This post was sponsored by Hood as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
From the first day of Emma’s life her formula was always her main source of nutrients. At her 12-month physical her pediatrician told me it was time to transition her from her formula to whole milk. It took me totally by surprise and I was a little nervous about Emma’s reaction to this significant change. In this post I will tell you how we transitioned her and give you a little advice to help your toddler make this step.
Why Whole Milk?
Although there are many other milk options in the grocery store Whole milk is the recommended milk for toddlers between the ages of 12 months to 24 months. Whole milk is dense in fat, calories, and cholesterol. These are all things your little one needs to grow a healthy body and brain. Whole milk also supplies your toddler with the Vitamin D and Calcium they need for health bone growth. Our doctor recommended feeding Emma between 16-24 ounces of whole milk a day to keep her growing strong.
When looking into our whole milk options we chose Hood Milk for so many reasons. First Hood Milk is produced with absolutely no artificial growth hormones. Hood Milk provides Emma with 8 g of protein and 9 essential nutrients per serving. Hood also protects your milk with the LightBlock Bottle®. To be honest, it came down to the fact that choosing Hood Milk was the best option for Emma!
It’s a Marathon, Not A Sprint
The transition process can be intimidating but remember it doesn’t need to happen all at once! Take it slow, you and your baby will get there at your own pace. While transitioning Emma we did it gradually. We started by switching a quarter of her formula with the Hood Whole Milk. We slowly started adding more and more milk until we were 100% transitioned to Whole milk.
Emma drinks 8 oz of formula at each meal, we started the transition by giving her 6 oz of formula and add 2 oz of milk. Three days later add 4 oz of Formula and 4 oz of milk. Three days after that we did 2 oz of formula and 6 oz of milk. Finally, 3 days after that we were completely transitioned to 100% Hood whole milk! It took up about a week and a half to make the full transition but, if it takes your baby more or less time that is okay!
If your run in to difficulty I recommend heating the milk. If your baby is used to warm formula odds are, they will not adjust easily to cold milk. We warm Emma’s milk by putting it in her cup and placing the cup in warm water for about 3 minutes.
A Sippy or A Bottle
We found it very hard to transition Emma from her beloved bottle to a sippy cup. Eventually we found that the transition cups were the perfect in between stage! When we transitioned Emma to Hood Whole milk, we also transitioned her to a transition sippy cup. One-month later Emma is a transition cup pro and we are moving our way to the sippy, as you can tell we still need to work on this!
Emma’s Special Dietary Needs
I assume not everyone can relate to this, but Emma has special dietary needs due to her recent diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. During this time, we have learned a lot about the importance of nutrients. Milk has become our greatest tool during this time! When her blood sugars begin to drop, we turn to milk. In milk, the lactose supplies natural sugar and energy, it also supplies protein and fat to help stabilize her sugars when she needs the extra help. Hood Milk is the perfect snack for my little diabetic.
A 13-month Update
Emma has been on Hood Whole Milk and her transition cups for 1 month now. Everything is going well, she is growing and developing, and I feel so confident and happy with our choice to give her Hood Milk! As a mom it is important to feel confident with your choices and do research into brands and dietary needs. After all of my research there is no other milk we would feed Emma!
You can find Hood Milk at your local grocery store or visit Hood.Com to find a local retailer