how the heck do I transitiong to cows milk and a cup!

[twogirlsmommy]

Hi!  My dd will be 1 year in about 2 weeks.  My doctor recommended dropping the bottles and on some level I agree but I have no idea how to go from formula to milk and from bottle to sippy cup.  She already drinks water at every meal from a sippy so I know she can drink out of one  I just don't know how to make the transition from formula to milk or how much milk she should be getting.  Right now she gets 3 8 ounce bottles plus 3 meals. Any advice or help would be appreciated.

[Mum-of-Two]

I did the transition slowly.  So in an 8 oz bottle I would do 6 oz formula and 2 oz milk to get started and make sure LOs tummy agrees.  Then from there half and half then eventually 2 oz formula and 6 oz milk.  My guy is 16 months and still on half and half mostly because I like the vitamins he gets from the formula yet.  I did switch him to that stage 2 formula just after 1 year.  Its cheaper and I now go through 1 container every 2 weeks instead of the 1 every week routine.

The cup, I don't know.  Sounds like you're already down to the 3 bottles.  That afternoon one will probably be the easiest but morning and night tend to be so much about the comfort of the bottle,  you know?  Still wondering how we're going to make that change too.  I am thinking about just mixing the milk/formula in a bottle then pouring into a sippy one morning to see what he does.  For us, the evening one will be the hardest to get rid of.  No harm in just putting milk in a cup one day and waiting to see what happens.

DD was 18 months when she just decided one day not to take the bottle.  She refused it and I just never offered again and she didn't seem to care.  I am still secretly hoping that happens again with DS 

Transition of any kind takes time so don't feel any 1 year pressure.  My DS happened to be sick when he turned 1 so I waited a good 3 weeks before I started messing with his schedule to get on a 1 year routine.

Best of luck!!

[~*Nicole*~]

Hi!

When I switched DD to cups (I actually did this at 10.5 months b/c I was afraid it would take forever and it didn't so I was trying to do it before she turned 1 LOL) I just kept offering her a sippy cup instead of a bottle for the morning...and still bottles later. She eventually took to it and I just then dropped any bottles except her night one...which I did last. When I was ready, I switched up her routine, gave her a sippy cup at night downstairs and then brought her up to brush teeth, read a story and go to bed.

To switch from formula to cow's milk I did it mixed. So 3/4 formula to 1/4 milk...and gradually increased over the course of about a week or so. Then when it was just  milk...she didn't like it cold as formula had always been room temp. So I stuck it in the microwave for like 10 seconds tops...just to take the chill out. She did well with that and then was slowly able to drink it cold.

Some LOs just take to it easier and some will stick their heels in and stubbornly refuse to drink it. If she's drinking water and eating dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc.) then I'd be willing to let it go if she doesn't drink much at first out of the sippy cup. If you give her a bottle if she refuses to drink from the sippy cup, she'll keep refusing and hold out for the bottle. So...hopefully she will take to having milk feeds in a cup easily, but if not, and she otherwise eats well and won't be dehydrated b/c she'll drink water....don't stress. She will be fine if it takes her awhile to come around.

[<Catherine>]

I don't know whether what I am going to post should be taken as 'advice' as I'm no expert, but will share what I do/did (which was mainly on the advice of other BWers!).

At 12 months (well a couple of weeks before) I gradually started mixing formula and cow's milk, and over a few days increased the amount of cow's milk until he was purely on that. To be honest he didn't seem to notice and I think I would have actually been fine just doing a straight switch. It does seem to have had an effect on his bottom though, but could be down to teeth, not sure yet!

As for bottles, I don't give any milk in a sippy. He has water in his sippy at mealtimes and throughout the day, but all his milk is still in bottles. We are on 3 bottles - 9oz in the morning, 9 oz at bedtime (he usually drinks it all, but not always), and a bottle in the afternoon which is currently at 5oz but Im gradually cutting this one out.

HTH! xx

[~*Nicole*~]

OH...I did mean to mention that your LOs poop might change a bit when you first switch to the cow's milk. DD's was a bit less firm and a slightly different color than usual....but it went back to normal fairly quickly. I think it was just her tummy getting used to it. So don't be alarmed if it happens.

[*Becky*]

I did it cold turkey so a different approach and the week after DS first bday. then when he was 14 months I switched to a cup in the am. It was much easier than i was expecting. i had a couple of mornings when he would not take it but we kept with it and on the third day he drank from it and glugged it down from then on. then when he was about 16 months i did the evening bottle which was even easier as he was used to the cup so just accepted it. I think we were lucky

[Tay]

In relation to cows milk I done the same thing as the pps mentioned - mixing formula (in our case was soy) and cows milk until she was taking a full bottle of cows milk.
DD never ever wanted to drink milk from a cup. So on the advice from the BWSAP we are currently 'cutting' her bottle teat. Started with a slit to one side, then another one to make an x, and the next step is to cut the x out so it leaves a big square in the middle and the appeal of the bottle goes away.
Hope this helps
xxx