All right. You probably remember the post where I mentioned my pediatrician suggested I starve my child to get him to drink formula right? I waffled between having the determination to go cold-turkey on the breastfeeding and whimpering in a corner that I couldn't deprive my baby of what he wanted.
I begged, pleaded, cried, hopped up and down on one foot (all fairly useless tactics when dealing with an infant), but this child was not going to take formula, no matter how much $$ mommy spent on fancy sippy cups with biteable spouts or bottles with nipples just like his pacifier. The joy of the paci, apparently, is that nothing comes out of it when he sucks on it. The paci is Zen for him--it just is. No formula allowed. And so, we acquiesced. He now gets formula in his oatmeal daily (along with a big old pat of butter and a DHA supplement), but we don't try to get him to drink it on its own.
We assumed the issue was with the mode of delivery--sippy or bottle. I began to have nightmares of introducing cow's milk at a year. If he wouldn't take a sippy of formula, how would I convince him to take a sippy of milk? What, we wondered, is this child actually going to drink? Is he waiting until he can go straight to Corona?? Because if so, he's going to have some thirsty years ahead of him.
So a couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I thought, "I'll just put some milk in a sippy & see what he does with it." Okay, it wasn't really that much of a whim, considering I had to go out and purchase the milk--we don't have full-fat whole milk just lying around in our home (although it would explain my lack of weight loss if we did). I plopped the sippy down in front of him at one of his meals and what do you know? The stinker drank it. I had to help him (he's still working on how to hold it since he never held a bottle, what with the direct line he had to the good stuff). But now he's getting to the point where he can pick it up and drink it on his own. Just a couple ounces at a time, but we're getting there.
Now, my dilemma is, you're not really supposed to start whole milk until a year. Allergies and all that. Harder to digest than breastmilk and formula, and all that. But he likes it. And it doesn't seem to be causing him any harm. Now rashes, eczema, tummy issues---nada. But I still feel like I have to keep it on the down-low in front of other mommies (clearly, internet mommies are the exception to ALL my rules) because it is just one of those things...
And when my pedi gives me the green light to start whole milk at the one-year visit, I will be a good girl and have all kinds of "nervous new mommy" questions about how to start milk and what to look for in the way of bad reactions. Then no one has to know that I've been sneaking my kid the cow-stuff since he was 10 months old.
Shhhhhh, don't tell!
4 comments:
We totally started Jack on whole milk at 11 months because we wanted to be sure he could tolerate it. (yeah, that went well)
I support you 100%. If the kid won't drink formula, you have to do something! Way to stand up and advocate for your kid. :)
I have been looking for a fish oil for kids. Is that what you are giving E? Can you drop me a line with the 411 on that?
Good for you and good for Ethan learning how to sip from the sippy. I still have to hold Harry's cup for him, or else he drips his fake milk everywhere. I decided to quit pumping because I have always HATED it, so we started using Good Start in his cereal and in his sippy. He likes it fine, but if he didn't I was trying whole milk next! I figured sincce he already gets yogurt and cheese, a few ounces of milk would be okay.
Good for you and good for Ethan that now that he's learned to drink out of a cup, he likes the milk that's in it. Kids change all the time.
There is really no reason to wait for a year to start babies on cow's milk beyond helping to make the formula companies more money.
Harrison's mom is exactly right. If he's eating yogurt and cheese there's no reason not to offer cow's milk.
He's 10 months old, not 4. You've watched for allergic reactions ect. Just keep an eye on his tummy and his skin. Some kids develope allergies after several exposures, but I say as long as things are good, go with it.
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