2% or Whole Milk debate?

Question

Did you start your one year old on 2% or homo milk? why did you decide on this? What kind of side effects can kids get when switching from breast milk or formula to cows milk?

Answer 1

I started my son on whole milk and he is still on it and will be 4 in January.that's what they usually tell you to start them on.

Answer 2

The switch over needs to be a slow switch over to watch for sensitivity to milk but the side-effects can be digestive issues as they try to adjust.  I did whole milk at first but my oldest son couldn't handle it for long so I went to 2% which was better but he was drinking so much of it the Dr felt with a family history of heart problems at a young age in males on his dads side that he should be getting as much so she said to give him less of the 2% and more Skim milk so that is what we did.  I know whole milk makes me sick to my stomach but Skim is just fine, my boys seem to be the same way.  

Answer 3

The easiest solution to this "debate" is to continue giving baby what nature intends for a 1 year old to be getting: human milk.  My 2.5 year old still nurses, as does his 9 month old brother.  Human milk contains about 3-10% fat but during the first months it is closer to 3% after the first year fat content increases.  The fat in human milk is also generally healthier and contains the much touted "DHA".

When switching to cow's milk aside from the obvious allergic reactions there is also an increase in anemia and other nutritional deficiencies.  Cow's milk is deficient in so many things and a baby that is getting cow's milk instead of breast milk needs to be eating a good diet to make up for the losses.  Anemia is particularly prevalent when cow's milk consumption excess of 24oz per day)

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/eb...

Some doctors may feel that nursing will interfere with a child's appetite for other foods. Yet there has been no documentation that nursing children are more likely than weaned children to refuse supplementary foods. In fact, most researchers in Third World countries, where a malnourished toddler's appetite may be of critical importance, recommend continued nursing for even the severely malnourished (Briend et al, 1988; Rhode, 1988; Shattock and Stephens, 1975; Whitehead, 1985). Most suggest helping the malnourished older nursing child not by weaning but by supplementing the mother's diet to improve the nutritional quality of her milk (Ahn and MacLean. 1980; Jelliffe and Jelliffe, 1978) and by offering the child more varied and more palatable foods to improve his or her appetite (Rohde, 1988; Tangermann, 1988; Underwood, 1985).

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/tod...

It's best to limit the amount of cow's milk that your child receives to 2-3 cups (16-24 ounces) per day, since too much cow's milk in a child's diet can put him at risk for iron-deficiency anemia (because milk can interfere with the absorption of iron) and may decrease the child's desire for other foods.

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/tod...

Many nursing moms are told that they must introduce cow's milk at a year. Your nursing toddler is already getting the best milk he can get - mother's milk! Breastmilk has a higher fat content than whole cow's milk (needed for baby's brain growth), and all the nutrients of human milk are significantly more bioavailable than those of cow's milk because it is species specific (not to mention all the components of mother's milk that are not present in cow's milk).

There is no need for additional milk or (or the equivalent nutrients from other foods) as long as your baby is nursing 3-4 times per day. Cow's milk is really just a convenient source of calcium, protein, fats, vitamin D, etc. - it's not required. There are many people in many parts of the world who do not drink milk and still manage to get all the calcium, protein, fats, vitamin D, etc. that they need.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/eb...

Breastfeeding benefits toddlers and young children...

nutritionally, immunilogically and psychologically.

    * Nursing toddlers benefit NUTRITIONALLY

    * Nursing toddlers are SICK LESS OFTEN

    * Nursing toddlers have FEWER ALLERGIES

    * Nursing toddlers are SMART

    * Nursing toddlers are WELL ADJUSTED SOCIALLY

    * Nursing a toddler is NORMAL

    * MOTHERS also benefit from nursing past infancy

    * Additional Resources

Nursing toddlers benefit NUTRITIONALLY

    * Although there has been little research done on children who breastfeed beyond the age of two, the available information indicates that breastfeeding continues to be a valuable source of nutrition and disease protection for as long as breastfeeding continues.

    * "Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant."

      -- Mandel 2005

    * "Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins."

