After formula | Imamother

monkeyland

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 6:01 am

Hi all! My baby is 20 months and he has 2 formula bottles a day. One before his nap in the day and one before his bedtime. I have a few questions when do u take them off formula? Once u take them off the formula do I replace the formula bottles with cows milk? If so how much? Same as the formula bottles? Any tips ideas all welcome thanks

amother

Indigo

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 6:03 am

Unless your child has significant medical needs , in which case this is a question for your dr, your child should switch from bottles of formula to cups of milk at 12 months. Some kids will have 2 cups of milk similar to bottles, and some with have a smaller amount with each meal or snack.

monkeyland

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 6:06 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

There are no medical needs. My baby just has a bottle to help him fall asleep on his own.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 6:23 am

monkeyland wrote:

There are no medical needs. My baby just has a bottle to help him fall asleep on his own.

Yeah, time to cut that out. He's not falling asleep alone if he needs a bottle and it's not good for his teeth. Switch to a bottle of water maybe.

SuperWify

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 6:30 am

You are supposed to switch to whole milk at 12 months. Same amount as the formula about 8 oz. once in the morning and once before bed. Then cut out 1 bottle a few months after that (start giving sippy cups or give water instead) and by 2 cutting it out completely.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 6:49 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

Yeah, time to cut that out. He's not falling asleep alone if he needs a bottle and it's not good for his teeth. Switch to a bottle of water maybe.

THIS, is one of my pet peeves. Babies and children should never have bottles in bed. Not only will it ruin their teeth, but they won't learn how to self soothe, either. A pacifier is a much healthier choice, if you have to use something as a transitional object.

Try cow's milk, and if it upsets your child's stomach, try goat's milk. If that still doesn't work, then you can try parve milks, but make sure that it says "vitamin fortified" on the label. DD was lactose intolerant, and she took fortified rice milk. Oat milk is a really good choice as well. Be careful to check for tree nut allergies before giving almond milk.

A bonus for not giving bottles in bed, is that it will be much easier to keep your child dry at night at an earlier age. DD never had a single bottle in bed, and she was dry at night by 2.5 years old. She happily drank liquids pretty much all day long, so I know that she wasn't dehydrated.

ETA: She was also using a real cup by the time she was 1.5. She completely skipped the sippy cup stage, and wanted to drink with a cup and a straw "like the grownups".

amother

Taupe

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 8:47 am

I’m surprised that your ped didn’t advise you at baby’s 1 year well visit to switch to milk.

Switch to whole milk, now. Both bottles. (At least one of those bottles should be a straw cup or similar: he’s a bit old to still be on 2 bottles a day)

Teomima

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 8:58 am

I've never heard of a child on formula that long. That's extra calories that a toddler should be getting from healthy, filling foods, not formula.

I don't disagree with the idea of a bottle before bed for soothing, but it should be milk or half milk, half water. Actually, that would apply for a younger child. By 20 months, you should be phasing out the milk in bottles entirely (a cup of milk to drink is fine). If the bottle is still a soothing pre-bed ritual, then by that age best it be just water. Hopefully it goes without saying that the bottle, especially one with milk/formula, should never go TO bed with the baby. A spill-proof sippy cup of water is fine for bed.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 9:03 am

Teomima wrote:

I've never heard of a child on formula that long. That's extra calories that a toddler should be getting from healthy, filling foods, not formula.

I used to be a nanny for 3 kids, aged 2, 4, and 7. They ALL went to bed with formula in bottles! And heaven help you if the temperature was not perfect. They sent me back and forth to the kitchen to keep warming them up and cooling them down. When I asked the mom about it, she said that "her babies need it to sleep."

I was in charge of making dinner, and the only food the kids would even look at was cheese, pasta, eggs, and white bread. If I even suggested anything else, it would result in massive meltdowns. The oldest girl would even try to steal my cell phone and call her mother to "tell on me."

I didn't last long at that job. I quit in the middle of a shift, in tears of frustration. The mom didn't even look surprised. It makes me wonder how many other babysitters and nannies she's gone through. Confused

Teomima

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 9:08 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

That's nuts. Why would someone choose to raise kids like that? I mean, okay, I get that sometimes kids can be picky and getting them out of those habits can be easier said than done. But there's no excuse for not tossing the formula. I don't understand how a parent can make a choice like that.

stillnewlywed

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 9:50 am

monkeyland wrote:

There are no medical needs. My baby just has a bottle to help him fall asleep on his own.

If he drinks a bottle to sleep he isn't falling asleep on his own.
It's pretty bad for kids to have a bottle in bed, it ruins their teeth and is a terrible habit. If he really needs to suck to sleep you should switch to water. Better yet drop the bottle altogether.

monkeyland

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 11:18 am

stillnewlywed wrote:

When I say falls asleep on his own I mean I don’t sit with him. I put him in his crib with his bottle and close the door and he falls asleep with out needing someone in the room etc

stillnewlywed

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 11:31 am

monkeyland wrote:

When I say falls asleep on his own I mean I don’t sit with him. I put him in his crib with his bottle and close the door and he falls asleep with out needing someone in the room etc

I know what you mean but this is probably a good opportunity to teach him to fall asleep without you AND without a bottle.

amother

Green

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 11:45 am

stillnewlywed wrote:

I know what you mean but this is probably a good opportunity to teach him to fall asleep without you AND without a bottle.

Any advice for this? My baby goes to sleep with a bottle of milk still and he’s 17 months

Teomima

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 11:45 am

monkeyland wrote:

When I say falls asleep on his own I mean I don’t sit with him. I put him in his crib with his bottle and close the door and he falls asleep with out needing someone in the room etc

That's not good at all. Falling asleep with a bottle of anything (but water) in the baby's mouth is a major cause of tooth decay.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Aug 31 2020, 11:50 am

dankbar wrote:

I've heard of people giving formula at advanced age, past toddlerhood when children had allergies/intolerances to most foods or digestion problems.

Yes, medical needs are the only reason for formula past 15 months max.

I'm a big proponent of switch to whole milk on their first birthday. Lo and Behold, my kid had corona on her first birthday. We kept her on formula an extra 3 weeks until her digestive system re-regulated and she could eat more than formula and apple sauce without vomiting.
This mom said that there were no medical reasons for the formula, the baby just liked falling asleep with it.