What's the best way..

doggiemom4 · October 2013

.. to transition to cow's milk?

I'm a little overwhelmed about it and I don't even know where to start.

Help. Suggestions. Advice.

TIA!

LBStewart · October 2013

I breastfeed, but DD gets bottles when I'm at work. A few weeks ago I started putting about 1/4 WCM and 3/4 breastmilk in her bottles. (We put prune juice in it too, but that's a totally different story.) I've gradually been changing the ratio to 1/2 WCM and 1/2 breastmilk. Now I do anywhere from half and half to 3/4 WCM and 1/4 breastmilk. She still takes it in a bottle, but other than that she's been fine with the transition. We will most likely be at 100% WCM by her birthday.

SurpriseAt39 · October 2013

With DD she stopped breast feeding around 10 months. But I had lots of frozen breast milk. So she got bottles of BM for a week or so, then I did half BM and half WCM for a couple weeks (had to warm it initially).
Then she was on just WCM warmed in a sippy cup by the time a month had passed.
By the time she was 1 year she drank from a 'tippy' cup and it no longer needed to be warmed.

Now DS...he still breast feeds. He refuses bottles every time.
We have offered WCM and he will have a few sips here and there, but not on any regular basis.
When he is away from me he drinks water.

I'm hoping he will soon start on WCM when I'm away. (I had planned to stop BFing when he hit a year...and especially since I'm pregnant and my supply is dropping)

LuckyMissus · October 2013

LBStewart said:

I breastfeed, but DD gets bottles when I'm at work. A few weeks ago I started putting about 1/4 WCM and 3/4 breastmilk in her bottles. (We put prune juice in it too, but that's a totally different story.) I've gradually been changing the ratio to 1/2 WCM and 1/2 breastmilk. Now I do anywhere from half and half to 3/4 WCM and 1/4 breastmilk. She still takes it in a bottle, but other than that she's been fine with the transition. We will most likely be at 100% WCM by her birthday.

This is our basic approach, too. Except we're still just at a quarter. I'll keep upping it until we make the switch!

We're also working on teaching him to use a straw sippy cup so we can hopefully stop it with the freaking bottles already!

LuckyMissus · October 2013

Oh, what I get totally confused about is what we'll do if he doesn't take to the cow's milk. I think we'll try almond milk rather than soy. But, IDK.

jg1011 · October 2013

V is formula fed. We started with 1 ounce of WCM to 7 oz of formula. Did that for three days. Then moved to 2 ounces of WCM and 6 ounces of formula. Did that for 3 days. We followed that pattern till he was 4 and 4. Then pediatrician said I could jump it to 6of WCM and 2 of formula.we are there right now for three days. My final move will be to full WCM, but I am going to wait until Saturday or Sunday to I that.

For all my worry.....V did great! Never looked back and takes the bottle better now than ever before.

Still has to be like warm though. Not a fan of cold milk. We are gradually bringing down the time we warm it. Down to 3 min now from 5.

doggiemom4 · October 2013

Thanks @jg1011

Zane is formula fed too. That seem easy. I guess I will start tomorrow.

fusionbride · October 2013

I have found very little information/advice on this!

But I have made up my own plan, which is to start LO on cold breastmilk in a straw cup instead of one of her mid-day bottles a few weeks before she turns one, and gradually add some WCM to it once she will take the BM cold. After age 1, we'll do two of her mid-day bottles from the cup instead, and then go from there depending on how well she takes it.

I'm personally less concerned about the WCM introduction and more interested in transitioning away from the bottle and moving to full-time cup. I'd like to have her totally done with bottles by 13 or 14 months.

doggiemom4 · October 2013

I know. I feel like there isn't a set plan out there.

I've been giving LO a 6 or 7 oz bottle with 2 oz of CM and the rest formula. I am now gonna go up in CM and down in formula.

My LO seems to be doing well with the temp. He drinks ice cold water all the time. So I wasn't worried about temp for us.

I am hoping by the time we empty the formula container we are using, he will fully be on CM.

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