How to Introduce Whole Milk to a 1 Year Old

Transitioning your toddler from breastmilk or formula to whole milk may seem daunting. In this article, I’ll make it simple by teaching 3 easy methods to introduce milk.

Pediatricians recommend holding off on whole milk until a child’s first birthday. Until then, we need to rely on breastmilk and formula and later, solid food as a supplemental source.

But at a year old, it flips and your child’s nutrients and calories start to come from solid foods. Milk, while still a good source of calcium and vitamin D, becomes a side beverage.

Still, how exactly do you transition from breastmilk to whole milk after all this time? The trick is to introduce it gradually. Continue to offer his regular bottles, but slowly “mix” in regular milk as well. Take a look at these three examples of how you can do just that:

Table of Contents

Option 1: Introduce milk in one week

Day 1 and 2: For each of your child’s feeding sessions, offer a bottle that’s 1/4 whole milk and 3/4 breastmilk or formula. If he drinks 8-ounce bottles, pour 2 ounces of whole milk and 6 ounces of breastmilk or formula into the bottle. Do the same for all his bottles throughout the day.
Day 3 and 4: Offer bottles that are half whole milk and half either breastmilk or formula. Using our 8-ounce bottle as an example, each bottle will have 4 ounces of whole milk and 4 ounces of either breastmilk or formula.
Day 5 and 6: Offer bottles that are 3/4 whole milk and 1/4 breastmilk or formula. An 8-ounce bottle will have 6 ounces of whole milk and 2 ounces of breastmilk or formula.
Day 7: Offer full bottles of whole milk.

Free printables: Looking for ideas to do with your little one? Join my newsletter and grab your printable calendar of activities for one-year-olds! Check them off as you go along, or use the blank template to add your ideas. Grab it below—at no cost to you. As one parent said:

“Thank you! I’m glad I came across your list. It is age-appropriate, inexpensive, and not messy. We really appreciate it.”

Sally S.

Option 2: Introduce milk 1 ounce every day

Day 1: Replace 1 ounce of breastmilk or formula with whole milk, but only for one bottle or feeding of the day. Let’s say your child drinks 6-ounce bottles three times a day. Offer formula in the morning and before bed, but for the midday milk, replace one of those ounces with whole milk. His afternoon bottle would include 1 ounce of whole milk and 5 ounces of formula.
Day 2: Replace 2 ounces with whole milk for that same feeding. Continue to give him formula for the morning and night, but now his midday milk can include 2 ounces of whole milk and 4 ounces of formula.
Day 3 and onward: Continue adding more ounces of whole milk to that same feeding until he’s drinking a complete bottle of whole milk. If he drinks 6 ounces, by the sixth day, he should be drinking a full bottle of whole milk for his midday milk.
After one bottle is completely whole milk: Introduce 1 ounce of whole milk to another bottle. Now that his midday milk is completely whole milk, introduce whole milk the same way to the other two feeding sessions. For instance, his morning bottle can now have 1 ounce of whole milk and 5 ounces of formula. Continue to add 1 ounce a day until all his bottles are whole milk.

Expert tip

Start with the feedings where you’re not there. For instance, if the nanny gives him one post-nap bottle of milk, start with that bottle first. Similarly, reserve the bedtime feeding as the last bottle to transition.

Option 3: Introduce 1 ounce of milk for every bottle every week

Week 1: Replace 1 ounce of breastmilk or formula with whole milk for all your baby’s bottles. Let’s say your child takes 6 ounces of breastmilk, three times a day. For one whole week, offer 1 ounce of whole milk and 5 ounces of breastmilk for each of his bottles.
Week 2: Replace 2 ounces of breastmilk or formula. After he has been drinking 1 ounce of whole milk with all his bottles for a week, introduce 2 ounces. Each bottle should now have 2 ounces of whole milk and 4 ounces of breastmilk.
Week 3: Continue introducing another ounce of whole milk per week until he’s drinking full bottles of it.

Final thoughts

I followed the steps in Option 2, starting with the midday bottle of formula that our nanny offered the babies. Later, I offered an ounce of whole milk and expressed breastmilk in the mornings instead of nursing. And once that was done, I did the same for the nighttime feeding.

One thing is for certain: there is no “right” or “wrong” schedule to introduce whole milk. Each child is different—one could be drinking whole milk after a week, while another needs more time to adjust. Some might even drink a full bottle on the first try with no problem.

Do what works for you.

But hopefully, these three examples can give you an idea of how to introduce milk to 1 year old kids in a gradual way. Because if you’re like me, that bittersweet moment of saying goodbye to the pump and the cans of formula sometimes can’t come fast enough.

Get more tips:

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and grab your printable calendar of activities for one-year-olds below—at no cost to you:

“Thank you! I’m glad I came across your list. It is age-appropriate, inexpensive, and not messy. We really appreciate it.”

Sally S.