Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
Alishanty · 29/04/2008 09:56

ds never had formula. He was bf until 11 mths when we introduced cow's milk and gradually weaned him off the breast. The reason why I carried on bf until nearly 12 mths was so he wouldn't have to have formula.

ExtraFancy · 29/04/2008 09:59

Mine's nearly 9 months and has never had formula. I'm now back at work part-time, so feeding him morning and night on those days, but he still feeds in the daytime when I'm at home with him.

I don't think we'll ever need formula - he's a proper boob addict

JulesJules · 29/04/2008 10:03

Neither of my DDs have ever had formula. It just seemed crazy to me, going out and buying bottles, teats, formula and all the cleaning stuff after we had gone so far breastfeeding. So I just carried on with the bf.

Stefka · 29/04/2008 10:18

That book the politics of breast feeding sounds interesting - I will see if my library has it.

My DS is six months and he has not had any formula. He does get bottles of expressed milk sometimes from his Dad if I need to go out somewhere.

I had a terrible time getting BF established so I am totally determined never to give him formula. I have become a bit phobic about it actually! I actually have nightmares where someone has given him formula.

MirandaG · 29/04/2008 10:22

This is really interesting. Did most people who never gave formula stay off work until they stopped bf? I really struggled to get DD2 to take a bottle (she now does) and could have kept on bf, but found bf as soon as I got home from work and being up a couple of times in the night bf too exhausting. That said I am still up giving one bottle a night, but it is very quick. If I bf her at night it would go for at least half an hour if not more, possibly because my supply was dwindling, because of no bf during the day. I also wanted to be able to go away with dh for a weekend, which I think is fair enough after eight months! I don't feel great about using formula though, especially with the concerns about contamination. If the baby was eating a good diet, could we really not give cow's milk before 12 months?

Also, I found that bf was taking a toll on the general welfare of my family in that I was not able to give enough attention to DD1, because bf was so time consuming and because I was exhausted. All connected woth going back to work too of course, but for lots of families, this is a necessity.

Detect slight disingenuousness (sp?) about making up formula and sterilising - it's really not that complicated! Still I'd rather just boil up some cow's milk and use that like my mum did! I'm not going to do this, because I tend to follow guidelines when it comes to babies but I do wonder whether formula is really necessary once they are eating well. Rambling now - will stop!

penpotEca · 29/04/2008 10:33

marmaduke I had a tough time starting bf and I just put a because I'm pleased I got this far. It was a tough time and there were lots of tears for weeks at the start. And so i can completely understand why some people change to formula at some point.

mum2sons · 29/04/2008 11:12

DS1 had some from 10months
DS2 never had a drop
DS3, never had any, is 3 months and don't plan on giving him any.

callmeovercautious · 29/04/2008 11:17

Only have DD and she never had any. Still BF at 19m (with Cows Milk as well).

madness · 29/04/2008 11:21

none of 3 dc had any, did buy on advise of MW some cartons as he refused bf on 2nd day, but in the evening he started bf and never stopped till 2.5 y...(cartons expired and got chucked

RuthChan · 29/04/2008 11:49

As far as I know, it is strongly advised not to give cow's milk before around 12 months, even for a baby who is eating a 'good diet'.
Baby cows and baby humans don't really have the same digestive systems.

As for cheese and yoghurt, they are both safe before one year as long as the baby is not allergic to dairy products.
There are baby versions, but adult versions are fine.
At about 7 or 8 months, my DD's favourite food was banana and yoghurt.

cazboldy · 29/04/2008 11:52

3 out of my 5 never had a drop

ds1 was bf for 10 weeks, then mixed fed, then ff

dd2 had a bottle last thing at night from 6 months

juuule · 29/04/2008 11:55

How can cheese and yoghurt be okay before 12m but not milk?
My children had cows milk from between 6m-10m+ with baby rice.
The recommendation used to be from 6m+ for cows milk in cereal or yoghurt but not as the main food.

