I was just wondering as now the breast feeding is coming to an end if I should give follow on milk or just cows milk. She has had a little formula before and will drink it but as it has the added vitamin a,d and iron I was wondering if I should give her that as cows milk doesn't have it. What do you do?
Tri-Harder
We didn't use follow on milk at all, and we did only small amounts of cow's milk. Cow's milk caused a lot of GI problems, particularly constipation. With my third son, cow's milk has been linked to his ongoing GI problems (he's now 12 and still requires constant treatment for certain issues). So with my fourth child, we avoided it entirely until she was at least 4, and will do the same with my newborn.
I rounded out those nutrients with other foods and breastfeeding instead.
?
My daughter is 15 months old and eats meals, breastfeeds 2-3 times a day usually at night and drinks water with the occasional cup of apple juice. If she eats table foods well enough, toddler formula is not needed. Milk isn't a need either.
D
Cow's milk is fine. Milk is not a necessity to the diet and some families don't use it at all. There are lots of ways to get those nutrients into the diet. Toddler formula is largely a marketing ploy.
?
Imagine you are a formula manufacturer, and you know that your current customers' children are all about to drop formula and go on to mixed feeding, supplemented by cows' milk. What do you do to retain that customer base in addition to your new customers? You offer them a new product called follow on milk, and to make it seem extra attractive, you throw in some extra vitamins and lay a guilt trip on parents who are generally unsure about weaning and mixed diet in the first place. But shortly your toddler is going to be eating a variety of foods, so the responsible parent makes sure he/she knows as much about nutrition as possible and offers her toddler a variety of foods containing all the calories, vitamins and minerals that are needed for good growth, and that includes cows' or goats' milk. Don't buy into follow on milk. It is completely unnecessary, unless you don't know how to give your child a proper mixed diet.
Pippin
If your toddler is eating a remotely decent diet, no need for toddler formulas or follow-on milk.
If she is a very poor eater, you're probably better off continuing to breastfeed a while longer if at all possible.