Does anyone else use 'growing up milk' for their toddlers? I have a question about it...

[Olive1987]

Firstly I know growing up milk is a marketing con but my 2 1/2 year old will not drink cows milk, my fault I know, as it doesn't taste like vanilla.

Anyway...

We still make it up by boiling the kettle and then putting the power in when it's cooled down. He only drinks it at room temp anyway (won't drink it warm). So my question is, does it make a difference to make it up with tap water? Could we use tap water instead of cooled boiled water?

Thanks in advance

[Havingabeer]

Tap water has been treated with chlorine so is fine for children that age. Is probably even better than bottles as more restrictions are on tap water with regards to minerals in it

[AriaBanjo]

Nesquik is very sugary.

I would gradually add more cows milk to the formula milk until it becomes all cows milk!

[batmanandrobin]

why not try a milk shake to get him used to cows milk? is nesquik still about?

I've never used tap water myself but dc's immune system should b strong enough at 2.6yo? if dc is healthy? i thought newborns used boiling water to kill germs (as pp have said) whereas that's not necessary now.

try it couple of days and see what happens? as long as your water isn't hard water?

[Olive1987]

There's absolutely no need for growing up milk and I know that, it's just that he loves his milk and won't drink cows milk. Tubs are £7.99 and last about 2 weeks. He eats a lot of yoghurt/ cheese etc. so doesn't actually need the milk it's just his routine now, milk first thing and last thing at night.
The health visitor told me to gradually mix cows milk with his formula, adding more cows milk each time and less formula.
And then she said id have to start him on vitamins because he might not get all the vitamins which were in the formula. I find that a bit strange...

[plumnc]

Made up formula mixed w milk obvs

[plumnc]

You could try mixing the formula with cows milk and gradually reduce the amount of formula?

[OooOooTheMonkey]

I am so happy to have stopped buying formula. £10 a tub!
Going through lots of cows milk now though. Feel like I'm forever in tesco buying more!

[OooOooTheMonkey]

Leek I think the OPs DC won't have cows milk so she is giving growing up milk in place of that.
Although at 2.5 maybe it doesn't matter so much as long as they're having enough yoghurt and cheese?

[MrsTerryPratchett]

It's for making money leek

[leekandpotato]

Have never understood the need for growing up milk.
Seems an waste of money to be. if eating a healthy diet why would you need it?

what is it for?

[OooOooTheMonkey]

I have just moved DD onto cows milk as she is nearly 1 (and I ran out of formula!)
Not follow on milk, first milk. Here's what I did after she could have tap water.
Put 2oz of boiling water in a bottle. Add 6 scoops of powder. Shake.
In a separate bottle, put 4oz of tap water in and pour over the boiling water / formula. Shake again. Job done! This is safe with follow on too, I think I would still use the boiling water in case of the campylobacter or whatever it is bugs that may or not be in the box. Tap water is fine but I just wouldn't risk it without the boiling water part if that makes sense.

[Olive1987]

I think that's where my confusion was. He has never ever drank warm milk, even from birth. At first he had cow and gate ready made poured straight into his bottle at room temp. So because he wasn't ever drinking warm milk we just made up about 3 bottles and let them sit untill he was ready for a feed, then we would add the powder. I guess I thought using the boiled water was so the feed was warm, for most babies that drink milk warm. I didn't know about bacteria In formula. I thought boiled water as it's sterile. But obviously now I don't sterilise anymore I wondered what the difference was between cooled boiled water and tap water.
Big wooops.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Good, easy advice which says boiled water to drink under 6 months, always boil water to heat up formula.

[eurochick]

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the purpose of boiling the water bit is to kill the nasties in the powdered milk, not because there is anything inherently bad in the pre-boiled water. So using cooled boiled water is pointless.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Cronobacter not in water but in powder.

The message that it is not the water isn't getting out, is it?

[Olive1987]

Everyone I knew just added the powder to cooled boiled water (since birth) It makes night feeds a lot easier. We've just carried on doing it out of habit I guess. I wouldn't want to take away his milk just yet, he loves it so much, especially the morning it's the first thing he asks for.
I guess it actually makes no difference the way I'm doing it now to using tap water then.

[PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom]

Yes, total aside, but neither of my older ones ever drink milk, they get calcium other ways.

[fishfingerSarnies]

What does he have on his cereal? Is he eating yogurts and cheeses etc if so then I'd stop giving him follow on milk as a drink at all and give him water if he needs a drink.
Some people just don't like drinking milk (me) at that age I wouldn't have thought it was that important.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Milk powder can have real nasties in though. Sorry to scare but a toddler wouldn't be immune.

[PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom]

Dixie - This isn't even follow on milk though. It's a 2.5 year old and toddler milk. I don't know the risks of milk powder of this sort, but it's not a baby.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Jolleigh I use the seeds in cooking, then take the husks, buzz with a bag of sugar and sieve. Your way is good but uses new vanilla pods which are eye-wateringly expensive here. It is strong but I only use a tiny bit in things.