Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why anyone buys that 'Growing Up' milk stuff?

358 replies

bubbleymummy · 03/05/2011 18:42

No one expects to get their iron content from milk - you get it from the food you eat alongside it (although you shouldn't really drink milk alongside a meal anyway because calcium inhibits iron absorption) so why would you spend money on this product? Does anyone on MN buy it? If so - why?

OP posts:
Changing2011 · 03/05/2011 20:58

I know :)

Changing2011 · 03/05/2011 20:59

Some people spend months in hotel rooms with no microwaves, where is the love for them?

GooGooMuck · 03/05/2011 21:16

YANBU. And for what it is worth I don't think that the OP is coming across as judgy.

mayday made a valid point about it being like a multi-vitamin.

If I had a child who didn't eat well then I might use it as I would not like to think that I had done everything that i could to get nutrition into them. I don't think that is saying anything about my efforts to give them a balanced diet.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 03/05/2011 21:16

I'm not really convinced that something so processed can be good for you. You'd probably think twice before adding a big dollop of vegetable oil to a glass of milk yet it is somehow more acceptable if it's put in a nice bottle. Fwiw it seems to be vanilla that is added to make it more palatable so perhaps that's worth a try with cow's milk for those of you with children who seem to prefer the taste.

OP posts:
BeeMyBaby · 03/05/2011 21:22

Like others have said, my DD won't drink cows milk - and I don't think wondering around with a vanilla pod is very realistic.
She will eat her veg (generally pureed to soup) and some fruit, but hates the texture of meat, its the only way I can get enough calories into her (15 months).

meliesmummy · 03/05/2011 21:24

Sorry op, I didn't mean that you were judgey, it was some other later posters who suggested that parents that use growing up milk are too lazy to feed their children properly. And I only mentioned that I bf because I thought that's where the thread was going, not for any other reason, I guess I was wrong, sorry.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 03/05/2011 21:25

You can get vanilla extract in a bottle so you could just add a few drops :) just a suggestion! It might be worth a try :)

OP posts:
mrsgordonfreeman · 03/05/2011 21:27

Have any of you tried it?

It must have an utter fuckload of sugar in it, it tastes like Baileys without the alcohol.

I'm not surprised children like it, given that it's so sweet it makes my teeth hurt.

hazeyjane · 03/05/2011 21:34

I use it for ds, because we were referred to a dietician and she recommended that we use follow on milk as a way of assuring he had adequate iron etc in his diet. This was after she worked out the nutritional needs for his age and weight, and approximated how much he was getting from the small amount of purees he is able to eat and the abidec supplement he takes.

TheSkiingGardener · 03/05/2011 21:35

I think the issue I have with you, OP, is you assume people think they have to have it. Most examples given have been a choice to give it.

If you don't like other people making choices then your life must be very tiring.

BeeMyBaby · 03/05/2011 21:48

vanilla extract is suspended in alcohol, DD is muslim and DH would never let her touch that kind of thing - as I said, I'm not wondering about with a vanilla pod, I think that would end up being more costly than the formula.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 03/05/2011 22:03

SG - I'm not sure why people would choose it unless they thought there was some benefit to it.

BMB - I believe that there are alcohol free versions available but as I said, it's just a suggestion. If you're happy enough giving sweetened things why not just try adding honey or sugar though?

OP posts:
Original poster
bubbleymummy · 03/05/2011 22:09

Bmb - I think the vanilla used in the growing up milk (vanillin) is dissolved in alcohol anyway. Why is that not a problem?

OP posts:
muffinmum · 03/05/2011 22:12

I bf'd dd2 to 1 yrs old then use follow on milk,shes 20 mths and for last 4 mths only drinks milk at bedtime,4oz,I use the follow on purely for the extra iron.I'd be very wary of giving goats milk as it's so low in iron.personally having a much pickier eater this time i want to use every opportunity possible to get iron into her as so important.nobody gets it all right all the time and we're tired a lot of the time so really if this has More iron than cows milk I'll use it.
Personally I find it very short sighted to say 20yrs ago we didn't have it yadda yadda,science and research move on,get over it,much better to embrace it and move forward.

maighdlin · 03/05/2011 22:20

beemybaby you can make your own vanilla extract to keep in the fridge. Not talking about in relation to adding it to milk more for other things. boil together 100mls of water with 100g of caster sugar to make a syrup then cool it down and then blend it with 6 vanilla pods. I use it all the time much nicer than store bought and my alcohol free friend loved it!

back on topic. I did give it to DD but she didn't like it. She had got the taste for cold cows milk and was happy enough with that. I think it would be OK to use if you had a very fussy/ill child because whilst it may not be the divine essence that the manufacturers would like you to think it is as least better than nothing. It may have a long list of ingredients but that's because there is a lot of added vitamins and minerals. Being honest I am more concerned with what the hell is my child's meat than what is in a drink so tightly regulated as formula.

PinkToeNails · 03/05/2011 22:22

When I first saw it I was put off by the long list of ingredients, however I do by it for back-up when we go away. DD loves it. I'm sure it says on the bottle that they can only have 300ml per day.

It's wrong to assume that people have been connned when you don't know their reasons for buying it.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 03/05/2011 22:23

Yes, science and research move on but we haven't suddenly evolved to need something that we have managed without until a couple of years ago.

OP posts:
DingDongMerrilyOutOfSeason · 03/05/2011 22:31

You can use the same argument for adults who take vitamin supplements and tell them that they should just get a balanced diet. I think YABU when it is nothing to do with you but I have never used it as my DCs all ate well so never thought about it.

vmcd28 · 03/05/2011 22:48

But how can it be a scam if some kids won't eat enough healthy food or won't drink normal milk? Genuinely confused.

And whose business is it if someone uses it, given that its a healthy option. They're not force feeding them dizzy drinks and fags, fgs

vmcd28 · 03/05/2011 22:49

*fizzy drinks :)

DuelingFanjo · 03/05/2011 22:50

I read (perhaps on here?) that follow on milk is mostly sold to people who have breastfed for a few months.

foreverondiet · 03/05/2011 22:55

I agree. DS2 is one year old and finished the last box of formula today. No more lunchtime bottles either and next week going to move to a cup.

DD didn't like cows milk to had to gradually weaned her onto it - took 6 weeks.

I don't really understand why people buy it unless maybe SN child or one who doesn't eat at all..... its a scam. Plenty of nutrition in normal food and cows milk. After age one no need for daytime milk either. We were in hotel recently and warmed up cows milk in sink with warm hot water.

BeeMyBaby · 04/05/2011 06:53

bubleyummy - the milk we buy is always halal approved, therefore no alcohol can be in it, if I stuck vanilla essence in there, there would definitely be alcohol in it.

Also I don't really understand the argument of it tasting sweet being a problem - BM is incredibly sweet tasting and I presume they wanted to replicate that? DD gets her teeth brushed twice a day and has no other sugar sources (bar fruit), so I really don't see the problem with her milk being sweet, especially as it adds extra vitamins etc I know she doesn't currently get from her diet?

maighdlin - thank you so much for your suggestion! I have been forced to use very expensive vanilla sugar in my baking and now I will be able to use home made vanilla essence - yum!

RainbowShite · 04/05/2011 06:57

It's so expensive,and have you tasted it? It tastes really gross.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 07:24

Well as I said bmb - there are alcohol free ones or you could sweeten it with something else! :) I was more suggesting it for people who only use it because their DC won't drink cow's milk and who don't really care about the supposed nutritional benefits. Obviously you believe the added vitamins etc are important so you don't fall into that category.

OP posts: