How to Make the Transition from Formula to Milk

Hi K.!
I found that mcing the milk w/formula worked...we started with 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk , then half and half, and then 1/4 formula and 3/4 milf and then reduced formula even more until we ran out of formula all together and that was it. It took a few days but it worked..

Good luck
M. M
45 year old mom of an almost 7 year old and wok part-time as recess monitor and office assistant at a pediatricians office

Hi K. -
Try transitioning slowly. 1 ounce milk with 7 ounces formula for 1 week, then do 2 ounces milk with 6 ounces formula for a week. Continue with this rate until you're done. Good Luck!

With my daughter I mixed for 2-3 weeks the formula and milk. I started by doing a 1/4 milk and 3/4 formula bottle for about a week. Then I did half/half of form. and milk. Then I did 3/4 milk & 1/4 formula. It seemed to work pretty good for my daughter.

Have you tried mixing in a bit of the formula with the milk to help her adjust to the taste? Temperature can also play a part, if she is used to having it cold or warm.

i did it a little at a time. i started my daughter with 1 ounce of whole milk and the rest formula and upped it every week. i started the process for her at 11 months. maybe you could do it every 3 days. i probably could have done it every 3 days but there was some question of possible milk allergy (which i didn't believe anyways) so i took it slow. good luck!

This is something I did with all three of mine successfully. I remember by mother-in-law saying it was pure luck the first time but it worked just as well with the next two and it actually (pardon the expression) kills two birds with one stone, I never gave any of my kids milk in a bottle. Milk went in a sippy cup so the never associated the milk with the bottle and were able to give up the bottle with no problem.

Try switching an 8oz bottle of formula to 6oz formula 2 oz milk for a week or two and then gradually add 2 more ounces of milk a week until you are switched to milk. Good luck!

Hi, I tried adding some yogurt smoothie to the milk. My daughter threw the sippy cup and yelled at me as only a one year old can. She was soo upset. After an hour or so she took it, and liked it. I decreased the smoothie over a couple of days. I did not go back to the bottle or formula after that day. It was rough, but I felt that dragging out the process would be confusing for her. She was fine after two days.

Hi K.,

It seems most of the responses are about the same. And I have the same advice as well. I/we slowly made the transition to regular whole milk by adding a little to formula for about a week then slowly adding more, then more, then more, etc till it was all just regular milk. I did it very slowly, taking SEVERAL weeks to make the transition. I am sure I could have done it faster, but I was worried of it bothering my son or him not liking it...I just wanted to do it so he wouldn't really even notice the difference - his belly and his tastebuds. :) I am sure if you make the change more transitionally she will accept it better and you shouldn't have any problems. The tastes of the two are totally different, and not what she's used to, so if I were her I wouldn't want "the new stuff" either!! :) Good luck

mix the milk with formula (mostly formula)and then eventually go 50/50 and then more milk and then all milk (will take a few weeks)

Hi K.! Happy Birthday to our babies! My girlie just turned one on Sat. We are transitioning to milk as well, having made the switch from breastmilk at about 9 mo. I am handling it much the same way as I did the breast to formula. 3/4 original (formula in this case) to 1/4 new (whole milk) for the first week -every bottle. Then 1/2 and 1/2 the next week, and so on, until it is all milk. We are in the middle of week 2, and things are going just fine. Oh, I also make the formula early in the day and keep in fridge so it is cold like the milk will be. My Dr. recommeded not changing too many things at once, so while she drinks water out of sippy cups, we are waiting to do the milk until she is entirely used to it. Good Luck! -Now our fun really starts -mobility!!!

I had no problems with my daughter transitioning, but did you try to warm the milk up? Maybe it wasn't the taste that turned her off, but maybe it was too cold.

Try enriched rice milk. It's thinner than cow's milk and actually tastes a little like breast milk. I'm a huge advocate of keeping kids off cow's milk as long as possible. Dairy has been linked to ear infections, and many other types of allergies so I feel its much better for kids to stay off it as long as possible if not forever. I think kids who throw their bottles at the first taste of cow's milk are really trying to tell us something.

Hi K.- my daugther recently turned one as well. As already mentioned, I started by mixing the forumula and milk and giving it to her that way. Although, I found that even more than the mixing it helped to slightly warm the milk. I put it in a mug in the microwave for 20-25 seconds and then put it in her bottle- she seems to be guzzling it down now! good luck!

The day after my daughter turned one I started putting 1/4 milk 3/4 formula into her bottle the next week I used 1/2 milk 1/2 formula then 3/4 milk 1/4 formula and now she just drinks milk. It was hard because she could tell there was something wrong with her bottle and she would throw it on the ground and cry but after a day she would get use to it and has learned to like milk. Good Luck!! (This was recommended to me by my doctor and a bunch of friends)

hi, K.!
congratulations on breastfeeding your baby for a year! My son didnt like Milk either, I was advised by my pediatrician to mix, you start with 1oz of milk & the rest formula or breastmilk for about 3-4 days, then continue to lessen the amount until she adjusts to the taste. Good luck!
N. M

Hi K.,
I too have a daughter turning 1 (next week). She is my third however. I think the best and easiest way to do it is gradually. My daughter doesn't even notice it. I make it with half formula and half milk. Try that and every few days, put more milk in than formula until she is only on milk.

