When to stop formula feeding

[MelandBen]

So I was reading a parenting magazine the other day which had a doctor who stated that having bottles of formula past 12 months was not healthy.

So I'm confused.... I know of heaps of people that do up to the age of 2.

What is the protocol for bottle feeding after 12 months?

My DD is coming up for 10 months, so I am starting to wonder.

Thanks!!

[2girls&1angelboy]

My dd2 turned 2 in March she is still on formula she is on the Nan pro gold toddler the cows milk didnt agree with her i could of stuck with it for longer but as it wasnt agreeing with her she refused to drink it so i put her back on formula and straight away she was drinking back to her normal amount

[AvasMummy09]

So this is a tough one. There is plenty of conflicting information out there from not only mums but health professionals and formula companies too.

I have done quite a bit of research on this topic; and have come to the conclusion that for my LO formula after 12 months is not only unnecessary, but a waste of money.

If your child is having a varied diet (including lots of veges, fruit, wholegrain carbs and a variety of proteins) then formula after 12 months is not needed. If for some reason you LO is not getting enough vitamins and mineral from their solid meals then formula may help.

A downside is the later you leave the transition from formula to cows milk; the more difficult it becomes; as formula is MUCH sweeter than cows milk. Also; after reading multiple tins of stage 3 formula, I got the distinct impression that a majority of brands are actually vanilla flavoured making the later transition even more challenging.

However children who drink formula after 12 months ARE LESS inclined to eat their solid meals based on the fact that they are kept fuller for longer on formula (so I guess it's a catch 22).

You really need to make this decision based on your LO's needs.

My DD is nearly 11 months and we have begun the cow's milk transition last week. She is currently have 2 x 180 ML and 1 x 210 mL bottles per day. For 1.5 weeks her morning bottle (150 ML) has been cows milk. After the end of this week (So 2 weeks after we started cows milk) I plan to do the same to her lunch time bottle (although she has given me the impression she is ready to drop this one altogether). Then 2 weeks after that (she will be 1 by then) I plan to do the same with her last bottle.

We have had no issues since starting cows milk; although she has been having it in cooking/cereal since 6 months so she was already used to it; but not in such high amounts.

Good luck with your decision :)

[Feathers]

:yes: What AvasMummy said covers everything I would have said :laughing:

[Bob le kangourou]

Thanks for all this info - I'm breastfeeding my 11-month old baby and was wondering what to do next: bottle or nothing.
I now fell confident in doing... nothing!
:)

[2girls&1angelboy]

Thanks for all this info - I'm breastfeeding my 11-month old baby and was wondering what to do next: bottle or nothing.
I now fell confident in doing... nothing!
:)


I breastfed my DD2 til she was 15months and still put her on formula she never started solids til 12months i like the feeling that i know as i learnt from dd1 that they dont eat alot so i know she has something nice and filling at the end of the day

[Mumof2soontobe3]

Doctors recommend that babies do not use bottles themselves past 12mths as they are not as good for their teeth, they recommend that you transistion them to using a beaker or sipper cup for any milk/formula given, my son didnt not use bottles past 10mths old. My daughter is still using bottles though and she is 18mths been a bit more lazy with her lol but am thinking of taking bottles away and using a beaker. Plus children do not need formula past 12mths old you can give them cows milk once they reach 12mths, my son went on to cows milk at this age, my daughter had formula until about 16mths only as she was very fussy and not eating a lot of solid food. I personally dont see how using formula can be unhealthy though as its full of a lot more nutrients than cows milk but most parents only continue to use it past 12mths if theyre children are small/underweight for their age or as with my daughter they do not eat much and you feel they require the extra nutrients that wouldnt be supplied if you put them on plain cows milk.Plus some children you eill find do not take well to cows milk at the age of 12mths their just not ready for it it can give them diarrhoea or make them vomit so also in this case it would pay off to keep them on formula a bit longer. So if your happy to put your son on cows milk by 12mths give it a go and see how it takes to it, a good way of transitioning him is to start giving 3/4 formula and 1/4 cows milk then move on to 1/2 formula and 1/2 cows milk if he is tolerating this then start giving full cows milk bottles. But you dont have to do it this way as my son was used to haveing cows milk in his foods by 6mths i figured he obviously was ok with it so just switched it to full cows milk bottles and he was fine,children can have cows milk in their foods by 6mths you dont have to mix it with breastmilk or formula.Hope this helps. :)

[TripleTime]

Plus children do not need formula past 12mths old


I have to disagree & say, some do :yes:.

I know many kids who are over the age of 2 & still having formula because they need it.

My 3 fall into that category & will be having formula till at least 15 months.

[samsmyboy]

I think it is the sugar content that is the concern for health professionals so as long as you are cleaning teeth etc..

