Milk or formula?

[AudreysMom]

My daughter will be turning one on our upcoming trip to the World. I have to decide if we want to transition her to cows milk before or after the trip. Also, should bottles go early or wait until we get back home? Any advice you can offer would be GREATLY appreciated!

I was thinking it would be so much easier not to carry bottles and formula, but the more I look into the boards, I am wondering if I am correct.

DD does not use a pacifier, so she'd probably need the bottle on take-off, right?

Whole milk is not as readily available as I thought, but we're staying at a DVC villa, so she'd have her whole milk anytime we were there and I am not worried about a little lowfat milk during the day. Oh, and the whole airport thing is way more complicated with milk than I thought. Ugh.

I like the convenience of buying milk as we go, but would the ability to quickly make a bottle or cup of formula outweigh that if I have a cranky child on my hands?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[ginnymack]

I tend not to rock the boat before a big event! If she is used to / happy with formula in a bottle, I would stick with it until a few days after you get home and everything is back to normal. I would not want to risk any tummy upset or introduce any other variables outside of my control when I am away from home. I never even introduced a new veggie unless I was at home and my pedi was a phone call and 5 minute drive away! Even if she has had milk before, I think I would still wait before changing any routine - it will probably be a perfectly smooth transition - but *just in case*...kwim?

 

[kbheap]

Although I am always one to switch as soon as child is ready, in this case I am with PP. Why rock the boat right before a trip? When we switched DS to milk, he had horrible stomach issues with it. He was weeks before we could put him on completely. Even then it was only the lactaid that he could drink for probably two months. In this case, only because of MY past experience, I would say wait until you get home.

 

[cel_disney]

Although I am always one to switch as soon as child is ready, in this case I am with PP. Why rock the boat right before a trip? When we switched DS to milk, he had horrible stomach issues with it. He was weeks before we could put him on completely. Even then it was only the lactaid that he could drink for probably two months. In this case, only because of MY past experience, I would say wait until you get home.

Just wanted to ditto this!! It turns out my DS has a mild dairy intolerance and after 6 months of stomach misery after switching to milk, we moved to Rice Milk. I wouldnt want to deal with that in WDW if I didnt have to!! We have done a trip with bottles - it actually wasnt that hard but maybe thats because we use playtex drop ins? I found it really convenient actually to just mix water/formula when needed and not worry about DS having something comforting while we were there and traveling!! GOOD LUCK!

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I tend not to rock the boat before a big event! If she is used to / happy with formula in a bottle, I would stick with it until a few days after you get home and everything is back to normal. I would not want to risk any tummy upset or introduce any other variables outside of my control when I am away from home. I never even introduced a new veggie unless I was at home and my pedi was a phone call and 5 minute drive away! Even if she has had milk before, I think I would still wait before changing any routine - it will probably be a perfectly smooth transition - but *just in case*...kwim?

I agree %100

 

[MSSANDRA]

Stick with the bottles and formula. DS nor DGS did transition well to milk and DGS not to the bottle, so you never know. You do not want an unhappy child on vacation. That bottle might be a god-send in a strange place at bedtime!!!

A little longer is no big deal.

 

[AudreysMom]

Ah, thank you! This is exactly why I posted! DD is my first and I didn't think about potential problems with milk. I asked her doctor about switching at about 11 months (which he ok'd) but I was only thinking about her getting used to cow's milk.

We currently use Dr Brown's bottles. DD isn't terribly particular, so I might pick up a drop-in bottle and see how she likes that before we go. With those, do you carry one bottle, several liners, and several nipples with you to the parks? Or do you do some washing as you go?

Any other tips for dealing with bottles during a day at the parks?

 

[Ericandjenng]

Until you posted this, I didn't even realize that I had changed my son from formula to milk right before we took him to Disney for the first time--he was 13 months. I don't remember exactly when we started switching him over but it was on the advice of our pediatricians. Also, by that time because we had already started him on foods and were to real food and not just baby food, so we were not giving him all of his nutrition through his bottle. Plus by this time he was drinking water and juices too.

