how to start level 3 when using aptamil?

[notsoold]

Dc is almost 12 months ( few days) and albeith having breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks still has 7oz at morning, afternoon and bed time. He is on the slimmer side and hungry at those times.
Hv recommends to start on cow's milk or aptamil 3. But the carton says the guidelines for 2 beakers per day.... should I just swap the one he has not for aptamil3 or go in stages? Should I give aptamil3 at morning and bedtime and keep the aptamil1 at afternoon time?
Ideas please???
Ps I don't want to start cow's milk just yet.

Just stick with the current formula if you don't want to give cows milk. Toddler milks are a gimmick. There is no reason to switch - in fact stage 1 would be fine too.

No need for the toddler milk.

Give aptimal 1 or cows milk. I would be tempted to change each one gradually for cows milk and then drop afternoon one so he eats more food.

In the afternoon just give a small amount of cows milk or water in a regular cup to have with a snack. Ie some cheese and banana

Is there a particular reason you need to avoid cow's milk (obviously formula is derived from cow's milk too, so I am assuming no serious allergies?).

If you don't want to do cow's milk, there is no need to change. Why was the HV so keen for you to do so? All 'follow on' and 'toddler' milks are marketing gimmicks really. Though you can get loyalty points/deals etc on them, so sometimes the price thing can be a reason to change.

Why not cows milk? Toddler milks are a con. Just give cows milk and liquid multivitamin..... Far cheaper for the same effect!

Because when I introduced cow's milk when preparing food his skin suffered and the same as my other dcs. But if I continue on formula until near 2 hopefully he will be fine ( the other dcs were ok after 20 months more or less)
Thanks for your help.
I might continue with aptamil 1 although as said beforr points and discounts are given to toddlers milk

Formula is made from cows milk so shouldn't think it would make a difference.

Ds2 had terrible nappies (no other symptoms, so not just unwell) when I first moved him onto cows milk at 12 mo. I waited till he was 15 months before trying again, and since then he's been fine. Ds1's eczema worsened when I moved him to cows milk, the gp suggested goat milk which definitely helped. So while I agree that formula is made from cows milk, I do think that there is something on the way it is processed that makes it easier to digest than ordinary cows milk. OP, if you read the labels, there's very little difference in the nutritional make up between the levels, so if it were me I'd go with the level 2 or 3, just from the discount /points angle.

Is your worry that you don't want to give 3 bottles of aptamil 3 a day when the carton says only 2? In which case I really wouldn't worry. DD is 11 months and still on aptamil 1 and I believe at her age it says she should be having 3 x 7oz feeds a day, however she currently has 4. They are just guidelines.

Yes dc2 at 18 mos is still having 3 x 9+ oz bottles of milk, but he still eats plenty and is in proportion. This is over the suggested max upper limit of 24 oz, but I see no need to reduce it unless he starts to cut back on solids. (or becomes rotund)

Formula milk is cows milk

Apologies OP, you know your children best and if you've seen a reaction then follow your gut!

oly no worries
Yes formula is cow's milk but seems to work in different ways with my kiddies.
magical that is exactly what I wanted to know....thanks.
Thanks all for your help!!!

Maybe the level 3 has more calories in some brands? I've no idea but wondered if that might be why she recommended.