Do I really have to give up formula?

My babies are a year old, and I'm not looking to wean them off formula yet. Am I nuts? It makes me feel better knowing they are getting nutrition from there, if they are not wonderful food eaters yet. They eat, but nothing consistent. Why do I have to switch to milk? And by when should they be totally off formula?

How long did you keep your babies on formula for?

Thanks!

 

E and E will be two in Nov. and they still have 8 oz. of formula at night before bed. My two are VERY picky eaters and can't drink whole milk because of an allergy. Our Ped. said that that is why they make toddler formula because some babies just don't eat well and may not drink whole milk.

 

I stopped at one year. I was so glad to give that up!! Milk and food are so much easier ( and cheaper) IMO!

 

I was concerned about giving up the formula too. The boys took right to the whole milk and we have never looked back.

 

Mine stopped at 12m but they make toddler formula for a reason....so no, you are not nuts. Ask you Pedi if you child is a picky eater he probably could use the extra nutrition.

 

We did it at 12 mos. It was great to not have that expense and smell anymore!! BUT, I did like that they got nutrition from it!

My SIL's pedi wanted her to give it up to force her son to eat better, because he didn't take solids well at all!! He's doing better, but still gets a bottle a day.

 

we gave it up around 13 months - but I may be looking into Carnation Instant Breakfast because the list of foods my 2 will eat is getting smaller and smaller by the day!

 

Thanks for all your responses!

What is an appropriate amount of food babies this age should be eating? I haven't the first clue about any of this, although by now I should, I know. They most definitely are not eating a well-balanced diet. Any tips on typical meals I should be giving them?

Thanks again!

 

Anthony was 2 when we finally took him off formula. You might run it by the pedi, but I don't see any reason (aside from cost) not to stick with the formula if it's working for you.

 

QUOTE(Donia @ Oct 3 2007, 03:21 AM) [snapback]433645[/snapback]
Anthony was 2 when we finally took him off formula. You might run it by the pedi, but I don't see any reason (aside from cost) not to stick with the formula if it's working for you.


Ditto the above post. Mine were on Next Step Lipil until age 2. Good luck.

 

Mine got toddler formula until they were 24 months old. Because brain development continues until age 2, I wanted my twins to benefit from the added DHA.

Then we switched them to organic milk, initially whole milk and now (at 2 1/2) usually 2% milk (sometimes 1%, but no skim).

DeLana

 

I stopped the day they turned 1. Switched right to whole milk. They ate better once the formula was gone, because they were hungrier.

 

We were around 18months at the advice of our doctor

 

I'd ask your pedi about it. My girls' appetites greatly increased once we got rid of the formula and limited their milk intake to 16-20 ounces a day. Too much formula can keep them from eating enough.

We switched right at 12 months. We were ready to save some $$$.

 

My little one still takes some formula at 16 months.
She had low iron and was on a supplement for a bit.
Now she is off the iron supplement but her Doctor suggested
still giving her some formula for the extra nutrition for her.
Her twin is on whole milk and doing great but she did not have low iron.

Andrea

 

Like other's have said, you can switch to toddler formula. We used an Enfamil one marketed for 1 to 3 year olds.

 

We also stopped the day they turned 1. We were so happy to not have that expense anymore, for one thing. They took to milk just fine, and like others have said, they were much more interested in food.

I can understand the worry -- but IMO, toddler formula should be only for children who have some medical or developmental reason why they can't eat enough table food (or a wide enough variety). Yes, it does get more complicated figuring out what to feed them, and we worry about whether they're getting enough, but nearly all kids do fine in the long run. Some days they eat only fruit -- some days they eat only bread -- and if they're my kids, they almost never eat leafy green vegetables. I'm sure I never did when I was 2, and I turned out OK.

Sorry, that was my mini-rant. But I do think that toddler formula is largely a moneymaking opportunity for the formula companies to play on the fears of anxious parents.