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The Big Switch: One Month In

About a month ago, I wrote about our plan for switching Henry from formula to milk and from bottles to cups. We are halfway through the originally planned transition period, so I thought I should report on how it is going. As with many well-laid plans, we have had successes, surprises and re-adjustments along the way. Being a parent requires a lot of flexibility and willingness to adapt.

 First, the successes. Henry does not seem to have any qualms about drinking milk instead of formula. He has tried out coconut, almond, goat and cow milk. His favorite seems to be the cow milk, either as whole milk or as kefir milk. I also have a carton of hemp milk that we will open up tomorrow. 
Henry drinks almond milk with his lunch.
Since Henry seems to have no issues about switching to milk, I am happy to report that our family has purchased our last box of infant formula. We will phase it out completely within the next few weeks. While I had intended to exclusively breastfeed Henry, I am glad that formula was available when we needed it to help him grow and thrive.
Our last batch of infant formula. When it's gone, it's gone!
Second, the surprises. In developing our plan for making the transition from formula to milk, we forgot to factor temperature into the equation. We have always served Henry's bottles at room temperature or slightly warmer. When we tried to give Henry cold milk directly from the refrigerator, he was uninterested. To address this element, we have slowly been reducing the time we warm Henry's milk so he gets used to drinking colder liquids. 
Henry drinks a cup of milk with his breakfast.
Third, the re-adjustments. Henry likes drinking from cups at mealtime but he still prefers to drink from a bottle when he is really hungry. We have reduced the number of bottles to three per day, but Daddy and I agreed to focus on reducing his formula intake first and then phasing out the remaining bottles. As a result, we are currently filling his morning and afternoon bottles with a small amount of milk and his evening bottle with the last of the infant formula. After we use up the formula, then we will work to eliminate the two daytime bottles for cups. Our last step will be phasing out Henry's bedtime bottle.

I'll follow-up next month with another report on our progress.

This is the second in a three-part series. For the first post, click here. For the final update on our progress, click here.
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Comments

  1. JoyFebruary 8, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    It's very helpful to learn about Henry working on transitioning to milk and cups! My baby always has his pumped milk cold from the fridge or formula room temperature so that won't be his issue. But figuring out how to integrate cow's milk and eliminating the bottle is a bit daunting.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownFebruary 10, 2013 at 9:33 AM

      I'd recommend developing a plan for the transition, but be flexible. You may need to try a few different strategies to find what will work for your little one since they each have different preferences.

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