We also used the playtex drop-ins for his bottle. We took those and also a couple of sippy cups--the ones that aren't supposed to leak. With this style bottle, you only need about two bottles and 3-4 nipples--you can go to the baby care centers or just use the bathroom sinks to rinse the nipples after use. We washed our bottles each night in our room (and yes I remembered to pack the bottle brush). Also, we used an inulated lunchbox with ice blocks to keep the extra milk/bottles in.

All that being said, I do agree with some of the other posters about being worried about reactions...honestly, it just never crossed my mind at the time that he might have an allergy--luckily he dosen't

 

[Ericandjenng]

Oh, yeah, I am pretty sure whole milk is available in the parks

 

[Mommy2Abby]

I agree with everyone else. Wait until you get home and things are back to normal. DD had a hard time transitioning from formula to whole milk, and I ended up having to mix it 50/50 with formula for about the first 2 -3 weeks just to get her to drink it. She didn't have any dietary issues with it, she just didn't like it and has a stubborn streak You REALLY don't want to drag both the formula and the milk all over the place while you're there.

She also refused the sippy cup for a while, which is another battle you don't want to have while on vacation.

We've done the bottles at the parks too, and have also used the drop in ones. I don't remember them being a big hassle...I would just put the powder formula premeasured in the liner and then pop the bottle out and add bottled water whenever we needed it. DD was always happy to drink it at room temperature so I didn't have to worry about warming it up. Then I would just toss the liner and the nipple would go in a ziploc till we got back to our hotel room where I could wash it.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

I wouldn't make any changes before your trip. Not only are there possible adverse reactions to switching from formula to milk to consider, but just from a comfort level for your baby, if she's used to formula in bottles, I'd stick with that and start the transition once you are home and back to your normal surroundings and normal routine. Traveling can be stressful to young children, even to a fun place, probably a good idea to keep something comforting and familiar like her bottle. When my oldest was a week past his first birthday, we were taking a long road trip to Arkansas for my step-brother's wedding. My ped. advised me to keep him on formula and bottles for the trip for all of the above reasons. I had originally intended to have him off bottles and formula by his first birthday.

 

[MrsGoofyMitchell]

I would definitely wait until after the trip for the whole transition. But you could start introducing the sippy cup now so maybe in the parks one of the bottles could be replaced with a sippy cup. DS was on 4 bottles a day and I gradually dropped a bottle and replaced with his cup. We used Dr. Brown's too, but when I was on vacation with DS last we switched to Muchkin or Born Free (which are BPA free) because they were easier to clean.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of formula you use and if your DD tolerates changes in formula....when we were on the go we used the Enfamil packets. That way we had bottles filled with water already and just added the packet and shook it. I also bought that Munchkin formula divider (at Target) and premeasured it to add to the water when I didn't have the packets.

 

[brockash]

My daughter will be turning one on our upcoming trip to the World. I have to decide if we want to transition her to cows milk before or after the trip. Also, should bottles go early or wait until we get back home? Any advice you can offer would be GREATLY appreciated!

I was thinking it would be so much easier not to carry bottles and formula, but the more I look into the boards, I am wondering if I am correct.

DD does not use a pacifier, so she'd probably need the bottle on take-off, right?

Whole milk is not as readily available as I thought, but we're staying at a DVC villa, so she'd have her whole milk anytime we were there and I am not worried about a little lowfat milk during the day. Oh, and the whole airport thing is way more complicated with milk than I thought. Ugh.

I like the convenience of buying milk as we go, but would the ability to quickly make a bottle or cup of formula outweigh that if I have a cranky child on my hands?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I'd wait to transition both until you get back from Disney. My dd must think every time she comes back from disney she's going to "lose" something The first time, as soon as we got back we got rid of the bottles and this past time we got rid of diapers

A couple things to think about as far as the formula/milk thing. Formula is easier to take to the parks with you. You can get a container that splits into different compartments, and measure out the amount of formula you need for each feeding and just throw it in the diaper bag. You don't have to try to keep it cold, and when you're ready to use one just dump it in the bottle and mix with water. We bring a small collapsable cooler now with ice packs, and it's not a huge deal, but formula was easier. Also, you never know how your dd is going to react to the change to milk. My dd did okay for a couple months and then all of a sudden she started throwing up every time she drank milk (she ended up not being able to handle the fat content.) Anyways, I would always try to stay with what you know works to get through a busy vacation and change afterwards.

