How Many Ounces per Day?

Goats milk does NOT provide the necessary nutritions for an infant or toddler that formula does. That is a myth. It is not a good substitute.

I have raised two of four children on goat's milk and highly recommend it. My old year old has been on it since he was 2 months old. The two children that I have raised on goat's milk have been a lot healthier than the other two. Now all my kids drink it. It can be a little spendy but we milk our own goat's so I have all the kids on it. More beneficial and a lot easier to digest than any other milk. Any questions just ask.

Hi Stephanie ~

My little girl was 11 months and 1 week old when my milk dried up - I was about 7 months pregnant. I really didn't want to start her on formula, so I used goats milk. I read that it is the closest thing to mother's milk. I did add a touch of stevia (a natural sweetner) to each bottle. She did great on it and never had a problem. My Dr. didn't mind as long as she was getting vitamin D in her daily vitamin. Good luck!

Try this site:
http://video.about.com/babyparenting/About-Parenting-Milk...

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

16 ounces is plenty if the child is eating well. You could certainly mix or do the Next Step formula. I'd advise against goat's milk- the protein composition is just not right for young humans.

Check with your pediatrician for their recommendation, but my ped told me that if my 1 year old drinks at least 12 ounces of milk each day she's happy. Anything more than that is even better. We went straight to whole milk at age 1 and it was a struggle so I would suggest easing into it like some of the other moms have suggested.

I'm not positive about the amount of formula for a 16 month old. I know you can find it on many different websites and in many books. They will have it on most of the formula websites, also check Dr. Sears website and the Baby Whisperer's website. I don't remember which ones I found it one last time I was looking. I know I checked a few to make comparisons. I believe it should be about 24 ounces per day. But you probably want to double check that to be sure.

Also, with my son, I delayed putting him on whole milk for several reasons. He didn't care for the milk as much. He loved his formula and didn't want the milk instead. The formula actually cost me less per month since we were using the Sam's Club brand. He didn't make the switch to whole milk until he was about a year and a half. I double checked to make sure the formula had the fats he would need. Plus we did try to give him some milk in a sippy cup during that time. He pretty much refused it unless it had chocolate flavoring in it. When I finally did switch him, I did it gradually. I started with 6 ounces of formula and 2 ounces of milk for a few days and then upped the milk to 4 ounces for a few days and then to 6 ounces and then finally all milk. Each new mixture I would let him have for a few days to a week before changing it. And I changed it in the morning not at bedtime. I didn't want there to be any extra reason for fussing at bedtime.

My son hasn't had any problems as a result of delaying the milk. He is very intelligent and curious about everything. He has a wonderful imagination and loves to read books with his parents and big sister. He is 4. He can count, do some addition, can sing the alphabet, knows how to write several of his letters, knows the sounds of several letters and can tell you words that start with them. He knows his shapes and colors. The one downside, which I can't attribute to starting milk late, is that he seems to love infomercials and likes to tell people they need the different products he noticed on the television as he ran by it on his way to get a toy.

We haven't tried goats milk. If you do go this way, please check with your doctor to make sure that your baby does not need to have a vitamin supplement or anything else added to her diet that the formula may contain that the goats milk may not.

Anyhow, I hope that this helps a little. Good luck with your little one.

Hi Stephanie,

My daughter is 15 months old and she usually has about 3 cups of milk a day!! They are 6oz cups so typically about 18 oz some days she only gets 2 it all depends on how much she eats that day! At first we mixed her formula with the milk we would make a 6oz bottle of formula and water then add 2oz of water and we did that for about a month and then went to Milk!! She is on Organic whole milk right now. We tried the goats milk but it was very expensive and we learned that it didn't have all the vitamines and nutrients she needed so we would need to supplement too!!

On the advise of our pediatrician, we did a 4 week switch from formula to whole milk. Week 1 - 75% formula & 25% whole. Week 2 - 50% formula & 50% whole milk. Week 3 - 25% formula & 75% whole milk. Week 4 - 100% whole milk.

When I switched both my children I did one ounce of milk w/5 ounces of formula then maybe next bottle or two I upped it to 2/4 etc...it was gradual and they accepted the change without a problem.

Stephanie,
I think 24 oz. per day would be a good amount. At 1, I switched my son to whole milk. I didn't mix it together, but I did it a little at a time--O. bottle per day of milk, then 2 per day, etc. I've never tried goat's milk. He didn't have any trouble with the change--other than he seemed to like it better a little warmed up at first.

Hi Stephanie

Both of my kids were weaned from formula by 1 year of age. I did it by gradually mixing milk with the formula, 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk, then half formula, half milk and so on until it was only milk they were drinking. My daughter just had her 1 year well visit and the pediatrician said 16 to 24 oz/day of milk is sufficient. Not sure what your hesitation is in the switch but my kids did fine with it. A little constipation for my daughter but it resolved on it's own without her even noticing it. If you are really concerned about something with milk, discuss it with your pediatrician. My pediatrician said that the calories and nutrients in formula are no longer necessary after a year since both of mine were eating solids.

Your 16 month old should consume as much milk or formula each day as she wants, but she doesn't really need formula anymore. She should be eating varieties of veggies and some fruit as well as whole fat organic milk. Invest in organic-girls today are having early puberty due to the hormones in "normal" milk.

Lots of people delay the switch to milk. There is no need to, but you can.

My daughter hated the taste of Goat's milk, but every child is different. Just try it. It's not any more natural than organic cow's milk, but can be an alternative if she likes it.