Get To Know About Switching Baby To Whole Milk Side Effects

Not only due to the fact that it is such a significant achievement, but also due to the fact that it is the first birthday of their child, most parents look forward to this day with great anticipation. A child's first birthday is typically the time when parents can begin weaning their child off of breast milk and switch them over to drinking cow's milk. This is another reason why a child's first birthday is cause for celebration.

Even if you have enjoyed breastfeeding and have every intention of continuing to do so for the foreseeable future, the ability to replace some of that liquid gold with whole milk will still enable you to reclaim valuable time in your day. While this is going on, the cost of a can of baby formula is comparable to that of actual liquid gold, which means that no parent is going to miss shelling out that money.

As a result, by the time your child reaches the age of one, you will probably be more than prepared to make the transition. But is it possible to finish it earlier? Is it absolutely necessary to use milk from cows? And what can you anticipate to take place after you get the process of transitioning underway? The following is an introduction to when and how to start giving your child whole milk.

When Can Infants Start Drinking Milk From Cows?

Cow's milk can be given to infants who have reached the age of one year and are no longer required to consume breast milk or formula, as stated by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

It should be whole milk rather than a lesser % or skim milk since the fat that is included in whole milk is beneficial to the development of your baby's brain throughout the first two years of life, which are critical years for brain growth.

Having said that, parents or caregivers who have a history or risk of obesity or heart disease in their family should talk with their pediatrician about the type of milk that is the best option for their child.

Why Is It Necessary To Hold Off For A Whole Year?

Although we understand that it could be tempting to start giving your baby milk a little earlier than 12 months, you shouldn't rush things in this regard. Breast milk and formula both have iron, vitamin C, and other nutrients that aren't found in cow's milk, or at least not in levels that are sufficient for your child's healthy development.

However, by the time your kid is one year old, they can compensate for many of those lost nutrients with a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, dairy, and whole grains. This is because breast milk and formula are both rich in nutrients.

The Function That Solids Play

Babies that are younger than one year old do not consume a significant amount of solid foods and must continue to rely on breast milk or formula to meet their nutrient requirements.

Babies that start consuming cow's milk (as a replacement) before the age of 12 months may have a higher risk of developing anemia, gastrointestinal distress, or certain nutritional deficiencies.

Because a young baby's kidneys and digestive system are not developed enough to process the amount of protein found in cow's milk, switching to cow's milk too soon might cause problems with both of those body systems.

Last but not least, feeding newborns cow's milk has been linked to the occult, or hidden, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.

What Potential Negative Impacts Might You Encounter If You Make The Switch?

If there isn't a history of food allergies in your family, you've probably been giving your infant dairy products like yogurt and cheese since they were approximately six months old. This could have been the case even earlier. Therefore, you shouldn't notice any allergy symptoms, although it is conceivable that you may.

Even though lactose intolerance in infants infrequently develops after the first birthday, it is still a good idea to keep a close eye on your child for the first week or so after switching from breast milk to formula. This is especially important if your child has a history of developing the condition. Look for:

• Irritability
• Excess gas
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Skin rashes

The most significant adjustment you will most likely observe is your child's bowel movements. At first, your infant can have a looser or firmer stools (or have a harder time passing stools). As your infant adjusts, there is a possibility that there will be a momentary shift in color or texture.

Call your child's pediatrician if you have any concerns about your infant's bowel movements or poop, including a change in the frequency of bowel movements or the presence of what seems to be blood in the stool.

