switching to whole milk?

My son is 9 months so I have thinking about whole milk and deciding when to switch him. Now I know the recommendation is 12 months but is it absolutely safe at that point? Also any suggestion on how to do the transition? And our family usually drinks skim milk so at what age is it safe to let him drink what we drink

ok ,well i have 5 kids and i started all of my children on whole milk at 9 months. I noticed that all of my children were geting constipated with it so i put them on 1% milk but only when i have started feeding foods because they need the fat for their body to grow. My middle son would throw up the whole milk and it looked like cottage cheese so i had to give him soy milk for the rest of the year until he was 2 and now he is 7 and eats dairy and milk fine. it is very ok to give him whole milk but it may constipate him, if it does then change to 1% milk but feed food.. if he is still constipated i recomend buying a medication over the counter called miralax and put a spoon ful in his bottle once a day at it works goooood. i noticed when i started my kids on fresh milk and feeding from my plate he seemed happier fuller and more energy.

Unless your son has exhibited a sensitivity to cow's milk he can transition around 12 months with no problem. Feel free to offer him other dairy products now.

I'm in the middle of transitioning my daughter, so I'm no expert. We have been offering a little cow's milk in a sippy cup with dinner just to get her used to the taste. As long as he is growing properly, most kids can switch to what the rest of the family drinks when they are 2 years old.

Wait until he's 12 months. It's not a matter of being "safe", it has to do with your baby's digestive development. It's just too hard for them to process the proteins in milk at this age. The longer you wait, the better.

He will have to be on whole milk (4%) until he's at least two. Depending on his weight at that time, you might be able to bring him down to 2%. Skim milk shouldn't be used until he's a preschooler.

I began doing 1/2 formula 1/2 milk at 11 months, and then eventually transitioned to full whole milk by 12 months. They have to stay on whole for a couple years, because the fat helps with bone and brain development. As for keeping the baby full, by this time he should be eating lots more solids and not only having formula. By the time you are on milk only, you use it with meals and in between only a bit, as they are eating regular meals and snacks. It is not the same ounce rule as formula.

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Good Luck!

Mom of a 2 1/2 year old boy, with another boy due in December.

is he only on formula? he should be eating oatmeal, pureed veggies and fruits by now. they also make foods for his age group in the baby food aisle.
if he is eating those foods, i would check with your dr. just a simple phone call should do it.

Their bodies aren't ready to break down milk until the age of 1. I would not give your son milk yet. Whole Milk is thinner than formula so you're not going to be giving him as much milk as you would formula. When you make the transition you could put 1/2 formula 1/2 milk then just give him the milk if he takes to that well. I didn't do that for my son, I just put milk in his sippy cup and he drank it.

There's a lot of anxiety out there about when to switch to cow's milk, and how to transition your baby from formula to cow's milk. Don't worry. Chances are your son won't have any problems at all. Like you said, you should wait until he's 12 months old. And he should drink whole milk until he's 2 year's old. Once he's 2, he'll be okay to drink skim milk.

I have two daughters. When they turned 12 months, I just switched them to cow's milk cold turkey. I didn't transition them at all -- I just gave them bottles with milk instead of formula. They had no problems at all. No digestive problems, no fussing. They both took to the milk instantly. Of course every child is a little bit different. But there's no need to worry about it. Your son will be fine.