Baby still has formula milk at 12 months

[Sofielou]

DD turned 1 a couple weeks ago. I am struggling to let go of formula milk - she still has a 4/5oz bottle first thing in the morning, a smaller bottle in the morning or afternoon (we have replaced the 2nd day time bottle with cow's milk), and a large 8oz bottle before bed. So she's having 3 a day still.

She's picky with her meals, will eat bits but mostly throws it on the floor. This is the reason I'm still holding onto the formula because I'm worried she won't have a full tummy from the small amounts of solids she's eating.

Can I keep up with the formula until she's eating better? Or do I need to let it go? I'm so worried about her calorie intake and nutrition, it really consumes my mind. 😢

I'm sure they do, I think lots of parents worry that their child is getting enough. I make sure to offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and then snacks in between from when my DD turned 12mo (she is 14mo atm), if she doesn't want them fair enough! Sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't. Babies are good at knowing when they've had enough.

Do you know what centile she is on? My dd is 96th and I still worry, so it just goes to show some parents will just worry regardless

Ultimately (IMO) I don't think you should put pressure on yourself or her, perhaps begin to slowly cut down on the formula and offer an additional snack with it?

As said, the morning bottle should be reduced so she's hungry. It doesn't have to be swapped for cow's milk. Cow's milk was pushed for the sake of dairy farming, most swap because it's cheaper. There's other forms of calcium. If it makes you worry less, stick with formula. It's around 18 months when there should be a definite switch to food and not milk. The chewing helps the muscles for speech. Babies develop at different places. She's at the stage of throwing food, which is finding out about cause and effect.

This is helpful. I will try to keep this in mind, thank you!

@RedRobyn2021

She was around the 80th centile at last check a month ago.

Can anyone give me ideas for healthy between meal snacks for her? I tend to rely on bananas a lot as she loves them and it's easy to give her that wherever we are, E.g. out and about. What else can she snack on?

I switched to the toddler formula milk for 12+ months although first stage is generally the same. I kept formula up until my boy was better at eating as wanted him to still have all vitamins etc he needed. No rush to wean him off it. When I did wean him off he was about 14 months and I did half and half with warm cows whole milk and formula so he got used to the changed then just dropped formula. I always liked formula as I knew before bed he was full especially as most of his food went on the floor. You do what you feel is right. X

Remember her stomach is tiny, she doesn't need a lot of food.

I'd inform the health visitor incase it turns out to be something sinister and longterm dietary issues.

They'll probably advise no formal though it will be noted if the issue snowballs in the future.

I tend to rely on bananas a lot as she loves them and it's easy to give her that wherever we are, E.g. out and about. What else can she snack on?
They're very filling and you need to mix textures too, cheese cubes, bread sticks, rice cakes, cut fruit, raisins provided she can chew well.

I'd avoid too many snacks, aim for full meal times.

DD was on formula milk till two. It was cheaper than cow's milk in the end. We swapped her at two but reducing the amount of formula to cow's milk till it was 100÷ cow. I'm vvv glad I kept her on formula for so long now. I had medical advice though

I absolutely get the worry. She will let you know if she's hungry I promise!

OP I think this is a really normal thing to worry about. When they are tiny babies we are so focused on them having a full tummy so they last until the next feed, start sleeping a bit better etc!

It's time to let go of that now and start thinking of her as a young toddler who will be able to last longer between mealtimes and regulate her own appetite a bit. I agree with the above poster, try to focus more on mealtimes but if you must have snacks how about cheese, yoghurt etc. As you reduce her formula you may find she doesn't drink as much when it's cows milk, that's absolutely fine and normal and she will start getting her dairy from other sources.

I do understand your anxiety - my 2 yr old DD is small, and I worry about her eating quite a lot. We also had no input from health visitors, but didn't really mind tbh 🤔
Clearly you need to let go of the milk a bit and she'll start eating more - maybe I need to take my own advice, DD has just turned 2 and still drinks a cup morning night... I know my anxiety rubs off on her around mealtimes, so we've tried making it less intense, and eat with her

You should have had a comprehensive development review at 10-12 months where they send you a development questionnaire beforehand. If you haven't had this appointment it's probably quite important to call up and book it.

Watch her total milk intake. I let mine have too
much between 12 and 18 months which caused constipation. The paediatrician said it was probably caused by too much milk. If I’m remembering correctly they should be on no more than about 20 ounces a day then - mine was on about 50 per cent more.

It is okay to continue with infant formula, by the way. What you could start thinking of is weaning from the bottle, especially if you bottlefeed without cleaning teeth after at bedtime.

This has probably been said but she's probably not eating many solids because she's getting so much milk. A bottle of cows milk at night + dairy in the diet/a cup of milk after lunch or milk on cereal + a multivitamin will be fine for her. It's hard to cut down the bottles I know but you'll quickly catch on if she's not happy and it's not like you can't reintroduce them if needed.

Well there is this too, formula won't actually
do any harm and cows milk is only cheaper if you're buying it anyway.

Mine had a formula until about 2.5 years
shes nearly 3 and still has 2 bottle a day (cows milk tho now) do what you and baby want and what makes u happy….. I do :) x

Buy this book - Joe Wicks - Wean in 15 - it’s amazing!

Do you have instagram? Follow Charlotte Stirling read or google her website and book. She’s a child nutritionist behind the Joe Wicks book.

Y

instagram.com/sr_nutrition?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Cut 1 bottle out
For her sake
And your own
Continue the last bottle before sleep as it will keep her asleep longer :p

Formula is basically cows milk that’s been boiled and processed to make it palatable for small babies. Both milks are absolutely fine for an older baby. Do what suits you and your baby.

I think most people give things like toast/pancake/ breadsticks/rice cake and fruit/cheese/olives/yoghurt

Thank you everyone! I've honestly found this thread so helpful, it's eased my anxiety a lot and I've got ideas about what snacks to give instead of milk. DD is enjoying a rice cake as we speak. 😊