Help please!! Cows Milk vs Formula Milk - Growing up milk - vitamin D issues??

[amyspames]

Hi,
Hoping someone can help with this.
When I saw my health visitor when my baby was just over 9 months old, I told her that I planned to drop her milk feeds to 2 a day and replace formula milk with whole milk before she went to child care at just over 1 so the transition was easier.
She told me that she had just been to a seminar / conference etc, and was told that whole milk no longer had the right levels of vitamin D in it, so baby either had to stay on the growing up formula milk, or have whole milk accompanied by vitamin supplements, which would probably be in the form of droplets, but didn't have too much info on this.
As a result of this, I kept her on formula milk, as thought it was easier, and as supplements not free on NHS, thought it would work out same price or maybe cheaper.
However, every mum that I have spoken to with similar age baby seems to know nothing about this, has anyone else been told this??
Thanks,
Amy

Hmm, not definite about this but up to age 1 DCs should be on either formula or breast milk as not enough calories in cow's milk for them. Thereafter cow's milk (or water) is fine as they are getting the bulk of their calories from solid food. Growing up milks are a cynical marketing ploy as far as I'm concerned!
In terms of Vit D the recommendation here in Ireland is that all babies have a 5mcg supplement daily whether formula or breast fed up to age 1. In Canada they advise supplementation up to age 3. Formula does have additional vit D compared to breast milk but still not quite at the recommended level AFAIK, hence the advice to supplement regardless here.

Btw the vit D drops I have cost about €10 for a 6 month supply so if the advice were to continue with them after age 1 I'd imagine drops and normal cow's milk would end up cheaper than growing up milk.

HTH!

NHS advice is all babies/children over 6 months and under 5 who have less than a pint of formula (500ml) a day should have a vitamin D supplement.