Q for formula feeders

[olien]

How old was your child when you stopped giving formula??

DS is 16mo & he still gets formula 4 - 5x a day & milk too. I dont think he eats enough to stop. lately he is so picky.

Although, I am thinking he might eat more is he didnt drink so much. Should I refuse to give him a bottle & only offer him food here & there? It seems mean to with hold if he refuses to eat, but wants the milk bec he is hungry.

I think he is just to old for formula these days. Then I also think if I was still Bfeeding (stopped at 8mo) he would still be getting that. So is it really time to stop?
Opinions??

[zinemama]

The day he turned one I switched to whole organic milk and never looked back. What a relief to the finances that was! He never had a problem with it.

[Eeyore35]

I switched my daughter to whole milk at 9 months. Around a year, i noticed she was rely drinking any,so switched to soy,as she liked it much better. She still doesn't like milk I have to buy flavoured milk to get her to drink it,but sh'es 4 now,so doesn't need as much.

i did ask her dr. about switching-I couldn't afford to keep buying formula though.

[MamaChicken]

I tried switching my 14 month old twins to cow milk (did a little transition with half milk - half formula) and one of them ended up with bad constipation. He is fine with half/half but straight milk isn't working for him. And they do NOT like the taste of cow milk very much. I do breastfeed them at night, but it is formula most of the day. I think both breastmild and formula have more sugar in them. With my other two LOs, I added Ovaltine to their cow milk to get them to drink some.

I feed them solids first, until they are done, then offer a bottle. They have slowly began eating more and more solids and fewer bottles. My DS1 didn't really eat a good diet of solids until he was 2, so I see no reason to rush these guys just because it is bottles of formula -other than the expense.

[Dee-Groovy]

I did the same thing as MamaChicken - feed solids first and bottles after. DD is dairy free so I switched from formula to a hemp/coconut milk mixture slowly. I started with 1oz hemp/coconut in 9oz formula, then 2/8, 3/7, 4/6 and finally half and half. I found that by the time she was at half formula, she didn't mind switching completely to hemp/coconut but I definitely had to transition her slowly or she would refuse completely. I think it took about a month and she was done with formula at 14 months. I did the same thing recently to switch her to rice milk since she doesn't need the rich hemp/coconut mixture any more and it worked great.

I think since your son can have milk he is relying on formula for comfort and nutrition. I really don't think there's anything wrong with that unless you can't afford it. I think feeding solids first and transitioning him slowly to only milk will do the trick.

[foreverinbluejeans]

Cow's milk formula is something to keep human babies alive until they can start eating other food. Babies no longer need cow's milk after 12 months and it can cause problems like not eating other food, constipation, anemia, and obesity.

If a toddler does eat cow's milk only 2 toddler size servings a day is recommended. Since toddlers like food with milk in it it can be hard to keep milk intake down to 2 servings even if they don't drink milk.

Think of kittens. If you take them away from their mother at 6 weeks you just give them kitten chow or canned food. You aren't supposed to give them cow's milk and it can make them sick.

However, if you leave a kitten with it's mother the kitten may continue to nurse for a long time. I've had a lot of cats and I'm a cat foster for a rescue organization and I saw a 4 or 5 month old kitten that was still nursing. That milk was ok because it was species specific - cat milk for a baby cat.

Human babies continue to breastfeed for years but that does not mean that it is good for human children to consume the milk of another mammal.

