they are getting other dairy. ie. yogurt, cheese, etc.
Congratulations on still nursing!!!!

Hi Jennifer!
My son is 10 months and thriving! He got his teeth at three months, so I started him on rice and formula early. Now I chop everything that we eat in the food processer and he wants nothing to do with baby food. Plus, it's healthier, baby food had a lot of sodium and preservatives. I was thinking about starting him on whole milk soon, I mean what is it going to hurt? I don't think you have to wait until the day thay turn 1. I waited until about 14 months with my first son.
Question-
I am a SAHM and have always loved photograghy, my husband just bought me a professional camera and I am very interested in learning, taking classes, etc., maybe even working in a studio, after my youngest is in school, do you have any info. on any of this?

I kept one of my sons on toddler formula till he was over two since he refused to drink whole milk.

congrats on doing so well w/ nursing! it's certainly not an issue to not give him milk, esp since he still nurses so much fr you during the day yet. yr milk is better than any other animal's milk. the only issue might be if he might not want to have it ever -- as in, is that an issue for you that he might not want cow's milk? I've heard of kids that reeject it if you try to introduce it too late (I think I've heard that, anyway). but, if he doesn't drink it, it's not that big of a deal, if you ask me, as long as he gets his calcium and fat and protein from other sources. super baby food has a great ref list in it, but i'm sure you can find a list online too. recap: i wouldn't worry about it!
:-)

No need to start whole milk at all since you are breastfeeding. I decided to introduce whole milk at a year, even though I planned on extended nursing, because I wanted to get my DD used to the taste. I figure she will wean someday ;) and then I'll want her to have a glass of milk with dinner. :)

If you plan to continue breastfeeding, there is no need to start feeding your son cow's milk. My daughter's pediatrician asked at each visit starting at a year, if I had started my daughter on whole milk yet, and I said, "No, she is still breastfeeding." Her response was always, "Ok, great!"

Human milk is perfectly designed for baby humans! Cow's milk is perfectly designed for baby cows. There is nothing a child is missing out on by not drinking cow's milk, if they are breastfed.

Early introduction of cow's milk actually increases the chance of developing childhood diabetes (type-1). In Disease Proof Your Child, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, he recommends that a child not be fed cow's milk, but that if used at all, not to start it before the child is 18 months old. He also says that after that, it is important not to use cow's milk exclusively, but to use an assortment of healthy drinks such as soy milk and nut milk.

Keep in mind that we are the only species that chooses to use another species' milk after weaned from our own kind.

My daughter is 33 months old, still nursing a couple times a day, and has never been fed cow's milk, or any other dairy product. She is growing quite nicely and is a very bright little girl with no allergies or health issues.

Good luck!

As long as he is nursing 3-4 times a day, you do not need to give him any other milk. That said My 15 MO drinks whole milk regularly and loves it. He was begging for milk out of mommy and daddys cups, and because we drink skim, I decided to just start him on whole milk figuring that he could really use the fat. Also, I am preg. with Baby #2 and thought it would help in weaning.

Usu they recommend to start to introduce whole mild at 12 mo old. Due to the allergies I would ask your pediatrician.

C. R

Dear Jennifer,
I have the same question. My daughter is 16 months old and I breastfeed about 8 times a day too. I'm sooo tired because she doesn't sleep through the night yet. I'm being careful in the transition process because I'm more interested in goats milk, raw milk or at least vat pasteurized milk. Those are healthier forms but it isn't easy to find those types. I'll be following the responses closely and hope that we can both get some answers. My daughter also has eats three meals a day--basic vegetables and fruits, yogurt, bread, olive oil, etc.

You don't mention if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. If you are breastfeeding there is no real reason to start milk, unless you want to wean. You can pump and put breastmilk in a sippy cup or continue nursing and give other liquids in a sippy cup. Human milk continues to be good for baby as long as they are getting it.

If you are formula feeding, keep in mind that formula is made of cow's milk so you are really not avoiding the allergy issue by giving formula instead of milk. Milk is not fortified with as many nutrients as formula has but the fat in whole milk is important for brain development as opposed to skim milk. After a certain point, the balance of nutrients is not quite right for the older child and will not do them much good- something to do with the size/efficiency of the liver and kidneys as well as changing body requirements.

I started milk with both of my kids around 12-13 months. My son had allergy issues so he was drinking goat milk (better tolerated) but both did well. Good luck.

I just wanted to edit after I read someone else's comment about goat's milk. I am afraid I wasn't clear. My son has/had severe eczema brought on by dairy. In his case we tried substituting goat cheese, yogurt, milk, etc for his cow milk and found that he did not have much of a reaction at all. This is true for some people and not for others. Goat milk protein is more structurally similar to human milk, apparently. I wouldn't try this if you child had a serious allergic reaction, we were just dealing with skin problems. Good luck!

I know that at the daycare where I worked, any child who was over a year was expected to have a doctors note saying they can't have whole milk. Even the ones who had been on soy formula for being lactose intolerant etc.

However, being the home enviroment I would say go for it. If you're worried about milk allergies, give 2% a try. That way the milk will basically be watered down already.

I have a 14 month old that I watch part time and his mom has milk allergies and so did baby for a while. But he's drinking 2% now with no problems.