      -- Dewey 2001

    * In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

          o 29% of energy requirements

          o 43% of protein requirements

          o 36% of calcium requirements

          o 75% of vitamin A requirements

          o 76% of folate requirements

          o 94% of vitamin B12 requirements

          o 60% of vitamin C requirements

      -- Dewey 2001

    * Studies done in rural Bangladesh have shown that breastmilk continues to be an important source of vitamin A in the second and third year of life.

      -- Persson 1998

    * It's not uncommon for weaning to be recommended for toddler

Answer 4

i started my one year old on whole milk. i would mix it with his formula to see if i would get an allergic reaction and to see how he would like it. i did this at least three months before he turned one. he also started drinking just whole milk on a sippy cup so we took the bottle and formula at the same time and he did very well. babies are recommended to be on whole milk to gain the calories and fats their bodies need. I highly recommend anyone to try this. 2% is fine also but the best way to go is whole milk at lest for the one year after that he can drink 2% if tha is what you are used to drinking. hope this helped

Answer 5

It helps to make it half formula and half milk when you start to switch over to whole milk. I vote for whole milk because it helps with brain development.  

Answer 6

well in NZ they say you should only give your baby full fat milk until they are at least 2yo! you should never offer your baby fat free products

Answer 7

Whole milk until they reach two years of age. The extra fat content promotes healthy brain development. And if they get the proper amount(around 32 oz daily) the extra fat doesn't make them overweight.

Good luck!  

Answer 8

Neither of my kids had an side effects when switching from formula to milk. I started them out on Whole (Vitamin D) Milk, but have since switched them to 2%. Whole milk just has more fat in it, and doctors usually reccommed using it until the child is 2. My boys are 14 months and 27 months, and are both drinking 2% and are perfect in their weight and height.

Answer 9

I started giving my son whole milk when he was a year old. I choose to do this because it is what my baby book ("What to Expect During the First Year") said to do. Generally, it is recommended to give a child whole milk until they are at least 2 years old.

I don't see what side effects a child could have from switching from formula to milk unless they were lactose intolerate. Which if they were drinking cow's milk based formula, it would already be apparent whether or not they were.  

Answer 10

With my daughter, I started her on a low fat milk per

dr orders.  She was not chunky at that time, but had

rewritten the baby charts from birth on.  Dr told me she

didn't need the extra fat in the whole milk.  With my son

it will be different, as he was too small and is in the process

of catching up.  It all depends on the size of the child, talk

to the baby dr about it.

Answer 11

I started my son on whole milk, which he still drinks and he is almost three.  They need the extra fat in whole milk for their brain development, or so my doctor says (:

Answer 12

hey...whatever comes out of the boob is what the little t**d gets!

Answer 13

We didn't really switch from formula to milk.  We weaned from formula to foods with milk as a drink (which he didn't really like).  It doesn't matter which type of milk you choose as long as you can adjust the solid diet to compensate.  

We drink milk for really only 4 things: vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, and fat.

Good food sources of vitamin A include carrots, mangoes, fortified cereals and oatmeals, apricots, cantaloupe, mandarin oranges, nectarines, plums, watermelon, broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potato, squash, spinach, and tons more. http://www.hoptechno.com/book29a.htm

Our bodies can process sunlight to make vitamin D, and can do so with about 30 minutes of sun exposure a day. Food sources of vitamin D include fortified juices and grains, egg yolks, and fish.

http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles...

Calcium can be obtained through other diary products, but also from beans (lentil beans, not vegetable beans), almonds, sesame seeds, oats, cabbage, broccoli, oranges, and even brown sugar

http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles...

Sources of fats, well, are butter and margarine, olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, not so lean meats, and avocados. Fat is the biggest reason milk is suggested for toddlers since 8 ounces of whole cows milk provides about 8 grams of fat. That's great, but 1 tbsp of vegetable oil provides 14 grams and 1 tbsp of margarine provides 11 grams. That means you can sautee some veggies and grill chicken in half a table spoon of either and get the same amount of fat.

Whole milk provides more fat, but less vitamin A than 2% milk.  Since milk isn't necessary at all, either one is fine as long as the solid diet can be adjusted to fill in the gaps.