What are your thoughts on formula from 12months old?

Hi,

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on the formula's after bubs have turned 1 year old. I remember our clinic nurse saying it was just a gimmick the formula companies doing to get more $$$ out of us. She said that bubs don't really need it as they should be getting all their nutrients and requirements from a well balanced diet, but those ads on tv lately have been getting me thinking or possibly sucking me in if it is a gimmick :doh::lol:

At this stage we are still BF anyway, but I'll be back at work by the time my DS turns 1, so just wanted to plan ahead (and if it is required then start to stock up when there is specials).

So what do you's think?

Thanks

I will be working 1 day a week from when DS is 11 months and he will be havong a cup or 2 of cows milk in a cup when i am at work along with solids.

My MCHN said to me to introduce milk in cup a few weeks before i go back to workm will still be BF otherwise.

formula is not necessary for a baby with a well balanced diet

Nah... waste of money. Just a sugar drink really... like milo.

Totally agree that a balanced diet is all that's needed. Would you be able to keep up a couple of breastfeeds? Maybe in the morning and one at night or something? There really is no need for formula.

And yeah... the ads play on the emotions of us mums to make us think our kids are missing out on something if they don't have formula. If you're that concerned about their diet, there are other ways to supplement their diet, with vitamins or whatever.. I wouldn't touch toddler formula personally.. wouldn't give those big companies the satisfaction.

I didn't bother, from my kids 1st birthday I slowly introduced cow's milk. Diluted at first and then increased the strength over the course of a month or two.

I'm trying to wean my DD off forumla, she turned 1 at the start of the month. I found that cows milk gives her terrible wind and tummy aches so she's having lactose free cows milk at daycare and has been fine. I'm also going to try that at home and I will try some soy. I will try normal cows milk again in a few months time.
I find for myself that normal milk gives me bloating and terrible wind pain as well as making me rush to the loo straight after drinking it, so perhaps both DD and I have an intollerance to it, though I'm not yet going to say that DD is intollerant, I will try it a bit more. She doesn't react badly to yoghurt.

I would advise keeping a tin of forumla on hand while introducing milk just in case. We went from buying 4 tins a fortnight down to last fortnight only buying 2 tins for a whole fortnight. We are also decreasing the number of bottles DD has and offering solid food first. She's now having a bottle at about 7am (formula), then one at 12:30 (lactose free or a half/half mix of formula & lactose free) after she's had lunch, then she doesn't have another bottle until about 8pm (formula but will be trying lactose free milk as of this week) before bed. If she wakes in the middle of the night she'll have one then as well

Never touched it. It's expensive milkshake to me! A balanced diet for a toddler really ISN'T that hard to achieve, and as someone up above mentioned, there are plenty of vitamin supplements on the market if you can see bubs isn't doing too great. As for all the immunity crap on the ads - if you can continue to BF just ONCE a day (so bedtime or first thing if you're out at work all day) you will be doing vastly more than the formula can do in that direction.

Bx

Oh good now I dont feel so bad about not wanting to continue after 12 months :)

u can use the 6 month formula up to about 18 months i think each one is different but most of them say it on the back of the can.

the toddler drinks are just like baby milo. tho i was told that a couple of those pree made up ones in the fridge is good for if they are sick and not eating. we have had them when DS has been sick and just wouldn't eat.

you can get kids cows milk. but i didn't bother as DS generally had a balanced diet. we started to introduce cows milk with breakfast at 9 months and then in the bottle at about 11-12 months. as far as i know its the lactos thats the worry so lactos free milk is a good starter too.

good luck

Thanks girls.

Yeah, I did think it was all just a big waste of money...stupid ads :rolleyes:. Just wanted to make sure.

At this stage I will try to continue to do BF's morning and night, and maybe a cows milk during the day (have given him cows milk in his cereal for a couple of months now - all ok) - for the days I work (I'll be 3 days part time) and try to do a BF during the day on non work days. But if I do dry up (probably likely - as he is starting to feed less at the moment and supply has been dropping) - at least I now feel comfortable giving him cows milk alone.

Both my DD's have had toddler milk after 12 months

DD1 refused cows milk until just before she turned 2....

DD2 is still on toddler milk but this is because she never took to solids...only the last 6 weeks she has stsrted solids, so ive cut 4 bottles down to 2 now. She doent like cows milk yet either, so until she does....ill continue with FF her

A relative of mine had a terrible time getting his DS to eat anything and the paed blamed it on formula. At 18 months he only had bottles and at 2 he was only eating very small amounts and still having bottles! Then they got him off formula and he would only drink juice and scream for a juice bottle every hour because he was so used to a liquid diet.

That was enough to put me off introducing toddler milk because even though I b/f those ads do make you think it might be a good idea to feed it to your child. Especially the recent ones saying that their immune system needs to be supported till they are 3 :o I can feel myself being brainwashed :rolleyes:

yep,
there is no way i will be buying into the formula companies sales pitches, a vote for cows milk and a balanced diet here too.

Hi, I bf my dd til 10 mths, then onto formula. Around 12 months i started her on norml milk, she loved it from the beginning. But because she doesn't eat very well (no meat really, and not much else, only green peas and beetroot and the occasional banana) I also give two cups of formula each day. Morning and night she gets 200ml Karicare Gold toddler. Its great, one cup provides half the RDI of iron and heaps more. Its more of a peace of mind thing for me.

At least I know she's gettting the essential nutrients from it and I dont have to worry!!


Good luck

Hi, I bf my dd til 10 mths, then onto formula. Around 12 months i started her on norml milk, she loved it from the beginning. But because she doesn't eat very well (no meat really, and not much else, only green peas and beetroot and the occasional banana) I also give two cups of formula each day. Morning and night she gets 200ml Karicare Gold toddler. Its great, one cup provides half the RDI of iron and heaps more. Its more of a peace of mind thing for me.

At least I know she's gettting the essential nutrients from it and I dont have to worry!!


Good luck

Those ads make me soooo mad...they are emotional blackmail, pure and simple. Even though I FF my kids, I never used toddler milk - on the whole, it is unnecessary. If you b/f and don't want to stop at 12 months, don't. If you FF and don't want to switch to cows milk just yet, you can continue to use infant formula, just don't let it replace food. The formula companies pay big dollars to ad agencies to devise the best way of blackmailing parents into believing that they will be disadvantaging their child if they do feed him or her toddler formula. They do it because they are not allowed to advertise infant formula. And the claim that a certain brand of toddler milk will 'support' their immune system is utter bulldust.

I have never wasted my money on toddler formula, however both my girls where good eaters and loved milk.

I did take a couple of months to transition from formula to straight milk though. By 14 months both girls were off ff.

My SIL has feed both hers on toddler milk and I have to say that both kids are terrible eaters and both still rely on expensive toddler milk, one child is 3 and the other 2.

I'm glad this thread was started! They had begun to sucker me in (we've decided to wean soon, but :o formula until 3 years?!?!?!).

Come to think about it... LOL how does a formula enhance the immune system anyway??

never used a toddler formula here. at 10 months DS was 50% BF and 50% formula... and 11 months he weaned and was on 3 bottles formula a day (or was it 4??) and at 12 months i made the switch to cows milk (full fat). I think I did 1/2 1/2 for a week and then went straight to full milk. he has been great - but he is a wonderful eater etc etc.