Toddler Formula

I got a sample in the mail of Enfagrow toddler formula from Enfamil. I assume toddler formula is just a marketing gimic. Do any doctors recommend it? I plan to use up my stash of breast milk and then go to whole milk. Does anyone plan to use toddler formula?

 

My ped does not believe these formulas are necessary. Toddlers should be getting everything they need from their diet. Now, if my kids were underweight, or had some sort of problem eating, I might consider it, or I might consider just staying on regular formula, since I think that they are the same price. But, other than that, a balanced diet(as much as you can with picky toddlers!), and whole milk.

 

I think there's probably a medical use for it, but it should not be marketed directly to consumers. If a toddler really needs it because of failure to thrive or some other nutrition deficiency, the ped can recommend it. But normal healthy children do not need it, and I think it's definitely just an attempt by the formula companies to make more money by playing on the anxieties of parents (which are considerable at that age, since toddlers often become picky eaters right at the time that they are transitioning away from breastmilk and/or infant formula).

 

I got my boys some of it (the 9-24 months stuff) because I got some super great deals on it when they were like 10 months old. I got $16 off two cans, which made it way cheaper then regular formula. I just mixed it with cow milk until I ran out at 13 months old.

But I agree with everybody else, to me it just a gimmick, and probably would be useful only for kids who aren't growing or have some other medical problem.

 

Ditto the pp's, I think if there is a nutritional need for it then your ped would recommend it, otherwise it's unnecessary

 

I agree with Becky!

 

I think the primary market for Enfagrow and others is when the milk supply is not what it is in most of the US. Where I live a lot of people use powdered milk because either they do not have access to pasturized freshmilk, or they do not have a refridgerator, so powdered milk you mix as needed is much more practical. My girls drank Enfagrow several years ago. (when they were 12 to 24 months) our daycare center used powdered milk because it was the cheapest option available to them. They used a Nestle one and I opted to supply Enfagrow for them instead because I thought it was a higher quality product than the Nestle option.
We also used it at home since we only had access to 1 liter boxes of ultrapasturized milk which to me tastes funny and we would have doubled our grabage output with all those one liter boxes!

I also liked that it has oils they needed since we also don't have a relable source of fish available to us.