BLW & Follow On Milk

[DottyDuvet]

Hi everyone!

Going to phone HV tomorrow but wanted to see opinions from mums as well. I started BLW a few weeks ago and I have had it in the back of my mind that my LO is probably not going to get the 11mg of iron a day that's required at this age. She is FF and drinks around 960ml a day on 1st milk and i have bought a few boxes of follow on because the iron content is higher. I thought this would be perfect while she is checking food on the floor so I know she is getting sufficient iron.

However, I know a lot of people say it is a scam and just a way to get around advertising laws and that the sugar content is higher so now I'm debating keeping her on first milk but still apprehensive that she won't get enough iron.

Her first milk would provide 5mg of iron a day.
A follow on would provide 9.5mg a day.

Should I use the follow on until she is eating sufficiently or stick to first milk completely?

(Sorry, I know I'm obsessing over it, just don't want to damage her development!!)

The HVs always told me that first milk is all a baby needs til they switch to cows milk at 1yr. The reason follow-on milk exists is so that companies can advertise it - there's no need to change milk.

If you're worried about iron, why not try giving your baby iron-rich solids?

I was told never to use follow on milk, and that stage 1 formula is all they need alongside weaning by our paediatrician.

Iron is in a surprising amount of foods if that’s what you’re worrying about. It’s in veg and fortified cereals and meat and beans/pulses. So I’m sure LO will be getting plenty of iron.

Same as above. All advice to me was to stick with first milk until ready for full fat cows milk at one. Worked for us!

I do give her foods rich in iron but I'm sure if you've done BLW, for the first few weeks, most of it ends up on the floor, so I don't think that she's getting the recommended daily amount at the moment.

@DottyDuvet

I do give her foods rich in iron but I'm sure if you've done BLW, for the first few weeks, most of it ends up on the floor, so I don't think that she's getting the recommended daily amount at the moment.

Try a puree on a spoon if you're worried about intake.

@Bitchinkitchen she was spoon fed originally, but now she refuses it and only wants to feed herself.

I will stick to the first formula but I have few boxes of follow on I bought in preparation, so should I use them? Seems a waste of money if I don't.

I really wouldn't worry about how much she is eating, in the first weeks of BLW. Their main source of nutrition is still first formula or bf milk. When I did BLW, a lot of food went on the floor. I tried to remind myself, inintally with BLF is all about their first experience with food and learning the skills to eating rather than how much she eat.

If you've already bought it I would use it, it won't do her any harm at all.

I switched to follow on as it was cheaper. It won't do them any harm

They start eating more of the food surprisingly quickly, and don't actually need to eat as much as people tend to think anyway. In another few weeks she will probably be eating enough to cover the iron content anyway, and a few weeks of having some but not quite enough iron is not going to do any long term harm.

If you are worried I think you can get multi vitamin liquid that you can give from 6 months.

They dont need extra vitamins if they are taking over 500mls of formula as its already fortified

The sugar content isn't higher. When people say this they are getting confused with the 1 year + milk.

First milk is fine for them throughout the first year and is more highly regulated than follow on, but follow on won't do any harm if they are over 6 months. The iron claims are a bit misleading though so I wouldn't say it's necessary on that basis.

In short, yes, I would use the boxes you've got.

From what I've been told, first milk is actually better if anything as fatter. I'd ask hv though.

that makes no sense. First milk and follow on is not dissimilar. Follow on can be advertised (which is why it exists) and its selling point is that it has higher iron content. You don't have to switch from first milk to follow on but I did as it was cheaper and you can get offers on it unlike first milk