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There's a great guide for using pumped breastmilk...in it, there are tons of guidelines for:

  • How long it can be kept after it has been heated up?
  • If a baby didn't finish a bottle, how long before you have to toss the remaining milk?
  • etc.

Is there such a guide for cow's milk? I couldn't find a comprehensive site like the above for it. I found a related question here, but it only address one case...heating up the milk.

NOTE: My daughter is older than 12 months.

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  • Cow's milk is for baby cows, not baby humans.
    – DA01
    Commented Nov 5, 2012 at 21:50
  • @DA01: You're right - but that doesn't explain why kids and adults enjoy so many dairy products. Someone brought human dairy products to market and it flopped - I wonder why!
    – Torben Gundtofte-Bruun
    Commented Nov 7, 2012 at 9:15
  • Well, cow's milk isn't really designed for adult humans either, though a portion of the population has managed to adapt. The whole topic of milk in general is rather fascinating, though obviously a bit off topic.
    – DA01
    Commented Nov 7, 2012 at 9:42
  • That said, I just noticed that the question states the child is OLDER than 12 months. I initially read that as under 12 months. As an addition to a proper diet, it's fine. Just make sure it's not a replacement for proper human milk/formula when that's the primary diet.
    – DA01
    Commented Nov 7, 2012 at 9:44
  • Sorry @DA01, the question initially was misleading because it mentions pumped breast milk which is usually for younger infants. :)
    – milesmeow
    Commented Nov 7, 2012 at 18:40

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If your child is younger than 12 months, I would refrain from giving cow's milk altogether, see What Happens If a Newborn Drinks Cow Milk? and Cow's milk: When and how to introduce it. Problems which can occur are nutritional deficiencies (most commonly iron deficiency), gastrointestinal irritation or allergic reactions. In general, babies' digestive tracts and kidneys are not yet ready

Living in Germany, UHT-milk is quite common, which can be stored up to nine months, if not opened. Then it should be consumed within a couple of days - one week works fine for us at home including our three-year-old.

For a day out, I recommend using a vacuum flask together with drinking cups; as of 1 year our son as well as all children in our nursery school were well able to use that instead of a bottle.

We generally dispose all "unfinished" drinks at the end of the day, I would do likewise with an unfinished bottle (i.e. keep it one day maximum).

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