Infant Formula and other Baby Topics

[JohnK]

When do babies give up the bottle these days?

Bottle? A friends son is still breastfeeding at 5 years of age.

 

[Milboo]

The purpose of toddler (or follow on) formula is to supplement the diet when energy and nutritional requirements are not being met from diet alone. They contain esssntial vitamins and minerals which are important for growth and development.

 

[Milboo]

That’s why we should have liquid infant formula here. Very difficult to export

Trawling the memory here but ready to drink infant formula was available a number of years back and it was shelf stable vs chilled.

I *think* the issue was a lack of consumer demand, given very little additional effort was required to make a bottle from powdered formula and create a perishable food vs something sitting in a Tetra Pak with stabilisers.

 

[Pushka]

The purpose of toddler (or follow on) formula is to supplement the diet when energy and nutritional requirements are not being met from diet alone. They contain esssntial vitamins and minerals which are important for growth and development.

Surely it’s best to get that from diet.

Halloween finiahed here. Kids visiting from around 4:30 to 7:30.

Live in inner west Sydney and high proportion of families live in the area. Rules are if you put up decorations kids will stop and trick or treat and take "one treat only".
Rigidly enforced by parent supervisors.

Some fantastic costumes and a lot of fun, real community atmosphere with a lot of kids and parents from local school so it's good to catch up.

Reckon a couple of hundred kids came to the house.

You can mock it as an American thing or embrace it and turn it Australian, which is what happens here.

I can tell you the kids (and the parents) had a ball.

All Hallows’ Eve started in either Scotland or Ireland. Just checked. Ireland. Celtic.

 

[Milboo]

Surely it’s best to get that from diet.
.

(Sniped)

Per my post - they are intended to be supplementary to diet, for when diet alone is not sufficient to deliver the nutritional or energy requirements of a growing toddler.

 

[Pushka]

(Sniped)

Per my post - they are intended to be supplementary to diet, for when diet alone is not sufficient to deliver the nutritional or energy requirements of a growing toddler.

Sure but most toddlers will get that esp in Australia. It’s marketed to make this as a necessity or you are not being the best parent so people feel guilted into buying it.

 

[Milboo]

I'm not either for or against it as I've had no need for it.

I know a friend has required it as her son eats very limited foods and isn't getting a balanced diet otherwise.

Suppose it all comes down to people just needing to do their own research and discuss their needs with their health care professional.

 

[Quickstatus]

(Sniped)

Per my post - they are intended to be supplementary to diet, for when diet alone is not sufficient to deliver the nutritional or energy requirements of a growing toddler.

Yes that’s the tactic by vitamin marketers. Suggest that diet may not be enough and they will come

 

[rainbowgirl]

I've obviously misunderstood the need to continue with baby formula past 12 months. As mentioned I was under the impression we continue with baby formula until daughter is 3.

Will check with wife to start introducing milk to baby's diet.

When my girls were weaning from formula to cow's milk we did it gradually as suggested by the maternal health nurses. We started by mixing a small amount of cow's milk in with the formula and then over a period of a few weeks increased the percentage of cow's milk in the bottle. This gives the child a chance to get used to the new flavour.

I was told back then to use full fat milk not skim milk as toddlers need the extra fat at this stage.

 

[rainbowgirl]

When do babies give up the bottle these days?

I thought they still used them for night time when they were 2 or 3 but someone at work was all, "hell no" and judging me. Figured none of my 10 nephews and niece turned out serial killer so no harm done.

My girls were happy to drink from some sort of cup during the day but wanted a bottle to settle them at night and in the middle of the night when they woke up distressed. I think it was between ages 3 and 4 before they stopped bottles in the night. It was around then they started sleeping regularly through the night.

 

[rainbowgirl]

Sometimes I think we are too tough on babies and kids. Of course there is an upper age limit - same applies with toilet training - a real minefield that is!

Don't get me started on toilet training. With 2 special needs girls it feels like it never ends.

 

[rainbowgirl]

I breast fed mine for various amounts of time (Dr FM was short changed at 18 months, but Ms FM managed to keep going until 3). Anyway around 2, after weaning, Master FM suffered from bottle envy. A little friend of his used to walk around with a bottle and he refused to drink any milk until we bought a bottle and put the milk in it. Can’t remember how long that went on - at least a year and of course I had no idea what to do with a bottle or sterilise it or whatever you are supposed to do, but he seemed to survive as well

I breast fed and bottle fed at the same time, up to 12 months for each girl and then they decided around this time that they would go bottle only. We sterilised bottles for 12 months and then hand washed them after that.

 

[rainbowgirl]

Trawling the memory here but ready to drink infant formula was available a number of years back and it was shelf stable vs chilled.

I *think* the issue was a lack of consumer demand, given very little additional effort was required to make a bottle from powdered formula and create a perishable food vs something sitting in a Tetra Pak with stabilisers.

We got given some samples of the Tetra Paks about 8 years ago. I don't know if they are still around.

 

[JohnK]

Yes that’s the tactic by vitamin marketers. Suggest that diet may not be enough and they will come

Had a chat with mum last night/this morning. She wants my daughter to remain on baby formula so I guess daughter will be on baby formula for a while longer.

And mum is not one to understand/follow marketing strategies. She feels daughter will benefit more from baby formula.

 

[Denali]

Had a chat with mum last night/this morning. She wants my daughter to remain on baby formula so I guess daughter will be on baby formula for a while longer.
And mum is not one to understand/follow marketing strategies. She feels daughter will benefit more from baby formula.

Your mum or your childs mum?

 

[JohnK]

Your mum or your childs mum?

My mum. I'll talk to wife next week but she'll say exactly the same thing as mum.

Leave the baby on formula.

 

[JohnK]

My girls were happy to drink from some sort of cup during the day but wanted a bottle to settle them at night and in the middle of the night when they woke up distressed.

My daughter still drinks from bottles but surprising how much she settles/relaxes with bottle in mouth. She lays down during the day and drinks water and the same at night.

We decided she'll still be on formula and she drinks formula milk maybe 4-5 times/day.

Also good to see they've solved the baby formula issues. Supermarket shelves full of all stages Aptamil Gold+.

 

[rainbowgirl]

My daughter still drinks from bottles but surprising how much she settles/relaxes with bottle in mouth. She lays down during the day and drinks water and the same at night.

We decided she'll still be on formula and she drinks formula milk maybe 4-5 times/day.

Also good to see they've solved the baby formula issues. Supermarket shelves full of all stages Aptamil Gold+.

Good to hear that supply issues have improved.

My girls settled better with a bottle at night (after a breast feed). When they slept during the day they were fed as soon as they woke up and this helped them calm down after waking up.