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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:
Piggyleroux · 04/05/2011 08:17

Yadnbu. Another scam by formula companies. Very clever advertising.

hazeyjane · 04/05/2011 08:20

It's cheaper than formula, and tastes like sweetened soya milk. Ds likes it anyway.

As for the convenience thing, I'm still up with ds feeding him twice a night and try to make homemade purees of foods that will meet his nutritional needs (with a few pouches/jars thrown in!), but he doesn't/can't eat enough of them.

I hate this implication that everyone who uses it is a sucker/idiot/can't be arsed to make an effort parent.

nannyl · 04/05/2011 08:45

each to their own

IMO anyone can feed their children whatever they like (so long as not bleach / neat alcohol / poison or similar)
However MY children will NOT be having this milk....
it didnt used to exist, is only made so milk companies can promote their brand, so i will feed my children a healthy nutritouse diet and they can drink cows milk.

Dont expect anyone else to care what I feed my children either Hmm

Checkmate · 04/05/2011 08:53

BIL works for a pharma company in the marketing of this stuff. He doesn't feed it to his kids, despite getting plenty of it free from work. (Amongst other reasons, says its too sweet; doesn't want them developing such a sweet tooth.) Its a complete marketing gimmick, in his words, and the direct marketing they do to medical professionals is why so many people on this thread have been recommended it.

YANBU

Katiebeau · 04/05/2011 08:58

DON'T give rice milk to little children - officially it is too high in arsenic to be safe for them. I used this follow on milk in cartons as a handy alternative to curdled milk on days out etc and then discovered been so processed the lactose was so low we could use it despite DD been lactose intolerant post nasty tummy bug!!

OP - mind your own sodding business, why does it bother you? If I choose to eat activia yogurts (bullshit ads too) would thar bother you too????

YABU

porcamiseria · 04/05/2011 09:05

i agree, COWS MILK, fuck I am starting DS2 on cows and he's only 8 months

each to their own , but not for me

Mishy1234 · 04/05/2011 09:09

Toddlers are notoriously tricky when it comes to eating and I guess that it gives people some piece of mind that they are at least getting something if they drink growing up milk. I've never used it, but wouldn't rule it out if I had a child who wasn't eating/drinking adequately.

If your child is eating/drinking well then no, I don't see any reason to use it. I guess it's just one of those things which exists because there is a market for it.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 09:10

I personally don't use rice milk for that reason Katie but I do know other people who do.

If you get drawn in by marketing for fortified milks and yoghurts then that's your problem not mine. I don't really care what you do but I do reserve the right to think they're a bit silly and a waste of money and wonder why on earth you bother :)

I think I'm probably bothered by the fact that clever marketing can convince parents that their little one NEEDS this product as part of a healthy diet. People who will perhaps spend extra money that they can't necessarily afford because they want to give their child 'the best' even though their child could be already be getting all the vitamins and minerals that they need from a healthy, fresh and unprocessed diet.

OP posts:
breatheslowly · 04/05/2011 09:33

Members of my family have suffered from osteoporosis so DD's life long calcium intake is important. If DD won't drink cows milk when the time comes for her to stop stage 1 formula then she will have follow on milk. I am not keen on other types of "milk" as I don't think they have the required calcium and depending on the type can be too low in fat for a toddler. I would rather have something designed for a child than a non-specific subsitute.

I have no issue with the long list of ingredients - why does it matter that they add vegetable oil to milk if you would use both at home in some sense?

On the other hand I am avoiding and hope to continue to avoid giving DD fruit juice or other sweetened drinks. But I don't care why you give your child fruit juice.

slavewife · 04/05/2011 09:33

Soya milk should only be given, under the watchful eye of a paediatrician! 1+ milk is a good source of nutrition if the child won't take veg\cows milk\meat etc... Its not a marketing con, and is recognised by the FSA to not be a ploy. bubblymummy you need to get over you're FF issues, honestly as off late the bile you sprout about FF, is frankly absurd, you don't like FM, we get that, why the need to keep harping on about it is Hmm

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 09:49

Slavewife - this has nothing to do with formula so I'm not sure why you are bringing it up. I have already said that I don't consider growing up milk to be like formula because of the age at which it is introduced and the fact that there are many alternatives available. I also think you should revisit some of those bf threads so you can clear up your impression that I have an 'issue' with ff - you'll find that I have explained my feelings about it several times but i get the impression that you have perhaps picked it up incorrectly which isn't uncommon on those threads :)

breatheslowly - it is possible to get the rda of calcium without drinking milk so if your DD doesn't like it (even if you try sweetening it with vanilla/honey/whatever) then yoghurt/cheese and other non-dairy sources can be used. Also, re vegetable oil - you may use a bit in cooking but you wouldn't offer a few spoonfuls directly to your child would you? Yet mix it with milk and put it in a nice bottle or a carton with a straw and all of a sudden it seems much nicer and an 'essential' part of their diet. Also, iirc vegetable oil is mainly derived from soya too. I know that many of the milks do state that the product contains soya.