My daughter is a monkey see - monkey do.
If I drink milk - then she will drink milk.
But the other moms suggestion of mixing it with the formula sounds like a great idea.

My daughter couldn't stand the taste of milk either. I found that if I gradually added more milk to her formula, she got used to it. I started with an ounce of milk in her bottle and increased it an ounce at a time over the next week. She still isn't fond of anything other than breast milk, but we get her plenty of calcium with yogurt and cheese. She gets all the hydration she needs with fruit juice (cut half with water to avoid too much sugar). Good luck to you!

We are using next step enfamil lipil which is for kids 9 mo to two years. I will start mixing it with whole milk soon. But why the rush? Milk is cheaper but formula has a lot of vitamins and is enriched with minerals, etc. So we will wait a little while to switch over completely.

Hello,
When making the switch from formula to milk do it slowly. First start by putting in one ounce of whole mike and the remainder formula. Do this for about a week and keep increasing by an ounce each week. This way they get used to it and do not reget it.
Hope this helps,
K.

Hi K.,

What worked best for me with my older two was switching the bottle and the milk at the same time. I placed the milk in a sippy cup, warmed it, and she took that much easier than trying to give her the milk in a bottle. This worked to a great advantage of killing two birds with one stone. She also loved the sippy cups with straws best for regular day time drinking as it was a learning experiece, and the regular sippy cups with a spout at nap and bed time. I usually tried to give them their cups of milk about 15 min before putting them down, so they wouldn't get used to sleeping with the cups. That worked too.

Good Luck!

I just went through the same thing 2 weeks ago. I started putting some whole milk in with the formula and slowing taking away the formula and addded more milk. I started with 4 oz of formula and added 2 oz of milk and a week later we are all off formula and on milk.

Good luck!
M.

Hi K.. I recently went through this with my one year old son, though he stayed on breast milk for the whole 12 months (no formula). He initially refused the whole milk, but I know it can take a child up to 15 tries with a new food/drink before they'll accept it so I kept trying...Finally when he started to throw it up as well as throwing the cup I realized I had to try something new--he now very happily drinks plain soy milk and lots of it, and his doctor says that's just fine and maybe even has some both personal and global benefits. You'll figure out what works for you and your little girl!

When I moved my kids from formula to milk, I would mix them and start with
1/4 milk, 3/4 formula for a couple days then
1/3 milk, 2/3 formula for a couple days then
1/2 milk, 1/2 formula for a couple days
then if she is use to it do straight milk.

I just wanted to say that I did the same as the other moms here starting with one oz of milk and the rest formula and then slowly increasing it. It took about 2 weeks. On his first birthday he threw all the bottles away and then we went straight to the store and bought cups that he liked. Also, my son did not like the whole milk mixing at all. The dr told me that it was fine to give hum 2% since all of the normal food that he eats has plenty of nutrients in it for him.
Good Luck!!!

K. i know 1st hand how difficult this is . not with my baby but my nephew. My suggestion to my sister was to introduce the milk gradually 3/4 formula to 1/4 milk for 3 days then 1/2 formula to 1/2 milk for a few days then 1/4 formula to 3/4 milk this will really work . Because of allergies its always good to introduce anything new gradually and of course only introduce one thing at a time GOOD LUCK

I mixed some whole milk into my sons formula i started with an ounce of milk on top of a 6oz bottle,you could try that to get her used to the milk and slowly put more milk into the formula untill its all milk....let us know how you do,good luck

I had no problems switching but I didn't just make a switch either. Try gradually switching..make your first bottle mostly formula and a little milk, then the next bottle, a little more milk, less formula...keep doing that until you are all milk and no formula. If it takes a few weeks before you get to the no formula point, then fine. I would also suggest that by the time you get to the all milk stage you have started giving it to her in a sippy cup, not a bottle. They recommend that they be off the the bottle by around age one as well. My rule was that only formula was in the bottle, and everything else was in the cup. Do it at the same time so that all the fussing is over at once. If you wait to transition to a cup after the ordeal with milk, you will be going through all the same things again. Good luck, and stay strong!!! At this age they start to try and fight you...they know what they are doing to get what they want, so be firm.

I just had to make the transition with my second child recently. I was so busy that I unwittingly found myself out of formula when he turned a year so I had to go cold turkey. I was really worried at first because he refused the milk. I had no formula to offer him so he went a few days with me offering it at all the regular times and him refusing it. Finally, he decided it was better than nothing and started drinking it. After that, it was like there was never an issue and he drinks it just fine. Good luck!