Follow-on toddler milk vs cows milk

lilrahi

After babies turn 1 they can drink full fat cows milk. But obviously there are follow on formulas available.

My DD is now 13 months and I've been feeding her The formula (cow & gate growing up milk) but its really expensive at £6.97 for 800g compared to relatively low cost of cows milk.

I've been feeding her the formula milk because they c&g adverts say it's better for them, more iron etc.... But is it really? Have I fallen prey to advertising propaganda?

Tell me what you guys think, please. I'd like to know your experiences

LauraFox

Hi,

I am a Doula, I support Mums before, during, and after birth.
Follow-on milk is a marketing con. The World Health Organisation has banned all formula producers like C&G from advertising their formula milk some years now, mainly aiming to encourage mums to breastfeed. So these companies, to avoid disappearing into the oblivion, came up with this Follow-on milk concept and went on to advertise it (legal as it is for babies above 1 year), hence we do not forget these companies exist!

Follow-on milk is an unnecessary product because your little one is on solids already so she is taking more iron anyway. If you worry about this, simply increase her iron intake by giving her foods such as pulses, meat, eggs, and any red fruit & veg such as tomatoes, plums, strawberries (when in season) etc.

Cows milk is ok for her now, however, goat's milk or sheep's milk are preferred over cow's as their molecular structures are closer to human milk, ie. not too heavy on the stomach (note many kids develop allergy to cow's milk just because of that). My son drunk goat's milk, it's more expensive than cow's but it has so many benefits, google goat's milk vs cow's milk.

Whatever milk you give her, make sure it s full fat, she needs it for her brain development.

peachyprice

If your DD is having a balanced and varied diet, as most 13 month old toddlers are, she doesn't need follow-on milk, she will be getting all the nutrients she needs from solids and cows milk.

It's a con devised by the formula companies to milk (excuse the pun) you for money for even longer and they use it as a platform to advertise their brand as they're not allowed to advertise their infant formula.

I hate that advert with the huge cup of cows milk representing how much they would need to drink to get the equivalent amount of iron as there is in their tiny cup of follow-on. It's totally misleading, how many 1yo's are fed entirely on milk? It completely ignores the fact that they are getting the majority of their nutrients from food.

IMO you can safely ditch it and spend that money on some yummy fresh food for her instead.

So yes, you have fallen prey to their evil propaganda, follow-on milk is totally unnecessary

Becles

I agree it's not necessary as long as the child is getting a decent balanced diet. I never bothered with it for any of mine and just put them straight onto cows milk.

heretolearn_2

Have I fallen prey to advertising propaganda? I agree with everyone else, yes, you have.

I hate that ad with the giant cup of milk too, it's downright deceitful. Your child doesn't need to get all iron from milk at that age.

Until about 10 years ago parents stopped using formula when the babies got to 6 months. I don't recall an epidemic of anemic toddlers.

doodoot

Go on then, I'll agree too.

Drop the formula milk, change to another milk and if your child is a picky eater and not getting enough vitamins - in your HV's opinion - then purchase some vitamin drops.

My youngest son was a fussy eater so my HV advised adding toddler vitamin drops to his drink/meal.

OrkneyStar

Waste of money imho, DH was breast-fed until about 13 months, and then onto cows milk. Of course he had been eating solids as well as milk from about 5.5 months, and we used cows milk in cooking from about 6-7 months. Make sure child gets a varied diet and cows milk is more than enough (full fat stuff)....wahey you have just saved yourself some money .
All the best.

brians_daughter

I have never bothered with the 1 year plus milk. My mum was a HV and told me it was a big con lol.
My children (the younger ones) do not drink cows milk they have goats milk. It is more expecsive than cows milk but is easier for them to digest and is closer in structure than cows milk. My 2 youngest have milk allergies (cows) so i have become somwhat a self taught expert in milk lol

ds2 is a fussy eater and our LA has a scheme for free vitamin drops for all children aged 1-4 so i give him these, although i am not too keen to rely on them and always attempt to feed a balanced diet.

hayleyc_2

lilrahi wrote: »

I've been feeding her the formula milk because they c&g adverts say it's better for them, more iron etc.... But is it really? Have I fallen prey to advertising propaganda?

The iron in this milk is the type that's hard to absorb (which is why they have to put so much in there) and some people believe can actually be quite harmful because the unabsorbed iron is floating about the body.

Also they have been forced to add to the advert 'milk is NOT a good source of iron' so the whole advert is totally mis-leading as others have said.

looby75

I have to agree with everyone else here it's a big con.

I have an 8 year age gap between my 2, dd is 18 and ds is 10, the advice when dd was little was formula until 6 months then cows milk was fine. I followed that advice and she's never had a problem. When I had ds the advice was formula for a year then cows milk, but this was at the time "toddler milk" as it was then called had just been introduced. Boots even did flavoured ones, strawberry and banana and I fell for it, until I mentioned it to my HV who basically said exactly what everyone else on this thread has said. I stopped buying it and giving him just cows milk with no ill effects what so ever.

Just think of all the lovely little treats you and your DD can have with the money you'll be saving

jackyann

Totally agree, big con.
LauraFox explained it very well, but I don't agree with her about sheep's or goats' milk. Nothing wrong with them, except that they are dearer. Most kids are fine with cows' milk and if not then take advice.
Cows' milk is a good food source for toddlers, but they don't need huge amounts, and indeed it can take the edge off their appetite for other nutritous foods.