How do start to introduce milk to a baby?

Question

I have 11 month old twins there is adjusted age is 8mos due to prematurity and it is now time to introduce them to milk.How do you go about this?Do you give them little amount at first or just give a whole bottle?These are my only children and I'm still learning.Any advice will help.I have always gotten excellent advice from all the moms on here so a little more help would be great..Thanx in advance.Also they r done with formula completly at 1?

Answer 1

I started by feeding my daghter mashed potatoes made with milk and butter she loved it when i gave her milk to drink she had no problem at first i did warm it up a little she was 10 months old no need for formula when tey are eating good

Answer 2

Ok if they were premature, then you should not start milk right now. You dont start giving your babies cow's milk until they are a year old.  They should be strictly on formula right now.

Giving Cow's Milk:

Before 12 Months

It seems like it would be so much easier, as your baby gets older, to just give him a bottle or sippy cup full of cow’s milk from the fridge. For formula feeding moms not only is it easier, but much cheaper. However, your doctor tells you not too. This brings up the question, why is cow’s milk bad for your baby?

Breast milk and formula are specifically designed to be sensitive for your baby’s belly. Cow’s milk has certain proteins in it that breast milk and formula do not have. A baby’s digestive system is not capable of processing these proteins, and the lack of processing can make your baby sick. Cow’s milk also has a large amount of sodium, potassium and chloride that can be hard on your baby’s kidneys.

During your baby’s first year, it is important that he get the right amount of vitamin E, zinc, iron and other vitamins and minerals that cow’s milk does not have. These vitamins are found naturally in breast milk and are added to formula. Cow’s milk could lead to an iron deficiency in your baby and in some rare cases cause internal bleeding. It can also lead to dairy allergies as your baby gets older.

There is no doubt that cow’s milk can be more convenient that formula, but until your baby turns a year you should steer clear of giving him cow’s milk.

After 12 Months

Once your baby hits his first birthday and has his one year well-check, if your pediatrician gives the ok for you to give your baby cow’s milk, there are a lot of benefits to your baby. In most cases, for that second year of life, you will be told to give your baby whole, vitamin D milk. It is because this milk has the highest concentrate of vitamins that your baby still needs to grow. A great source of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, and magnesium, whole milk will help your baby’s bones and teeth grow and become strong.

Now that your baby’s digestive system has matured, milk will give him the protein that he needs to run and play during the day. Calcium is important to a baby’s future health because it can help prevent later cases of certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and other medical emergencies later in life.

Once they are a year old you can introduce Cow's Milk:

If Your Baby Won’t Switch

If you are lucky your baby will make the switch to cow’s milk smoothly and easily. If you are not lucky, your baby may fight the change. This could happen for any number of reasons. Milk has a different texture, temperature, color and taste from the breast milk or formula that you have been feeding your baby, and your baby may not want to adjust. If this happens try making it a gradual process. Try giving your baby cow’s milk straight from a sippy cup, instead of through a bottle. Also, try mixing cow’s milk and your breast milk or formula, slowly increasing the amount of cow’s milk, until it is only cow’s milk. If he won’t take it through a sippy cup, try spoon feeding it to him, or mixing it in with cereal and other baby food until he gets used to the taste.

To insure that your baby is as healthy as possible, ask your pediatrician about what he recommends when it comes to giving your baby cow’s milk. If you feel that your baby is not taking to cow’s milk well, then speak with your pediatrician to see if he thinks there is a problem, or has any suggestions for you to try.

Answer 3

since your babies were premature I'd give them another month before starting the switch. you just start mixing formula and milk instead of water, and then gradually take the formula away and put them down to sleep with just milk.

Answer 4

At first just add a tiny bit to their bottle, like 20 - 40 mls, depending on how much formula they are having.

For my daughter, she would have 200mls of formula and I would add an extra 20 mls of milk, just for a few days.

During this time keep an eye out for any rashes, or sickness, not all babies can tolerate full cream milk, sometimes they can be lactose intolerant. When all is ok, start adding a little bit more milk, and a little less formula, stay on that amount for a few days, and then Add more milk, and so on. Then make it half and half and just give them that for a few weeks. It will help their body to adjust, they will probably be constipated as well, so make sure to keep up the water.

This is just what I did. I still give her formula, I give her 120 mls, and I fill the rest up with milk, to around 250 (she has 3 bottles a day, she usually wont drink the whole thing anyway).

You don't have to keep giving them formula when they are on the milk, its really up to you. I just like to have a bit of formula in there, for the extra benefits of the vitamins, and what not.

I hope this helped!