The Key To A Smoother Transition And How To Implement It

Your infant may find the taste, temperature, and consistency of cow's milk to be unappealing after having spent the previous months savoring the sweetness of breast milk straight from the faucet (or even just the comfort of a particular brand of formula). Here are some helpful hints that will make the change go more smoothly:

• Mix it up. It is a good idea to introduce your infant to the flavor of cow's milk gradually by giving him or her a mixture of cow's milk and formula or breast milk. After a few days, decrease the proportion of breast milk or formula and increase the amount of cow's milk; continue doing this until your baby has entirely transitioned to cow's milk.
• Warm it up. Because your breast milk was presumably at body temperature and you probably warmed the formula, it could be a shock for your baby if you gave him or her freezing cold cow's milk. The transition can be made simpler by preparing cow's milk in the same manner in which you prepared their formula.
• Offer a sippy cup. Although some infants will initially be interested in drinking cow's milk out of their preferred bottle, others may be completely perplexed by the fact that although it appears to taste the same as previously, it actually does not. It's possible that now is a suitable time to start using a sippy cup. In any case, the age of one year is often considered the appropriate time to wean the child off the bottle.

Does The Timing Apply To The Other Kinds Of Milk As Well?

Suppose you already know that your baby will not be able to handle cow's milk, and you are looking for a non-dairy option. In that case, the timeframe is exactly the same: Wait until your baby is at least 12 months old before moving over to anything like almond milk, rice milk, goat milk, or oat milk.

If you intend to go through with this strategy, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

• Compared to cow's milk, most non-dairy kinds of milk don't have nearly as much protein, vitamin D, or calcium as cow's milk does. Protein, vitamin D, and calcium are all nutrients that your infant needs in large quantities as they continue to develop.
• Cashew and almond milk should never be given to infants allergic to nuts.
• The majority of non-dairy kinds of milk have flavoring added to them to make them more pleasant; nevertheless, this can cause them to contain more sugar than cow's milk does (so always read the labels).

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that you look for non-dairy milk that has been fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Daily requirements for calcium and vitamin D for children ages one to three are 700 milligrams and 600 international units, respectively.

Is It OK To Keep Administering Formula Instead Of Moving To Another Feeding Method?

Once your child reaches one year of age, you are free to continue breastfeeding them on a supplemental basis for as long as you desire for as long as they need it; however, what about the formula? Is it OK to continue giving it to your child after they have reached their first birthday?

In most cases, you should wean your child off of infant formula around the time that they reach the age of 12 months. But there are some exceptions: if your child has specific nutritional requirements, an allergy to milk, or developmental delays, your pediatrician may recommend that you keep giving them some formula.

If this is not the case, you need to make an effort to wean them off of milk, despite the fact that they do not enjoy drinking milk. However, although toddlers require the nutrients included in milk, they can obtain these nutrients from other foods as well. A youngster who expresses a preference not to consume milk shouldn't be coerced into doing so or required to continue drinking newborn formula. Talk to the pediatrician about how to make sure your kid is getting all the nutrients they need from the foods they eat.

After The First Year, How Do Nutritional Requirements Shift?

In addition to making the transition to cow's milk at the age of 12 months, you will also need to adjust the way you think about the nutritional requirements of your infant or toddler. Until this point, most of their diet consisted of liquid sources of nutrition such as breast milk or formula. Even though you started giving your solid infant foods when he or she was around six months old, the baby did not require avocados and bananas in order to be healthy.

Now that your kid is eating solid food as part of their diet, the importance of liquid nourishment has decreased significantly. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your infant consume no more than 16–24 ounces of whole milk daily. This is a significant change from the approximately 32 ounces of breast milk or formula that they were taking in before they turned one year old.

At this point, two or three glasses of milk should be supplied to your baby every day with meals or snacks in order to supplement his or her nutrition; nevertheless, milk should ultimately take a second seat to nutritious whole foods.

The Main Point To Regard

We understand that you may be eager to reach the milestone of transitioning from infant formula to cow's milk; however, you should fight the impulse to speed up the procedure. For the first year of their life, your infant requires the nutrients that come from breast milk or formula. In addition to that, their stomachs probably won't be ready for cow's milk until much later.

After that, you can continue to nurse your child while switching to cow's milk or non-dairy milk that has been fortified. You should also make sure that they are getting sufficient amounts of the vitamins and minerals they require by increasing the amount of solid food in their diet.