How Many Bottles?

[*Meggie*]

I look after my niece who has just turned 12 months old. Her mum doesn't believe she should be having cows milk and has put her onto a toddler formula. The days I have her she has 2 bottles as she eats breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Her parents have now told me that they want her to have 4 bottles a day because that what the tin says but they don't seem to understand that the formula is just a food supplement. So my question is how many bottles should she be having in a day?

[the pero clinic]

Dear Meggie,

Toddler formulas are usually designed to be nutritional supplements for young children who don’t eat a sufficient diet or gain adequate nutrients from their food – but they are often used as just cow’s milk alternatives.

It is very difficult to tell others (particularly family members!) how to raise their children, so I would advise that you proceed with caution. However, in answer to your question, a one year old really doesn’t need to have ‘bottles’ in the first place.

Milk should be a drink, and not a meal, for toddlers. 3 servings of 200mL of milk or yoghurt, and some cheese each day is plenty. It is possible that your niece is eating sufficient serves of dairy daily, without having to rely on extra drinks of milk. It would not be surprising if she filled up quickly on 4 drinks of formula each day and began to refuse food.

Finally, I would also recommend that she be drinking from a cup and not a bottle at this age. There are plenty of questions and replies about learning to drink from a cup in the Cup Drinking section to have a look at.

the pero clinic