As per trippletime, some need it DS1 is on a paediatric formula at 6 (very underweight due to restrictive diet) and DS2 has just gone onto milk at 12 months (definately not underweight!)

[Blonde Assassin]

I have to disagree & say, some do :yes:.

I know many kids who are over the age of 2 & still having formula because they need it.

My 3 fall into that category & will be having formula till at least 15 months.

Exactly! Just because your child turns 1 doesn't mean formula has to be taken from their diet completely!!

DS will still be on formula after 1 because we're having a TON of trouble giving him solids. I can't see him changing dramatically in 1 & 1/2 months, so in order for him to continue growing & developing at a steady rate, he will need the nutrients from formula until his diet becomes more adequate :yes:

[risfaerie]

Hi

As with most things, there is no right or wrong on this one. I spoke to our Dr with DD (15 months). She is only just getting teeth now and was not getting enough nutrition from her limited diet, so she had to stay on formula. We are only now transitioning her to cows milk. She still has formula in the morning and night - its not flavoured, it is not sweet.

[2girls&1angelboy]

dd2 is almost 27months and still drinking it usually one in the afternoon and one of a night, im keeping her on it as long as possible its getting those extra nutrients into her and she still having her 6 meals a day we do frequent smaller meals as 3 bigger ones just dont work here.

[LittleLew]

My DS transitioned from formula to cows milk at 12 months. But I started to find he was getting very unsettled at night. The higher proportion of cows milk in the bottle the worse it became.
Someone mentioned it could be the reaction of formula mixed with cows milk. So I moved to 100% cows milk, it just got worse. It seemed to be giving him a lot of wind pains in the belly and lots of 'back firing' which at 1 he found very funny. But the nights were terrible.
I moved him back onto formula (Karicare Stage 3) - now he's great!
Anyone else have this prob? Does it pass? Don't want the poor little guy to have an allergy...

[The Bubble Tree]

My DS transitioned from formula to cows milk at 12 months. But I started to find he was getting very unsettled at night. The higher proportion of cows milk in the bottle the worse it became.
Someone mentioned it could be the reaction of formula mixed with cows milk. So I moved to 100% cows milk, it just got worse. It seemed to be giving him a lot of wind pains in the belly and lots of 'back firing' which at 1 he found very funny. But the nights were terrible.
I moved him back onto formula (Karicare Stage 3) - now he's great!
Anyone else have this prob? Does it pass? Don't want the poor little guy to have an allergy...

hi Littlelew - is DS still having problem with the cow's milk?

I have read that cow's milk does give some babies waking problem. But it eases when they turn 15 months or so...

It's interesting as I didnt believe it, but now that i have read yours so this is true for some babies.

But I always wonder if it's because the cow's milk is given cold rather than lukewarm like formula? I always warm the cow's milk up before offering it to DD and she has been fine.

[LittleLew]

Hi Bubble Tree, I tried one more time to move DS from formula onto cow's milk, but again he ended up with an upset tummy. So I have kept him on formula for the time being. It's been a while though, so I do intend to try again soon.
We had a rough winter, with DS having tonsilitis 8 times, so we were losing enough sleep, so I didn't want to risk losing any more due to milk experiments!!

Now that he is in the toddler room at daycare, they have a cup of milk before their daytime nap, and I believe he is having that, and doesn't seem to have any problems, so maybe it will be ok. Though back when we were trying the cow's milk, daytime seemed to be fine, it was late in the night when he got the most upset tummy... not sure why, maybe because he is down for longer and it might take more than an hour or 2 to kick in...

[The Bubble Tree]

Hi Bubble Tree, I tried one more time to move DS from formula onto cow's milk, but again he ended up with an upset tummy. So I have kept him on formula for the time being. It's been a while though, so I do intend to try again soon.
We had a rough winter, with DS having tonsilitis 8 times, so we were losing enough sleep, so I didn't want to risk losing any more due to milk experiments!!

Now that he is in the toddler room at daycare, they have a cup of milk before their daytime nap, and I believe he is having that, and doesn't seem to have any problems, so maybe it will be ok. Though back when we were trying the cow's milk, daytime seemed to be fine, it was late in the night when he got the most upset tummy... not sure why, maybe because he is down for longer and it might take more than an hour or 2 to kick in...

Hi Littlelew - this is really interesting. Not even the book where I read it from know why it would cause that. It did say though after 15 months or so it's fine to give. It also say that formula is still best milk to give before that age anyway as it still provide nutrients. I have gone back to formula now and will only give cow's milk if we are out or there's no formula available, cause I bought a tin and have to use it up :laughing:

Thanks for replying. Sorry to hear about the tonsillitis. Its the worst when they are sick. Glad to know he is back on track sleep wise :)