StealthPolarBear · 29/04/2008 12:06

No cows milk as a main drink, bt ok in food/cooking, plus if they drink it they won't come to any harm! I think it's to stop ppl who don't want to buy formula

mamabear1 · 29/04/2008 12:29

My daughter is now 14 months and is still being breastfed...she never had formula...i intended to stop breastfeeding when she would turn 1 and start giving cow's milk in a bottle...but i enjoy it so much and it's not like i have more children so i can still give her that 1 to 1 nursing...but i wouldnt be one of those mums who feed them even when their over 10! (hopefully lol)

callmeovercautious · 29/04/2008 12:44

Ruthchan - I meant she now has cows milk as well. Not when she was small. She is 19m.

theyoungvisiter · 29/04/2008 13:23

mirandag "This is really interesting. Did most people who never gave formula stay off work until they stopped bf?"

For me: no. I stayed off work until a year and then when DS was 12 months I returned to work and he had cows milk and water in the day and bf morning, evening and once or twice at night.

He's always been a fast nighttime feeder so I didn't find the nights too exhausting - though I could have done without them to be honest! I just didn't think that changing to a bottle would solve the waking.

Now he's nearly 2 and is (very tentatively touch wood!) sleeping through. Slightly scared to say it aloud in case I jinx it though...

Pidge · 29/04/2008 13:32

neither of my dds ever had formula - not even on their cereal, I was in the swing of expressing so they just had that until they could have cow's milk.

mirandag - I went back to work when dd1 was 5.5 months and expressed for her, dd 2 was 10 months, so I barely bothered expressing for her. I'm expecting my 3rd this autumn and hope to take a full year off, so no plans to buy any formula this time either (fingers crossed).

I stopped feeding both my dds around age 2-2.5.

Milkycheeks · 29/04/2008 14:14

DD (7.5 mo) exclusively bf for 6mths and now on solids too. Recently suggested to dh that she might have to have formula occasionally if i can't keep up with expressing when i go back to work - he looked as shocked as if i'd suggested giving her vodka or something! Really want to avoid it if possible but don't want her to starve when i'm not there.

mamijacacalys · 29/04/2008 14:30

DS bf until 14 mo, DD until 20 mo.

They are now 5 and 21 mo respectively.

DD was a real boob monster so am glad she has finally (recently) stopped as was getting quite fed up, especially at night (was knackered!)and she has started sleeping through at last. (Despite various concerted attempts from when she was about a week or so old, she wouldn't even take expressed bm from a bottle!)

DS would take a bottle of expressed, and I did try and give DS formula when he went to nursery (I went back to work PT when each one was 6 months old) but the bottle used to come back full, so stopped bothering after a few weeks.

So they had water or juice as additional drinks between 6mo and 12mo then I started giving cows milk on cereal and as a drink after 1 yr old.

Never formally 'planned' when to give up - they both self-weaned when they were ready. Did find the night waking knackering once I was back at work but I assumed they would wake the same whether they were having breast milk of formula. I think they start sleeping through at a point that is suitable for them, which is not necessarily related to how they were fed - I think there are plenty of other threads on mn agreeding with this!

LookingForwardToSummer · 29/04/2008 14:36

Wish I hadn't read this thread!!!

I'm finding bf really hard - dd takes an hour to feed every 3 hours - so really can't do much else. I've set myself the target of exclusive bf for 5 months and if I do that I shall be v proud that I managed to stick it that long.

chunkychips · 29/04/2008 14:38

Neither of mine have had any.

StealthPolarBear · 29/04/2008 14:41

LFTS, how old is your LO?

twinkle5 · 29/04/2008 14:48

my ds, now 10 months hasn't had a drop. I intend to go straight to cows' milk when he is one and starts nursery. i will still BF though when I am there.

appledumpling · 29/04/2008 14:55

DS never had any. He self-weaned at just over 12 months and went straight on to cows milk.

sarah293 · 29/04/2008 14:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn