My 11 Month Old Is a Picky Eater & Changing to Regular Milk from Formula

we started the transition from formula to milk at 11 months.
I would mix the formula with the water as usual but then add milk. so the first week I did it I did 3/4 bottle of formula with 1/4 bottle of milk, then 1/2 and 1/2 then 1/4 formula and 3/4 milk and by the time he was a year old he was on whole milk all the time. in the beginning it seemed the whole milk wasn't filling him enough at bedtime so for about a month after he started whole milk I was giving him a bottle of formula at bedtime

R.,
Why not just wait another month til he is O. to switch to whole milk? And introduce it gradually over two weeks or so.
Buying organic milk is O. of the best things you can do for the environment--it supports an entire eco-system of organic production so I hope that you do choose organic.
If your son likes cheese and yogurt, odds are that he will get enough calcium from that.
I am blessed with a son who eats EVERYTHING and ANYTHING, but he was pick at that age. Just keep giving him lots of new and different things to try and keep trying! Good luck!

I asked my doctor about whether or not I should be worried about my twin boys (now 14 months) having an iron deficiency when I started transitioning my them over to cows milk at 10 months. He said anemia in children is very rare. I was still a little nervous so I made sure they got 2 servings of rice cereal per day which has a ton of iron (and other nutrients). They had that until 13 months old when they decided they didn't like it anymore. He said that research shows that even children who only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese every day are fine. So, even if he's getting some fruits and or veggies I'm sure he's fine. I know that at 12 months they recommend 12 - 20 oz milk per day.

My daughter had problems until age 2 and couldn't digest milk. They had her put on Similac 2 which is designed for children over age 1 and at 18 months we started very slowly introducing 2% until she could tolerate milk. Also try contacting your local WIC (women,infants, & children)office even if you don't qualify for milk and cereal checks they should be able to help you with how of what kind of milk. They have nutrionists on staff that are aware of all current recommendations for kids nutrition.

I would suggest to continue offering foods for your son to try but I would also continue to hide pureed food in the food he does eat. Also, maybe find other ways to prepare the food you are serving. For example, maybe he doesn't like raw veggies but would eat them if cooked to tender, or vice versa.

Vitamin C helps with the absorbtion of iron. Fruti juice is a good way to get Vitamin C if they wont eat fruit but should only be about 4oz a day. Mis it with some rice cereal for breakfast or if he wont eat that then Multi-grain cheerios (they have 100% iron) and some fruit juice in a cup for breakfast. When hes old enough citrus jiuces have the most Vitamin C in.
Calcium decreases the bodys ability to absorb iron so milk nad cereal may defeat the purpose. However if hes getting milk during the day and enough iron rich foods for breakfast he should be ok. Make sure milk has Vitamin D in or his body will flush out the calcium nad not absorb it.

i suggest waiting until 12 months to start whole milk--it is not suggested until that age. you want to make sure the digestive system is a bit more developed. Your pediatrician will give you the proper advice on your child. if he is under weight or not getting enough nutrients, he may want to give him vitamins. if not, milk and solid foods will be fine. Being said, you can give 16-24 oz at one year, and your child will gradually decrease the amount as he eats more solid foods.

I would definitely wait to make any changes until after he goes to the pediatrician for his 1-year checkup; you can discuss all of this with them.

i would do regular milk but water it down and do milk and formula. do like a quarter milk then do the rest formula. decrease the amount of formula every day. this will allow him to get used to the milk. try the yo baby yogurt if you do not do it already. it is organic and made with whole milk. you can also look into organic soy milk. the vanilla flavor is good and it has calcium and is good. my son likes it. i started him with soy milk then gave him the whole milk. feed him some cheese too,and cut it into cubes.
i hope you are still feeding him baby oatmeal at breakfast. a lot of the baby cereals have dha in it which is good for brain and eye development. children need 21 to 32ounces of milk a day. try diffrent types of fruit. try mangoes,strawberries.my son is named thomas also and he just turned a year old. keep trying different things. good luck. D.

I give my children Shaklee's meal shakes with their breakfast. My son is 2 and he hardly eats so I give them this with a multivitamin & a vitamin C tablet and they are very healthy. Their is nothing artificial in it and it has much less fat in it than ensure. My children's health is much better since I started using their supplements regularly. If you'd like to look at the meal shakes go to http://www.shaklee.net/dudinyak/product/20322

My ped gave this advice - aim for ONE good meal a day and one GREAT meal a week. They have slowed down in growth and at this point, and so they just may not be as hungry as you think.

Personally, kids will eat when they are hungry. The trick is that when they are hungry, offer fruits and veggies, and nutritious foods, not really snack foods as much. Also, have them sit at the table for meals, even for 5 minutes, wheather they are hungry or not, and increase it so that they understand that you and dad sit down to eat an evening meal.

Good luck!