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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

Can you give cows milk as a drink to an 8mth old????

20 replies

Nemo1977 · 17/08/2006 10:07

I dont mean with the intention of it replacing formula/breastmilk just wondered if I could give it as a little snack drink to DD? I remeber ds was about 11mths when he had it and then it was just to replace formula and I know you can use it in cooking etc so can she just drink it cold from the fridge?

OP posts:

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IdrisTheDragon · 17/08/2006 10:09

DD had some at maybe 9 months (wasn't deliberately giving it to her, but she swiped DS's ).

CountTo10 · 17/08/2006 10:11

I can't see it harming as long as its only in addition. I think one of the only reasons they say no b4 12mths is the whole dairy intolerance thing but a little bit here and there would be fine. Mine had it as a small drink additional to formula from about 10mths

Nemo1977 · 17/08/2006 10:14

idris the dragon..to behonest thats what is making me think as DD is always trying to snaffle ds milk so thought if I give her a little bit to herself she would be happier.

OP posts:

Nemo1977 · 17/08/2006 10:15

Countto10 I thought it was something to do with the bacteria???Surely would know if she was dairy intolerant by now as she has a loit of cheese and yoghurts etc.

OP posts:

IdrisTheDragon · 17/08/2006 10:16

DD loves anything that belongs to DS. And now she can move (very recent thing), he is realising that nothing is safe anymore .

Seona1973 · 17/08/2006 10:18

its more to do with the fact it is low in iron and other vitamins that you would find in breast/formula milk rather than intolerance. If you are still giving the main drink as formula/breastmilk then I dont see what harm a couple of ounces of cows milk would do.

Nemo1977 · 17/08/2006 10:19

Exactly same here...dd started crawling 6wks ago so ds moved his toys etc up onto couch then week later she was pulling up so he would move them further along..now she is cruising so he has no chance..lol

OP posts:

liquidclocks · 17/08/2006 10:40

Hi nemo - someone asked this the other day with regards to a 10 month old so I looked up some info - this is from the babycentre.com site:

There are several reasons to delay the introduction of cow's milk until your baby reaches his first birthday. Most important, a baby's digestive system can't digest cow's milk proteins. Cow's milk also has too much sodium, potassium, and chloride, which can tax your baby's kidneys.

HTH

mumfor1standfinaltime · 17/08/2006 10:46

I gave ds some cows milk from 9 months. Not as a main drink, just an odd cup every day. I dont see it as any different to putting it on his cereal!
I wouldn't give it as a main drink from an earlier age, such as replacing breast or formula milk.
Ds prefers his milk from the fridge too!

HellyMnelly · 17/08/2006 11:45

DS didn't have cows milk before he was one but he did eat yoghurts most days from being 6 or 7 months old and seems fine. Also, a friend of a friend who wasn't able to breast feed and whose baby had an intolerance (or something) to formula was told by her HV to give a couple of yoghurts a day to make sure calcium and fat intake was kept up. That is from an HV though so not sure how right it is but as far as I know baby was fine.

HM x

PanicPants · 17/08/2006 11:53

I think it's propably a good idea as she'l get used to the taste so when she is 12 months you won't have such a battle on your hands when you stop using formula

girrafey · 17/08/2006 13:53

my dd was put on cows milk as her only form of milk drink from 8 months. has certainly done her no harm. she was having it in cooking and on cereal from 7 so was used to the taste etc.
( this was recomended by her consultant, so i am not saying you should do this, but i dont think it would cause her any harm to have a small bit to drink)

loopylou0612 · 23/08/2006 01:59

My daughter was on it from 9 months as baby foods and formula made her reflux condition worse. Did her no harm and like someone else mentioned (sorry, I'm new!) she was having it on cereals and in cooked foods so she was used to it. Best thing I ever did!

Chandra · 23/08/2006 02:10

I agree with Liquidclocks, and as far as I know that is the current guideline.

I didn't introduce it as a drink until he was 15m, his eczema went wild immediatly so I stopped and re introduced it at 18+, he seemed to be fine... (I say "seemed" because we now know that he is allergic to milk and have seen a huge change for the better since we removed it from the diet)

aviatrix · 23/08/2006 06:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

dreamteamgirl · 23/08/2006 21:08

Sorry to disagree, but WHO say it can be used along side breast or formula from 9 months page 16

kasdie · 23/08/2006 21:56

my
dd2 was 7 mths when i put her on cows milk as she was sick all the time on form she was a unhappy baby untill i put her on cows milk she has been fine do what u think my next door neigh has a baby same age there 1 now her dd2 will not has cows milk i think its better to give a little earlier to get them used to it my dd1 was 11 mths and wouldnt have cows milk she still doesnt drink milk now and she is nearly 7 u can only try if she likes it let her have some and u will see how she is fine or not

kasdie · 23/08/2006 21:56

my
dd2 was 7 mths when i put her on cows milk as she was sick all the time on form she was a unhappy baby untill i put her on cows milk she has been fine do what u think my next door neigh has a baby same age there 1 now her dd2 will not has cows milk i think its better to give a little earlier to get them used to it my dd1 was 11 mths and wouldnt have cows milk she still doesnt drink milk now and she is nearly 7 u can only try if she likes it let her have some and u will see how she is fine or not

liquidclocks · 23/08/2006 22:50

Quote taken from the article linked to by dreamteamgirl:

"The too-early introduction of unmodified cow?s milk and milk products is an important nutritional risk factor for the development of iron deficiency anaemia. Unmodified cow?s milk should not therefore be introduced as a drink until the age of 9 months and thereafter can be increased gradually."

Personally I've just done a quick search of the medline database which for those of you that haven't heard of it is an extensive database going back to 1966 of most published medical research. You'll have to take my word for it as I'm not going to reference everything but the current medical advice is not to introduce cow's milk as a drink until 12 months though some people have said 9 months. There is consensus however that giving cows milk before 9 months puts the child at risk of iron deficiency (anaemia) which for a adult, a mild case is not serious. Complications of anaemia for young children however can be serious and long lasting.

From what I've read, if there is no need to introduce cows milk as a drink before 12 months then I wouldn't. However if a child over 9 months is 'borrowing' an older child's cup (someone mentioned their child doing that recently, can't remember who) I wouldn't worry. I think if you are going to introduce cow's milk early it shouldn't be as a main drink and stick to the WHO's advice about doing it gradually. Also make sure their diet is rich in iron to prevent anaemia and make sure they drink plenty of other fluids to asssist their kidneys in getting rid of the extra potassium, sodium and chloride.

Sorry this was long but the debate got me curious so I thought I'd share what I'd found

lenats34 · 27/08/2006 15:18

OH, how about portatoes being an unhealthy food to eat? They once were considered unhealthy to eat!!!!! I introduced Sarah to cows milk at 8 mo. and she has never had any problems with it. SO, my advice to you with regards to the previous post about not introducing it until after 9 mo. introduce cowmilk now and see how your baby takes it.
babies are different. Some take salt very well, other don´t. The same thing goes for everything eatable.
Lena

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