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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Out of interest, how many of us have children that have never ever even tasted formula?

304 replies

welliemum · 27/04/2008 22:15

I'm interested because you hear so many people saying "I plan to breastfeed for X time and then introduce a bottle" as if it was an inevitable fact that all children need to graduate to formula sooner or later.

And then there are loads of people who breastfeed but give bottles from time to time.

The formula companies must be laughing all the way to the bank, because they're selling formula not only to people who can't breastfeed or choose not to, but also to (I suspect) the majority of breastfeeders.

So, how many 100% breastfed children are out there?

My dd1 (now 3) had some formula top-ups between about 8 and 10 weeks, so she doesn't "qualify".

dd2 (coming up for 2 years) has never had formula. Is this as unusual as I think it is?

OP posts:
moondog · 27/04/2008 22:16

Dd had one or two small cartons.
Ds never had a drop.

FAQ · 27/04/2008 22:17

DS1 never had a drop
DS2 had formula from 3 days
DS3 had formula from 3 weeks (full time from 4 months)

Piffle · 27/04/2008 22:17

ds1 none
dd never
ds2 has had some but only over 1 yr and only a cpl of times when ran out of full fat cows milk! And when I was not there

berolina · 27/04/2008 22:18

ds1 was mixed fed to 4 weeks, then exclusively bf to 6.5 months and still bf now. he never had formula after those first 4 weeks.

ds2 (7mo) has never had formula and I assume never will.

Tinker · 27/04/2008 22:18

My nearly 3 year old has never had any.

Spidermama · 27/04/2008 22:18

DS4 is the only one of mine who tasted it for about a week while I was in hospital with puemonia. The other three have never tasted it.

sushistar · 27/04/2008 22:18

Ds is nearly 5 months and in his life has had:
breastmilk
bath water
1/2 a spoon of calpol which he spat out
1 teething powder which he seemed to like
dh let him lick a slice of apple when he was 3 months

No formula ever. TBH i wouldn't know how to make it up

misdee · 27/04/2008 22:18

dd1+2 were both formula fed after initially being breastfed.

dd3 was tube fed formula for 24hours in SCBU, and i think i used about 12 small cartons in the first year of her life, mainly when dh was in hospital ITU. still breastfed her for over 2years in total though.

motherinferior · 27/04/2008 22:18

DD1 was mixed fed from three months.

DD2 never had formula.

Annie75 · 27/04/2008 22:18

Nope, none (nearly 9 months). I've just never bought it and DD has never taken a bottle of expressed milk. BF is waaaay easier than all the faff with bottles and formula.

CaptainKarvol · 27/04/2008 22:19

me. Mine wouldn't take a bottle, so just carried on breastfeeding. Had a massive supply so used freezer stocks when first weaning. Then DS turned out to be lactose intolerant when we tried to introduce cow's milk. BF to 21 months, now on Goat's milk / soya milk.

hatrick · 27/04/2008 22:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

PotPourri · 27/04/2008 22:21

Well, you can use EBM for the bottles. Personally I think it is quite sensible to have them able to take a bottle from time to time. You just don't know what is coming in the future, when you might be very happy to have that option - going back to work, illness, operation....(it can still be EBM).

You are right though, most people I know who have exclusively breastfed have moved onto formula at some point, usually after 6 months but before the year point where they can take cows milk.

unknownrebelbang · 27/04/2008 22:23

DS3 may have had some the night he was born - I'm a bit hazy because I had a section mid-afternoon, and his obs dipped during the evening and he was taken to scbu for observations for a few hours, and I agreed that he could have one bottle whilst he was down there, if the need arose.

I really can't remember whether or not he did have any though.

Other than that, nada. They all bf for over 12 months, although all three were weaned early.

No MN in those days...

Original poster
welliemum · 27/04/2008 22:23

Wow, lots of children here!

That's so interesting: hardly anyone I know in real life has done this.

OP posts:
Tapster · 27/04/2008 22:23

BF DD nearly 18 months never had a drop of formula and has never had a bottle of even expressed milk, kept meaning to give her a bottle but I couldn't face it. Some people are shocked, wondering when I have time off from her. I have recently left her overnight to no harm to either of us. She is not that keen on cows milk so I keep BFing her.

sweetgrapes · 27/04/2008 22:24

dd had formula after 5 months.
ds has never tasted it. He's 2 now.

pooka · 27/04/2008 22:25

DD never.
DS never.

Yorkiegirl · 27/04/2008 22:26

Message withdrawn

fishie · 27/04/2008 22:28

yes ds had a bit in first week while i waited for decent bf advice. none later.

wickedwitchofthenorth · 27/04/2008 22:29

I kept trying to give a bottle of formula at night to DS (16 wks) . He didnt like them and tbh I dont know now why I thought trying to get him to take it was important. I gave up trying over a month ago and threw away my hardly used box of aptimil!

Incidently, my periods have stopped again so although I thought the odd bottle wouldnt make a difference to me/supply it must have done.

Have just finished reading The Politics of Breastfeeding and that has shocked me into never wanting to buy formula ever again.

WigWamBam · 27/04/2008 22:29

Dd never had a drop - she breast-fed for two years though, so there was no need for formula.

moondog · 27/04/2008 22:29

Oh WW,that book changed my life.

PinkTulips · 27/04/2008 22:32

dd had a few tastes at 6/7 months but hated it and spat most of it out. she turned out to be cow's milk intolerant so couldn't give it anymore.

ds has never even seen formula, much less tasted it

charliecat · 27/04/2008 22:32

dd1 bottle fed for about 4 years!
dd2 breastfed for 13 months no formula ever