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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:
mummypig · 27/04/2008 22:34

Ds1 had some formula on day 3 in hospital then bf until about 8 months when he started at nursery and I thought it would be easier to give him formula. At that point most mums I knew had moved to formula at some point and I was not aware of any reason why not to.

ds2 never had any formula. By this point I was well aware of the pros and cons!! I gave the nursery ebm when necessary.

shreksmissus · 27/04/2008 22:35

Message withdrawn

beautifuldays · 27/04/2008 22:36

neither of my 2 have ever had a drop of formula, but i think we are the unusual rather than the norm.

shreksmissus · 27/04/2008 22:36

Message withdrawn

ScienceTeacher · 27/04/2008 22:37

My five kids have never had formula

Original poster
welliemum · 27/04/2008 22:37

I wonder if there's a pattern here - for those of us with more than one child - that the first one is more likely to have formula than later ones.

In my case, I really didn't want dd1 to have top-ups but felt overwhelmed by the pressure from the professionals. With dd2 I had much more confidence in breastfeeding and so if similar problems had come up I'd have been more likely to resist the pressure.

OP posts:
pedilia · 27/04/2008 22:37

3 DC's and number 4 on the way, none of them have ever had formula. I have BF all of them until they can have cows milk.

NoBiggy · 27/04/2008 22:39

DD1 never had a bottle, but had follow-on milk to drink after 6 months (because I thought it was the thing to do).

DD2, no formula. Occasional drop of cow's milk but she's not keen (20 months now).

Loshad · 27/04/2008 22:40

ds1 - no formula, bf exclusively for 4 months, bf for 18 months
ds2 - soya formula on cereal/in cooking from six months - never to drink, bf excl for 4.5 months, bf for 12 months (self weaned although i suspect was actually just a nursing strike).
ds3 - no forumla, bf excl for 6 mo, bf for 2y, 2m
ds4 - no forumla, bf excl for 6 mo, bf for 4y
Went back to work when ds1 was 5 mo, ds2 6 mo and ds3 8 mo, didn't with ds4

heronsfly · 27/04/2008 22:41

DD1 never.
DS1 never.
DS2 never.
DS3 never.
DD2 from 4 weeks.
DD3 from 2 weeks.

unknownrebelbang · 27/04/2008 22:41

My first was the easiest tbh.

We had problems with DS2 feeding and we were hospitalised, and I expressed - a lot - for the first six months of his life.

DS3 had just the one-off as described below.

Loshad · 27/04/2008 22:41

oops, please excuse typos

zippitippitoes · 27/04/2008 22:42

yes dd2 breastfed for twelve months

no formula no bottle just a normal cup

pampam · 27/04/2008 22:50

my dd had one lot of formula in hospital cos the midwives were having a go at me and my milk hadn't come in. I made sure they cup fed her and she's never had any since, still bfing at 23 months. She also doesn't really like cows milk (unless she can drink it with a straw out of her cereal bowl)

Miaou · 27/04/2008 22:56

dd1 - from 6 months
dd2 - from 2 months
ds1 - never
ds2 - hopefully never (he is now 9 months and tbh the only scenario in which I can imagine him getting formula is if something happens to me).

Original poster
welliemum · 27/04/2008 22:57

Hmm, I've just heard that 92% of babies under 6 months have had formula at some point.

Clearly, the other 8% are all on this thread

OP posts:
lucykate · 27/04/2008 23:00

ds didn't like either breast milk or formula, every feed was like having a fight with him, he did, however, like whole milk so i swapped to that from 10 months.

ChutneyMary · 27/04/2008 23:04

DD1 - exclusive BF for 6 mth apart from odd bottle of formula top up after weekly haranguing from HV for slow weight gain . Then on my return to work at 8 mth, formula at nursery 3 days a week.

DD2 - none. She's 13mth and tiny. Gave her EBM at nursery. Oh, and last saw a HV at 10 days....

harpsichordcarrier · 27/04/2008 23:04

neither dd1 nor dd2 have ever had formula.
I had a ready made carton in the cupboard for about four years and recently ditched it
I noticed it was still in date

jaynz · 27/04/2008 23:23

DS breast only, he's 10m now. And he'll never have a bottle of anything, let alone formula

JoyS · 27/04/2008 23:26

Tried to give DD some formula when she was about 8 months old (all night feeds started to get me down) but she gagged and that was that. Tasted it myself and it was vile.

DD2 (due July) won't be having anything but nip.

gagarin · 27/04/2008 23:28

2dds

Both no formula; no bottle.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/04/2008 23:30

my dds don't even much like cow's milk
the first time I tried to give dd1 a cup of cow's milk, she threw it across the room
there is still a dent in the kitchen cupboard

AbricotsSecs · 27/04/2008 23:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ThursdayNext · 27/04/2008 23:32

DS had maybe two or three bottles when I was sick so doesn't strictly qualify, dammit. But he didn't 'graduate' to formula.

DD only 3 months but will hopefully remain formula free.