[cattmom]

I don't have my copy of "Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense" by dietician Ellye Satter (sp?) with me, but I'm pretty sure she's got the answer to your question. At a certain point, I think she believes that toddler's temptation to bottle or sippy drink too many of their calories (formula, milk, juice or whatever) can lead to problems in diet or digestion. It is a great book, if you can get your hands on a copy.
Although the baby experts say you can switch to milk after one year, we kept up a half-and-half milk-with-formula schedule for awhile, mostly because I wanted to make sure she was still getting some amount of fatty acids before we transitioned into a full range of solid foods. But as time went on, we worked on cutting down on daytime bottles, not really by withholding them so much as getting out of the house and getting into new situations that didn't hold any "bottle cues" for her.
We didn't let her carry her bottle of milk around with her - it was for mealtimes only (and for milk/formula only, nothing else). We mostly stayed away from sippy-style cups, and when we used them, only offered water in them, partly because of the advice in Satter's book but also because I'd heard that learning to drink from a cup helps develop the muscles you use in speech. But we kept offering a bottle before bed (and before tooth brushing) as a sleep cue, and that was half milk and half formula until she was well past two.

[just_lily]

At a year we started offering milk in a cup, while still feeding formula. I gradually cut back on formula until she was getting maybe two bottles a day (once in the morning, once in the evening) by about 14 to 15 months... then down to just one at night time. She is nearly 18 months now and gets a bottle every couple of days. I have about a third of a can of formula left, and when it is gone, it will be gone. She isn't really attached so it won't be a big deal.

I choose to keep her on formula because she was a picky eater (mainly fruit and dairy) and I was concerned about iron. She is doing a lot better now so I am comfortable phasing it out.

I never gave bottles of milk, nor did a do half formula and half milk. I just offered milk in a sippy - she made a face the first few times, but then she took it no problem.

If you want to get rid of formula I would do so gradually. I do think that 4 to 5 bottles a day is a lot at 16 months, but you have to do what works for your family.

[babydanielsmom]

We switched Ds to whole milk just before a year old. We put the milk in a sippy cup ... not a bottle. Oh, and yes he ate a lot more food once we made the switch

[olien]

Thanks for all of the great replies.

I ordered a case of formula before I posted this. I think based on what I have learned here that will be it. He already drinks some milk so I know I will have no probs switching although I dont want him drinking to much of that either.

I just wish he ate more than fruit & dairy

[Bea]

Originally Posted by olien

I just wish he ate more than fruit & dairy

Calcium, protein, Vit A,C & D ( D if the milk is fortified). Phosphorus, iron, soluble and insoluble fiber. Fats and cholesterol in whole milk (vital for a growing brain). Sodium and potassium for numerous body functions. Lactose for calories. Glucose and fructose for the same from fruits...etc etc

Seriously, if your toddler exists on fruit, yogurt and cheese they are probably better nourished then the majority of the population.

[momofPL]

I have a picky eater too. Once I stopped the formula and gave her milk it got much better. I gave her the food first, then offered the milk later during the meal. That helped too.

Keep offering the foods (you mentioned fruit) because their tastes change so quickly. A food needs to be offered several times before a child decided they do or do not like it. Good luck! I am sure your child will be fine and healthy.

[leavemealone]

At about one year of age, we were down to two bottles per day (one at nap, one at bedtime). I forget when we dropped the naptime bottle but it was before the bedtime bottle. The bedtime bottle was dropped at about 18 months.

[boringscreenname]

We switched to cow's milk when DS turned a year old, and we only offer it in a sippy cup twice a day. The first day or two were rough, but after that he's had no issues with it.

[*Aimee*]

I fed DS1 formula until he was 3. I fed DS2 formula until about 18 months. They both had milk at those times too occasionally but they drink water all day. One glass of milk with breakfast and another at bed. My boys eat a lot of cheese and yogurt.

I like to keep kids on formula until 2 but its expensive. All my kids prefer it so they fight and steal it from each other and its a big disaster! With this baby coming we'll have to wait and see how the formula thieves go!

[lilmom]

We stopped the formula at 13 months and switched to organic whole milk. I also did the feeding solids first and then a bottle if necessary. Now he is 2 and he only has a bottle at night before bed. During the day he drinks water.

Also wanted to add that DS also really loves fruit and dairy. He has gotten better about eating other things over time but still he really is not into meat so I find creative ways to get him plenty of protein. When I asked pedi about it they said it is not a big deal.