Breast Feeding / Formula / Milk FAQ Archive

• When should my 7 month old baby start using sippy cup? Does it replace a bottle?
• My daughter just turned one yesterday. She will only take her milk from a bottle. Should I keep trying until she accepts the cup?
• What age is it ok to stop formula and place the baby on 2% milk?
• My doctor recommended my baby drink 24 oz during the day - she seems happy enough with 18-22 oz, is that ok?
• My son refuses to take bottle milk.
• My 7 month old will eat solid foods but is refusing to nurse. Is that a problem?
• When should you transition from formula to whole milk?
• I have a 10 month old she refuses to drink formula. Could you please help me?
• How much formula should my baby be taking at one year old?

When should my 7 month old baby start using sippy cup? Does it replace a bottle?

Although there is no one rule on when to start sippy cups, I do recommend getting rid of the bottle and switching to a cup at a year of age. There are two reasons for this: 1. at a year of age, children are switched from formula to whole cow's milk. It's easy to make both switches at once. 2. Also, infants tend to drink much less from cups than from bottles. After the first birthday, many kids will fill up on milk instead of solids (which are more caloric) and gain weight slowly. This is less likely to happen with cups than with bottles.

There is no reason why a 7 month old cannot start using a cup. At this age, you have to hold the cup for the child while drinking.
 

My daughter just turned one yesterday. She will only take her milk from a bottle. She will drink water out of her sippy cup but refuses to drink any milk from the cup. Should I keep trying until she accepts the cup? Will it hurt her if she just won't drink any milk until she gets use to having it in a cup? The way this is going, it could take days. Please give me some advice!

This is a common problem. When switching from bottles to cups, many children are not interested and end up drinking much less milk and other fluids. (To me, this means they don't need so much.) At this age and as she gets older, she should get the majority of her calories from solid foods. Milk is not crucial, although it is a source of calcium. Excessive drinking at this age sometimes ends up in a child not gaining weight well (he or she is filling up on fluid, lower in calories, instead of solids.) I generally recommend switching to a cup at this time, even is much less milk is taken in.
 

What age is it ok to stop formula and place the baby on 2% milk? My 8 month old grandson is on stage 1 foods and really doesn't want the formula, so is it ok to replace it with 2%?

: Whole milk (usually 4% fat) is recommended starting at age 12 months. The reason for waiting this long: studies have shown that at earlier ages, there is a higher occurrence of iron deficiency after milk is introduced. The chance of iron deficiency developing at 10 months of age is higher than for starting at 12 months; the chance at 8 months is even higher. Formula is also preferred for its high content of vitamins and minerals.
The 12 month rule is a little bit arbitrary. Not all kids who start whole milk earlier get iron deficiency. However, if your grandson takes less formula at this age (8 months), that is o.k. He will make up for the calories lost by eating more solids.
 

My baby girl is 6 1/2 months old. She started to loose interests in bottles recently. I wonder if I need to decrease the amount of solid foods. (Actually we didn't give her that much solid foods.) She is drinking 18 - 22 oz formula at daytime. I have to feed her another 4 - 5 oz at midnight to give her more fluid.

She looks very happy and active. But before I gave her solid foods, she could drink 30 oz at daytime.

Her doctor said we should keep her at 24 oz per day. It is hard for her to finish 24 oz in her 4 feedings at daytime.

Any suggestions? Thank you very much!

Although many babies do take 24 oz of formula a day, there is no rule that says this is the amount that all babies need. Some babies are happy with less, and some with more. I certainly wouldn't worry if the number of ounces is less than 24 oz/ day. As children get older, they grow less rapidly (until adolescence) than in the first few months. Sometimes their caloric requirements do not increase as they are getting older and they will still grow well. If your child is happy and growing well, do not worry about the number of ounces per day
 

My son is about 5, months, lately he refuses to take bottle milk. After he sucks about 2 oz., he refuses to continue. I’ve introduced him to semi solid and he is fine with it. Please advise how to encourage him to bottle feed as milk is very essential at this age.

Generally, a child will drink what they need to. It may be that between milk/formula used to mix cereal and the 2 oz each feed that he is getting enough. If he is thirsty he will take more. As children get more and more of their calories from solids, they need less milk/formula. Breast milk or formula is recommended for children at this age.
 

My 7 month old basically refuses to nurse (except at bedtime and even then he falls asleep 3 minutes into it) and rejects formula at mealtime. He eagerly takes all solid food we offer him but I am concerned because Earth's Best like everyone else says my child should be getting at a minimum 20 ounces of milk/formula per day. He takes 10 at best. What can I do?

I am always wary of rules that assume all babies are the same. If your child is healthy and growing well on the current diet, I would not worry.
 

When should you transition from formula to whole milk?

Traditionally children are introduced to whole milk at 1 year of age. If a child has been exposed to milk products prior to 1 year of age (such as milk-based formula, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, pudding, butter) and tolerated them well, the transition to whole milk is usually well accepted. If a child has not been exposed to milk products or was not on a milk-based formula, I would recommend introducing milk products first for a few weeks and then switching to whole milk. It is easy to make the transition by adding one ounce of whole milk to the formula each day. By one week you will have made the transition. If your child was on a milk-free diet for milk intolerance, please consult with your pediatrician or pediatric gastroenterologist prior to switching to whole milk. Not all children "out grow" their milk intolerance by 1 year and need to continue to be restricted into their second year of life.
 

I have a 10 month old she refuses to drink formula. I am concerned because some people tell me that she looks too little for her age. She is 19 lbs and her height is 28 1/2. I breastfeed my baby but I do not know if she is receiving enough calcium. I am really concerned. Could you please help me? Thanking you in advance.

Your daughter's size is certainly within the normal range. If she is growing steadily and following the course of the growth chart, don't worry. Not every baby can be the biggest. (Biggest isn't necessarily the best; what we want is a HEALTHY child). Calcium is an important nutrient. It is present in breast milk. Many other foods contain calcium. If your daughter likes yogurt or cheese she is getting calcium there as well. Also, orange juice can be bought that has added calcium.
 

How much formula should my baby be taking at one year old? He has two bottles at lunch, one bottle for dinner, and in the morning he eats 4oz. of cereal. I give him one bottle for an evening snack and another 4oz juice bottle. Generally, he only takes 2 or 3 bottles of about 6-7oz of formula. Is this okay for his age? Please let me know. Thanks.

Let your child eat as much as he wants. Does he like "finger foods", foods he can pick up with his fingers? The amount of liquid is fine. At this age, some kids over-drink and gain weight too slowly. If your child is gaining well, no need to worry. At the other end of the spectrum, kids will drink all they need if it is offered to them. If a small amount is all your son wants, that is perfectly alright.