OP posts:
hazeyjane · 04/05/2011 09:55

In my circumstances, what would you do then?

I don't believe that the dietician was just pushing follow-on to us because of the heavy marketing (which I am aware of). Surely it is the best way to double ds's iron intake when he eats so little and first milk has only has half the iron.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 10:03

hazeyjane - how old is your son? I don't know what your son eats, whether he eats any meat or not etc but if I was concerned about iron intake I would explore other alternatives such as hiding things in smoothies/other foods that they do like etc and work on expanding that diet. I would be more inclined to use something like spatone (if over age 2) in either milk or juice because it's less processed and doesn't include a long list of, what I would consider to be, unnecessary ingredients that I wouldn't want my DSs to consume. I'm not sure if follow on is the same as growing up milk though - is it? I thought it was a later stage formula - I could be wrong! :)

OP posts:
Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 10:05

Just googled and follow on is a later stage (6 month +) formula so we are talking about different things hazeyjane.

OP posts:
slavewife · 04/05/2011 10:06

No, I don't think I have to, its evidently clear by all who reads those threads what you're opinion is, you are known for your constant dislike on FM, maybe you should consider you're tone and have a hard look at you're "opinions" you may not have said this is about formula, however going by previous thread, you knew what way this thread would turn!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/05/2011 10:07

I think there is some confusion in what you are discussing here.

follow on milk and growing up milk are two different things.

Follow on is 6 months plus if I remember correctly. Growing up milk is aimed at toddlers and you can buy it in a 6 pack of screw top bottles.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 10:13

no slavewife - it hasn't turned at all - not even if you want it to :) I'm sorry if you construe my support of bf and distress at the lack of support/misinformation that results in many women who wanted to bf in having to resort to ff as a 'constant dislike on fm'. I do find that many ffers tend to interpret those threads quite extremely which is why so many arguments tend to break out! If you would like to start a new thread or pm me I would be happy to discuss my views further with you. :)

OP posts:
RitaMorgan · 04/05/2011 10:13

I thought the official NHS stance on "Follow-On" was that it isn't needed or recommended? And all the extra iron compared to first milk isn't easily absorbed anyway.

So, I'm sceptical about Follow-On being anything more than a gimmick anyway and wouldn't use it - though I do get that it's cheaper.

Growing-Up milk is totally ridiculous imo, sweetened, processed, and unnecessary.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 10:14

Yes, amazing, I realised that after my last post to hazeyjane - good old google! :)

OP posts:
Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 10:16

Yes Rita, I had that impression of follow-on too - I know that it comes up quite a lot on the feeding board as causing constipation as well. I just wasn't sure if it overlapped with growing up milk somehow (didn't think it did but had to check to be sure it wasn't just a rename or something!)

OP posts:
allbie · 04/05/2011 10:17

Did anyone see a news report last year when there were stand pipes in some parts of the country and this mother was (quite rightly) anxious about the need to make up the baby bottles and the camera person panned in on her ample bosom? Strangely, this thread keeps reminding me of the irony demonstrated in the flick of that camera. Morning Bubbley. More tosh,eh, meryl?

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/05/2011 10:17

Follow on milk was great because you could earn boots advantage points on it because it was 6 months plus. I racked up loads of points when DD was still on it! For that reason alone it is worth it. Grin

I've never bought growing up milk just easier to bung her some blue top cows milk, but i'm lucky because she is not fussy at all.

Original poster
bubbleymummy · 04/05/2011 10:20

Morning allbie :)

OP posts:
slavewife · 04/05/2011 10:27

I don't want to start anything Hmm nor do I want to PM you either! I'm stating a valid point that you dislike any forms of "formula" milk, which you have constantly talked about and constantly start threads about, you only need to search you're name to see this. I love the wrong assumption that you think many mums who happen to formula feed, disagree with you because they use a bottle Hmm shockingly I disagree and I breast fed my oldest and my youngest Shock

lljkk · 04/05/2011 10:35

Toddler/preschooler milk is heavily marketed in some places, I remember friends of friends giving it to their 3yo in Spain 10 years ago. I thought that was odd, then. But it's just "normal" practice to them. My Spanish friend later went on to breastfeed her son until he was 5yo... which is just as uncommon in Spain as Britain, so Full Credit to my mate for doing it. I expect she was thinking (and arguing if anyone else asked) that if toddler milk is so great that real breastmilk would be even better. Kind of hard to refute that logic in a culture that already thinks Growing On Milk is a great idea.

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