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Infant feeding

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Original poster

Me & DH arguing about follow on milk

20 replies

u32ng · 10/09/2013 07:25

My DH was making up DS's bottle feeds the other night & noticed the bit on the side of the can about moving onto follow on milk at 6m.

DH said that as DS is 7m now we should've moved him onto follow on milk a month ago & why were we still using his first milk. I said that according to the big booklet we got from the midwife (ready, steady baby) it says you don't need to do follow on milk - just keep them on the first milk until they're 1 and can have cows milk.

DH's opinion is that if follow on milk is available why wouldn't we use it.
My opinion is why switch formula now if we don't need to.

Who is 'right' here??

OP posts:
Forgetfulmog · 10/09/2013 07:29

Follow on milk is a marketing con, it's completely pointless

superram · 10/09/2013 07:31

We used aptamil number 3 so we could collect points... We stuck with number 1 for our first as we were worried about changing.
They are quite similar I think (but have only read the side of the carton).

AnneUulmelmahay · 10/09/2013 07:31

Follow on milk is not recc by who and nhs for under 1s, may be suitable for older children if diet is poor. Research recently came out about this, sorry cannot link on phone.

Historically speaking first formula advertising was banned in this country so the formula companies invented follow on to circumvent the ad ban. Gits.

thistlelicker · 10/09/2013 07:34

Follow on milk is just a scam !! Keep baby on stage one until your ready to wean onto whole milk! Which magazine has a recent article and ask your midwife / any health professional what they think!!! My sister took her baby off first stage t 7 months straight onto whole milk and baby is now 2 and is riddled with chest infections as her immune system is weakened as nt got the nutrients from the first stage milk

ThisTimeItsPersonal · 10/09/2013 07:36

Not worth the hassle when first formula is perfectly fine IMO! Smile

endoflevelbaddy · 10/09/2013 07:36

Follow on milk is different to toddler milk and is suitable from 6 months. I really quizzed my health visitor about this as all the nhs info says there's no need to switch but I wanted to know if there was any reason not to. The answer was there's no reason not to but the guidelines say no need to as apparently follow on milk has been used by some numpties people as an alternative to weaning at 6 months.
Also follow on milk is often cheaper and is not exempt from offers / points like the first stage milk is, so, for example, I've been able to use boots advantage card vouchers to save a fiver when spending £20. All helps when you're on a reduced income.

MortifiedAdams · 10/09/2013 07:39

Follow.on milk might be a scam.and no different but it is cheaper and eligible for points at Boots so.to some it may be worth swapping.

PseudoBadger · 10/09/2013 07:40

Sorry this is what Which say about Follow On Milk:

"What about follow-on formula?
Follow on formula can be used from six months (it is not suitable from birth). All the brands have a follow on formula and these are usually labelled as Stage 3, other than SMA follow on formula which is labelled as Stage 2.

Follow on formula contains the same ingredients as infant formula and the levels of nutrients it contains are also strictly controlled under the Infant Formula and Follow on Formula Regulations 2007. However, it does contain higher levels of iron and vitamin D.

The restrictions that cover infant formula also cover follow on formula except that follow on formula can be advertised and offered on promotion. 67% of parents told us they have used follow on formula.

Does my baby need follow-on formula?
No. The government advice is that follow on formula is not necessary; you can continue to give infant formula if not breastfeeding.

As such follow on formula can not be purchased with Healthy Start vouchers. However, some retailers do offer discounts or money-off vouchers.

Babies are born with an iron store that by six months has started to deplete and so they need a higher dietary intake. Because of this some people choose to switch to follow on formula, however when weaning your baby you can start to include iron-rich foods such as fortified cereal, red meat and green leafy veg into their diet which will be enough to meet their iron requirements.

The government recommends that all children from six months to five years should take a daily supplement that contains vitamin D. However, if your baby is drinking around 500ml of infant formula a day then they will be receiving enough vitamin D to meet their needs so they won’t need additional drops."

Original poster
u32ng · 10/09/2013 10:41

Brilliant thanks! I will refer my DH to Which!

OP posts:
queenofdrama · 10/09/2013 11:02

200ml follow on milk provides no more nourishment than eating 100g of baked potato does. It also has more sugar added to it than regular formula & is not a breast milk substitute. It's a marketing con pure & simple. 'Stage 1' formula is the only milk recommended/advised for human babies if baby is not breastfed. 'Hungry' baby milks are also a marketing con & are strongly linked to the rise in childhood obesity. All formula companies care about is profiteering. Formula milk is not 'complete nutrition', 1000's of ingredients are missing from it that are potentially vital (eg. in fighting cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc)'30 years of breast milk research' my arse!

ilovepowerhoop · 10/09/2013 15:36

where have hungry milks been linked to childhood obesity as it has no extra calories just proteins that take longer to digest?

ilovepowerhoop · 10/09/2013 15:38

I also don't think follow on milk from 6 months has extra sugar in it either, you may be thinking of growing up milk that is suitable from 1 year

FruitSaladIsNotPudding · 10/09/2013 15:41

Switch to follow on - they are allowed to have offers on it so if can work out a lot cheaper. No other good reason to though!

EhricLovesTeamQhuay · 10/09/2013 15:58

I thought follow on milk was invented to allow formula companies to advertise their brand without actually advertising infant formula. I really don't think it makes any difference whether you use regular or follow on formula.

Original poster
u32ng · 10/09/2013 15:58

Must be a sign of our 'Rip Off Britain' times that for a fleeting moment I was thinking it might actually be good to do follow on milk because of the deals you mention!!

OP posts:
ishchel · 10/09/2013 19:27

Follow on milk is higher in iron than 1st stage milk. It makes some babies constipated for this reason. It may also have higher values of certain minerals and may be higher in sugar - you'll have to check for yourself.

Having more of these things do not make Follow on better. If the iron and minerals are not any more bioavailable as the stuff in first milk then it will just be peed out.

I appreciate it is cheaper for some and it is worth points in the shops. This is how marketing works. They created follow on to circumvent UK laws and to keep up their brand presence.

bonzo77 · 10/09/2013 19:33

DS2 was under a paediatrician due to being a bit prem. she was adamant that we change to follow on milk at 6 months due to the iron in it. That or give an iron supplement.

rallytog1 · 10/09/2013 22:41

It's a con. Although follow-on milk's eligibility for points and offers understandably makes it an attractive proposition for many people.

Chunderella · 12/09/2013 13:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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