Time to come off Formula?

[Michaela's Mom]

I recently took Michaela for her check up and was told that she was overweight - she weighs 14kg at 17 months. She is definitely not fat, but is quite stocky. She's incredibly active during the day and honestly does not sit still for a minute.

She eats very healthy solids, albeit very little, but absolutely loves her Formula - she still has two to three 175ml bottles a day. i have tried transitioniing her from Formula to cows milk, but she flatly refuses it, even when i add Milo (fortified choc drink) to it - she must be the only toddler i know who doesn't like Milo! 

I've now been advised to take her off the Formula completely so that she can lose a bit of weight - (the doc was concerned about diabetes and other weight related problems). I'm really not sure what to do now as i tried cows milk again, and she refused to drink it, i also tried soy, to no avail!

Any words of wisdom anybody? 

Sharon

[Pimento]

Hi there,

My lo is still a chunky monkey too and is now 18months - she eats really well so I try not to worry! 

Not sure I can help but I definitely wouldn't try the milo again... surely it would be worse to have her drinking milk with this added sugar than formula.   Seeing as she doesn't eat many solids and is certainly at an age when reliance on milk is nowhere near as important, I would just stick with a morning and evening bottle of cows milk and if she doesn't take, she doesn't get any milk.  Sounds harsh but given time she'll either realise you aren't budging and take the cows milk or will start eating more solids to make up for it... either of which strikes me as a good solution.  For what it's worth, my niece weaned herself off cows milk at 13/14 months and just didn't want it anymore so I think anything over a year is fine to reduce or stop milk if that's how it goes.  If she does drop the milk altogether, you can just ensure you incorporate plenty of calcium in her diet through solids... yoghurts, cheese sauces etc.  Another last thought is that in the UK you can get Cow & Gate 'Growing Up Milk' which some people give instead of cows milk... not sure of it's content but presumably is lighter than standard formula and could work.

Hope that helps and good luck.
x
 

[* Paula *]

Hi Sharon,

I am going to pop this thread over to the Eating for Toddlers Board.  I hope you don't mind.

With regards to the formula, I definitely think it is time to drop it.  The formula contains so many more calories and this is why your lo probably does not have much of an appetite for solid foods.  I would stick to offering cows milk and see how she goes.  You could try mixing the two and see if this helps her adjust i.e 1 oz cows milk 5oz formula, and increase the amount of cows milk over a couple of days until she is taking full cows milk.

At the age of 1 the require about 500ml of calcium in a day, this can include milk in cereal, and cooking, cheeses, yogurts, custards etc.  I would definitely only stick to 2 bottles a day - 1 in the morning and 1 before bed.

Have a look at this link on how some people have made the transition to cows milk

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65759.0

HTH's

Paula

Also my DS weaned himself off milk completely by the age of 18 months.  He just started to refuse to drink it and would spit it out.  I have since made up his calcium with milk in his cereal about 8 oz and yogurts througout the day.

[binxyboo]

Has she had a sudden jump on the growth charts, is that why the doctor was concerned?

[Michaela's Mom]

Two months ago we took her for a checkup and she was 12.9kg - this visit, she was 14.2. The doc told me her weight is that of a 2 year old - she was way off the chart, but she's also quite tall - and as i said, quite stocky. Looking at her, i personally don't think she's overweight, although everyone tells me she's big for her age! 

I'm going to try mixing the formula with cows milk and slowly try to wean her off that way (thanks for the tip), and i'll also limit her to 2 bottles a day. She does eat yoghurt, cheese etc, so i'm presuming she's also getting calcium there.

Wish me luck! 

Sharon

[* Paula *]

Hi Sharon,

Yes, she will make up her calcium from the lost bottles with the yogurts and cheeses etc.

Good luck with the weaning.

Keep us posted on how you get on.

Paula

[Michaela's Mom]

OK, now seriously ladies, this child of mine absolutely amazes me sometimes. No sooner do i post about being concerned about taking her off formula, than she decides she doesn't want it anymore anyway! The very day i posted about my concerns, she started refusing to take the bottle (formula or cows milk) and now she only has a nightime bottle which is only about 150ml!

Now her solids intake is improving too!

Strange child! 

Sharon