2 seperate questions, 1 about sippys and 1 about cows milk

[corrina01]

I know DD can't have it as her main drink until the age of 1, but can I give cows milk on cereal.

I know this question has been asked lots of times, but my DD is refusing to drink formula or water out of a sippy.  She keeps chewing on the soft spout.  I think I have tried all the brands in the UK, but if it is a soft spout she chews on it, if it is a hard one, she doesn't even put it her mouth, she takes it out of my hands and chews on the handles instead.

I offer it twice a day with both formula and water, and some baby juice, she will take a little of the baby juice, about half an oz.

As it is now coming up to summer in the UK, and I want to combine 4 bottles into 3, I am just worried about her getting dehydrated.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[datallan]

Yes, she can have cow.soya/goat on her cereal. The min/max milk i ntake includes formula and other dairy products.
When Phoebe was you LO age she was only on 2 formula bottles (AM and bedtime).
Phoebe would have 4oz formula and rest in cereal with fruit or yoghurt with fruit and slice wholemeal toast. Yoghurt pot is equal to 4.5oz milk.

I started Phoebe in beaker at 6mths and used the old fashioned type,spills everywhere and free flows. Took a week but she got the jist.
She didn't like the AVENT ones but likes the soft spout tommee tippee, afraid it is hit and miss which one your LO will like.
I would start her off with very diluted baby juice and move onto milk a later date.

Debs

[corrina01]

Thanks for that Debs.  I didn't know a yoghurt pot was equivalent to 4.5oz of milk, thanks for the info. 

[thitz]

You could try a straw sippy.  It was easier for my dd cause you don't have to tilt it up.  There's one made by Nuby.

If you try milk early, watch for any allergic reactions.

[tylersmommy]

Small amounts of cows milk, like on cereal, are fine. Tyler didn't drink much out of the sippy until we got rid of the bottle at 1 yr. He'd sometimes drink a couple ounces if I held him in my lap and gave it to him like a bottle, but he'd never pick it up himself and actually drink more than a sip. He had a couple of transition weeks after the bottle was gone where he didn't drink much at all, but one day it clicked and he guzzled away. I wouldn't worry about it just yet, since she still takes her bottles well. Just keep offering the sippy to her at mealtimes. Even though it seems like she's just playing around with it, it's all part of the learning process.

Is there a particular reason you're wanting to drop a bottle? If she's still drinking an adequate amount of formula (24 oz) with 3 bottles, it shouldn't be a problem, but if you're concerned about her getting dehydrated you might consider keeping her on 4 bottles if she takes more formula that way.

[*Natasha*]

We use cows milk on DD cereal and have done so since 6months with no problems, it is also ok to use for cooking in their meals.
As for a sippy we have given DD one with water since starting solids and it did take her a while to get the hang of ir no worries. We actually replaced her bottles with a sippy cup for a while but had to go back to a bottle again as it is better for her since she is teething so badly at the moment.
We have also just tried her with a straw cup and it only took us showing her twice to get the hang of it and now loves drinking with it.