 

[deerhart]

we started transitioning our kids from formula to milk around 10 months of age. We did 1/4 milk, 3/4 formula during month 10, 1/2 milk, 1/2 formula month 11, 3/4 milk 1/4 formula month 13 and then 100% milk after that.

Transition to sippy cups were harder. My youngest transitioned really easily at 1 year, my oldest refused to use one and still had a bottle at 2.5. He finally gave them up when his baby brother was born (literally we refused to send them with him to my parents house when he went to stay with them for the birth and came back using a regular cup). now mind you he ended up being tongue tied so that played a lot into his avoidance of a cup (and we used an advent bottle with a sippy cup type nipple for him so it was a sort of inbetween type thing)

 

[Bren's Mom]

If you are going within the next month or so I'd suggest waiting. If it's going to be longer than that I see no reason to put it off. I stopped warming formula several weeks before I switched ds. Served it cool, so the milk wouldn't be a shock when I switched. And I also started him on straw sippies with water around 9 mos. He LOVED the straw sippies and had no problem with them. So I ditched the bottled and went to milk in a straw sippy all on the same day. No problem at all.

 

[jboysen]

Just did this with my daughter. Started at 10 months mixing half and half in the sipy cup, then at 11 months strait whole milk. We did not put any in a bottle. Dr ok'd it and all was well!

 

[AudreysMom]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Keep em coming!

DD has had cheese, yogurt, and milk with cheerios and so far so good.
She likes playing with a sippy but isn't happy when I tried to sub a sippy for a bottle at lunch several times.

In my research today, I read a great trick I thought I'd share. TSA has to let you through with formula, but the rules don't necessarily extend to milk. However, if you use baby bottles to go through the checkpoint with milk for a small toddler, you can pour the milk into a sippy on the other side and not have to buy milk at the airport.

 

[brockash]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Keep em coming!

DD has had cheese, yogurt, and milk with cheerios and so far so good.
She likes playing with a sippy but isn't happy when I tried to sub a sippy for a bottle at lunch several times.

In my research today, I read a great trick I thought I'd share. TSA has to let you through with formula, but the rules don't necessarily extend to milk. However, if you use baby bottles to go through the checkpoint with milk for a small toddler, you can pour the milk into a sippy on the other side and not have to buy milk at the airport.

Just wanted to share my experience with flying with sippy cups with milk/juice. I've flown 6 times in the past year and a half with 5 sippy cups full of milk and juice and I've never had a problem getting them past security. They just do a test to make sure it's not an explosive and we're on our way.

 

[Wendy5055]

I wouldn't suggest to anyone changing just before a trip...but I would have. My dd8 was an early potty trainer, early bottle/formula to sippy cup/milk transition (as soon as ok received from pedi)...she even went from crib to bed with no issues and slep through the night at 5 weeks!!!! Sometimes I wonder where all that amiability went?!?!?!?

If you feel you want to keep the bottles then use the playtex (or whatever brand) with the disposable liner. Buy a box of liners (name brand not necessary they all work the same), a few nipples and couple of bottles (don't need more than a couple because you use a liner). I know that playtex used to sell a starter kit (that's the brand used for dd8 if I am remembering bottles and not bras!!!!) I think many of the formula makers have those travel packs of formula specially measured out for one bottle serving (kind of like a single serving of crystal light)...I used those on many long car rides.

 

[We_love_WDW]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Keep em coming!

DD has had cheese, yogurt, and milk with cheerios and so far so good.
She likes playing with a sippy but isn't happy when I tried to sub a sippy for a bottle at lunch several times.

In my research today, I read a great trick I thought I'd share. TSA has to let you through with formula, but the rules don't necessarily extend to milk. However, if you use baby bottles to go through the checkpoint with milk for a small toddler, you can pour the milk into a sippy on the other side and not have to buy milk at the airport.

If you are going in April....I would try the milk. Start it gradually 3/4 formula the rest milk..then 1/2 and 1/2 then more milk, etc..., I would use the drop ins, very easy and all you have to is rinse the nipples- very very easy. I would go through the checkpoint and buy the milk on the other side. Try the take and toss cups with the straws..both my kids switched from bottles to these very easy and they really don't spill.