FROM FORMULA TO WHOLE MILK

Can anyone help?

My LO turns 1 on Thursday (where has the time gone)?! And therefore I am now considering taking her off formula & on to cows milk for her 3 daily feeds, which she still loves. However there's all this hype on TV about Follow On Milk for 1+ year olds & I'm not sure whether to change her to this instead? I don't want to waste money if it's not necessary but if my daughter will benefit from the next stage formula then that's what I'll give her. My friend has spoken to her Health Visitor about it as she also has her LO approaching 12 months & her HV said to put baby on to cows milk as they do not recommend the next stage formula, but I just wanted more opinions as I have not had chance to speak to my own HV.

Any thoughts much appreciated!!

Sara

Follow on milks are really on beneficiary to babies who have poor diets. If your daughter is eating well then cows milk is fine. The only difference is that follow on milk contains added vitamins and nutrients, but like I said, if your childs getting all this from food then you'd be wasting money on pricey follow on milks! I spent a fortune on them with my first son, then when my second son came along I put him onto watered down cows milk for a few days before giving it to him fully. I'm currently weaning my 1yr old onto cows milk now aswell!!

Good luck!! xx

(btw, if a reply came from me twice its cos the first one i wrote didnt submit! lol)

Hi, neither of my lads had follow on milk-in fact they both had cows milk before 1yr old. Simply for the fact I am old fashioned,never did our genereation any harm,they have good diets,perhaps too good(lil chubsters)!!!

However,a friend of mine recently had same dilemma,and like Laura her son will not touch cows milk,she has tries mixing formula with it but he saw through that!!!! So she is probably going to buy follow on milk,so at least he can still have his milk at bedtime.

Good luck with whatever you decide x x and happy birthday to you LO!!!

I think follow on milks are just a way of squeezing the last little bit of cash out of you as your little one moves on and doesn't need them any more.Yes there's the ad where the baby needs an enourmous cup to get all his daily needs whereas the formula provides it in just a small cup's worth.Of course you're supposed to think omg my baby  needs this stuff.It doesn't go on to say that if your baby is getting a full and varied diet and a pint of cows milk besides there's no need to keep them on formula.Funny thing that,when the "advice "to keep your baby on formula is put out by formula manufacturers.It's no more useful than any other artificial vitamin supplement

Making the change can be tricky,the longer you leave it after a year the more savvy the child is and it'll be harder.I just keep the same bottles and change just an ounce a day,changing one more each day and going back if I think I've been rumbled,till we get to all cows milk.Merlin hasn't noticed the change we just made to 6 month follow on,he won't notice when we do it again in 6 months.All my kids drink milk twice a day still,some are bigger fans than others,but noone actually hates it,it's just a normal part of their diet.

If your baby has a poor diet or growth problem there's place for it maybe,but not in the vast majority of cases.

My eldest was difficult about switching to cows milk, I changed to cows milk on her cereal first when she was 1 and gradually her breakfast milk when she realised they tasted different and had bedtime formula milk as she would not drink cows milk until she was almost 2, the clincher was the big girl cup her auntie gave her when her older cousins had a drink of milk, she has never looked back!  She was a very small baby at birth and was still catching up at age 2 but my HV always said she did not NEED formula after age 1 as most of her nutrients would come from a balanced diet at that age but it would do her no harm.

My middle daughter has had cows milk on her breakfast from 6mth old as she completely refused formula of any kind (and I could not express enough breast milk for her cereal), until she pinched her big sisters' bedtime formula milk at almost 8mths.  It only lasted 3mths though and by 11mths she was refusing that and had stopped breastfeeding by then so my HV advised just to give her cows milk and a vitamin suppliment until 12mths so she was at least getting some form of milk! 

I was always of the opinion that it was more important to get my eldest away from the bedtime bottle and onto using a beaker at age 1 than suddenly stopping her formula and I did use some of the ready made formulas when out and about when she wanted a feed and she hated the taste of them.  I found  homemade milkshakes (with cows milk) were a big success, managed to get the banana and strawberries in her diet when she was refusing all fruit but grapes as well.  But both my older daughters had dropped to a morning and night milk feed by 14mths and were not interested in milk after their nap.  On the other hand my cousins daughter still wants a bottle at bedtime of follow on milk and after her nap at age 2.  You will know what is right for you and your little one so just do what is right for you! You could try it but most 6mth+ formulas are for up to 24mths anyway.

Thank you all for your help!

Think from all of your advice I will def try cow's milk rather than formula. She has been a really easy baby so far & whilst meal times are sometimes hard work she does have a varied diet. Regarding milk feeds she was breast fed until 9 months then easily swapped on to formula & has had cow's milk with her cereal from 6 months, so I'm hoping the transition will be quite painless!

Sara xx

hi sara,

my son is 2 and he still on formula. cos he is very poorly and senstives to cow milk. got to use lacatose free cow milk on his cereal.

i agreed with most of them. u should use cow milk if she is ok with it and not poorly.

if u worry she dun have enough nutrients, get her some vitamins. but not always necessary, unless she didnt eat for days due to illness.

have fun!

 eileen