Hey I am reaching out for advice. My baby is 8 months old. Every baby is different of course but I been pumping for the full 8 months now. Supplemented formula once this last week because I barely have enough stash to send to the sitter everyday. They keep saying she’s old enough for regular milk now and asking if I wanna mix regular milk with breast milk to finish out these last 4 months of pumping. I know they say don’t give babies regular milk til a year old so that’s where I’m conflicted. Baby has no known health problems and sitter has 6 kids and they did that to their babies around 8 months no issues. Do you think it would be ok to mix?
@jesusisyahweh The answer depends on where you live because the guidelines are specific to each country - globally (WHO's recommendations) is six months for whole animal milks, Canada 9 months, US/UK is 12 months - even with those ages, always check with your peds as too much cows milk (at any age) can be a concern around iron levels (whole milk doesn't have a lot of iron compared to formula) and usually they will want to ensure that baby is getting enough iron rich foods/iron drops.
@jesusisyahweh You're supposed to wait until 1 yr but I believe certain countries and outdated practices used to do 9 months. Kids probably didn't die? But at risk for deficiencies and you don't want to risk that at this age
@jesusisyahweh For me personally, I definitely would not do that. I’m sure your baby would most likely be fine, but I just see no reason to do this. Formula would be the safest option if you want/need to supplement. If you choose to use cow’s milk before a year, you should discuss it with your pediatrician first.
Also just because your daycare provider has taken care of a lot of babies before yours, does not mean she knows your baby better than you do momma. No shade to your daycare provider, but don’t let anyone bully you into a decision that you aren’t comfortable with
@jesusisyahweh I wouldn’t. First, baby’s stomach is not developed enough to handle it. Second, you should not give it as a replacement one for one to breast milk because too much calcium can impede iron absorption. If you need to supplement, formula or donor milk is the way to go.
