Does anyone else use 'growing up milk' for their toddlers? I have a question about it...

[Olive1987]

Firstly I know growing up milk is a marketing con but my 2 1/2 year old will not drink cows milk, my fault I know, as it doesn't taste like vanilla.

Anyway...

We still make it up by boiling the kettle and then putting the power in when it's cooled down. He only drinks it at room temp anyway (won't drink it warm). So my question is, does it make a difference to make it up with tap water? Could we use tap water instead of cooled boiled water?

Thanks in advance

[MrsTerryPratchett]

There aren't a lot of nasties in tap water, generally. Why are you boiling and cooling the water? If you mean boiling and just cooling a little to kill germs in the milk powder that makes sense. Boiling water then cooling it to cold and adding it does nothing...

What about a little vanilla sugar in cow's milk. Really easy to make homemade.

[MuscatBouschet]

Dry powder is perfectly safe to use with tap water for a toddler. Only problem is getting it to dissolve nicely. I'd put the scoops in and half boil a kettle. Fill up to 1 or 2 fl oz with the hot water to mix then add cold water to take it to 6 or whatever amount you do. It'll then be ready to drink if you cool it under a running tap for a few mins.

[Jolleigh]

Does your LO drink tap water? Because if you're adding cooled boiled water to the powder rather than hot water, you may as well just use tap water instead and save yourself the hassle of boiling and waiting for it to cool. There's not much point in mixing sterile water with unsterile powder .

[Olive1987]

I know, it makes absolutely no sense. At night time for example I have just boiled the kettle and poured in 6oz of boiling water. That will now sit there all night untill my partner puts 6 scoops in, in the morning. Shakes it up then pours it to the sippy cup. So it's not even killing the germs in the formula. This is why I was wondering about tap water. We've been doing it like this since day one and it just seems pointless really.
I understand boiled water is better for a newborn, as it's purer? But for a 2 1/2 year old??

Yes I asked the health visitor about putting vanilla essence in cows milk, but she didn't seem to keen, she thought i was joking.

[DirtyDancing]

The Aptimal website says cooled, boiled water specifically

www.aptaclub.co.uk/article/aptamil-growing-up-milk-safe-preparation

[MrsTerryPratchett]

NOT vanilla extract as that is almost pure alcohol. You can food process a vanilla bean with sugar, sieve the result and get vanilla sugar. A tiny bit of that might work.

You boiling the kettle and leaving it overnight does next to nothing, I'm afraid.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Cooled, boiled water that is still very hot will make a difference. Cold water boiled in a kettle and left overnight won't.

[PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom]

There is bog all reason to use cooled boiled water, I agree.. Hot water has some rationale, but not cooled boiled. Make your life easier and do it from the tap.

But I'd agree with trying a few drops of vanilla in normal milk. Worst case, he hates it and the two of you bake something with it instead!

[Jolleigh]

MrsTerry that must come up very strong! I make mine by just putting 2 pods in the same air tight container as caster sugar and storing it like that. Those pods give me lovely vanilla sugar for about a year before they need replacing.

(Sorry to derail)

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Jolleigh I use the seeds in cooking, then take the husks, buzz with a bag of sugar and sieve. Your way is good but uses new vanilla pods which are eye-wateringly expensive here. It is strong but I only use a tiny bit in things.

[PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom]

Dixie - This isn't even follow on milk though. It's a 2.5 year old and toddler milk. I don't know the risks of milk powder of this sort, but it's not a baby.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Milk powder can have real nasties in though. Sorry to scare but a toddler wouldn't be immune.

[fishfingerSarnies]

What does he have on his cereal? Is he eating yogurts and cheeses etc if so then I'd stop giving him follow on milk as a drink at all and give him water if he needs a drink.
Some people just don't like drinking milk (me) at that age I wouldn't have thought it was that important.

[PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom]

Yes, total aside, but neither of my older ones ever drink milk, they get calcium other ways.

[Olive1987]

Everyone I knew just added the powder to cooled boiled water (since birth) It makes night feeds a lot easier. We've just carried on doing it out of habit I guess. I wouldn't want to take away his milk just yet, he loves it so much, especially the morning it's the first thing he asks for.
I guess it actually makes no difference the way I'm doing it now to using tap water then.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Cronobacter not in water but in powder.

The message that it is not the water isn't getting out, is it?

[eurochick]

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the purpose of boiling the water bit is to kill the nasties in the powdered milk, not because there is anything inherently bad in the pre-boiled water. So using cooled boiled water is pointless.