Drinking formula. Moving from formula in bottles to regular milk is a big step for babies – and their parents. By the time your child is a year old, they can get enough nutrients from solid food and cow’s milk and don’t need formula anymore. Transitioning from formula to milk goes hand-in-hand with moving from bottles to sippy cups or regular cups – another important step, since drinking from bottles for too long can harm your baby’s teeth.
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Leaving behind those bottles of formula is a major change in your baby’s life. But as your child hits their first birthday, they’re likely eating all of the same table foods you are, and also drinking whole milk, which means formula is no longer necessary from a nutritional standpoint. This is also the case for breastfeeding moms who may be supplementing with formula.
It may take some patience and time to wean your toddler off formula, but soon enough, they’ll be enjoying milk with their meals.
When to wean your baby off drinking formula
Your baby’s first birthday is the right time to stop giving them formula and switch to cow’s milk, typically whole milk. (Whole milk is good for toddlers since it has healthy fat they need for development, though in some special circumstances your pediatrician may recommend low-fat milk.)
Because of the current baby formula shortage, though, experts say if you can’t find formula and your baby is close to a year old, it’s okay to make the switch to cow’s milk earlier.
If your child has a milk allergy or intolerance, your pediatrician may suggest alternatives like unsweetened, fortified soy milk, pea-based milk, or oat milk. But most other plant-based milks, such as almond milk, aren’t recommended at this age, since they’re not as nutritious as cow’s milk (they don’t have the protein, calcium, and vitamin D that toddlers need). You can also skip products labeled as “toddler milk” or “toddler formula,” since they contain added sugars your toddler doesn’t need.
If you’re unable to find infant formula because of the shortage, however, experts say it’s okay to give your baby toddler formula for a little while.
As you transition from formula to cow’s milk, the 12-month mark is also a good time to replace bottles with a sippy cup, a straw cup, or a regular open cup. Sippy cups help with the transition, since they’re most similar to bottles, but pediatricians often recommend moving to regular cups or straw cups as soon as your child is ready.
The reason? Sticking with bottles and sippy cups for too long means milk can pool around your toddler’s teeth, causing cavities.
Keep in mind that if you’re nursing your new toddler, you don’t have to wean from the breast at their first birthday. In fact, experts recommend that you keep breastfeeding as long as you both want.
But if you’re supplementing your breast milk with formula, the same advice as above applies. Replace formula with cow’s milk at age 1.
How to transition from formula to milk
Most toddlers take to whole milk pretty easily. It tastes good!
When you’re ready to say goodbye to formula, try giving your little one a sippy cup with a little bit of milk in it. If they accept it right away, you can just make the switch in one fell swoop.
If your toddler hesitates when trying new things, or doesn’t want milk right off the bat, you can work slowly, offering small servings of cow’s milk in place of some of the formula. As the week progresses, serve more milk and less formula until you’ve stopped the formula altogether and your little one is drinking just milk.
If your child isn’t keen on the taste of milk, you can mix it with formula at first to help them adjust. Prepare the formula like usual, with water, and mix the prepared formula and milk. Want to follow a recipe as you transition away from formula? Here’s a weeklong chart showing how to combine formula and regular cow’s milk for your toddler:
- Days 1 and 2: 25 percent milk; 75 percent formula
- Days 3 and 4: 50 percent milk; 50 percent formula
- Days 5 and 6: 75 percent milk; 25 percent formula
- Day 7: 100 percent milk
For example, if you’re making an 8-ounce bottle, you can start by mixing 6 ounces of prepared formula with 2 ounces of whole milk for a few days, then move on to 4 ounces of formula with 4 ounces of whole milk, then 6 ounces of whole milk and 2 ounces of formula, and finally all milk over the course of a week.
If your toddler doesn’t seem to like milk, it could be the temperature that’s bothering them – if they’re used to warm formula, they might reject cold milk since it’s unfamiliar. Try warming the milk before giving it to them.
Keep in mind that the best drinks for toddlers are water and plain milk, as these are hydrating and provide important nutrients for strong bones and teeth. Don’t give them juice, flavored milks, soda, caffeinated beverages, sports drinks, or other sugary options. A toddler who’s had a taste of these may be less willing to drink milk or water.
As for how much milk to offer, toddlers between the ages of 12 and 24 months can have 2 to 3 cups of milk a day at meals and snack times. Pediatricians often recommend a max of 16 to 20 ounces of milk a day. (There’s usually no minimum, as long as your child is getting dairy from other sources like yogurt and cheese). They don’t need more than that, since the bulk of your child’s calories should come from solid foods.
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