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follow on milk, when did you chang to this?

we are in the process of weaning and i was wondering when you all changed to follow on if at all? we are on hungry baby at the mo and hes still taking a lot, do i need to be down to 2 bottles a day for follow on?

Replies

  • You don't actually need to change formula. A Health Visitor told me that Follow on milk is pretty much exactly the same as first milk and with a healthy diet, babies don't need the change. It's more of a marketing ploy to get people to buy something else. I feel that if something isn't broken, don't fix it.
  • Hi Hun
    I switched when she was just past 6 months and on 3 proper meals a day. She still has hungry baby in her bedtime bottle.
    I know they say you don't HAVE to switch but my reckoning was; it's the same price as normal formula yet contains more iron for their depleting stores of it (can't be a bad thing??), plus you can collect Clubcard/Advantage etc points on it x
  • Hi, I agree with kkng, it is a marketing thing. Companies are not allowed to advertise formula so they advertise follow on to still get their name out there.

    I kept giving formula until my kids were about 1-2. I switched to normal milk (full fat) and kept formula at bedtime for a while until i felt they were eating enough food, then i switched to normal milk all the time. Once my kids were about 2 and half i changed to give them semi-skimmed.

    As far as i know the follow on milk is not very good for their teeth, especially as its usually given as bedtime bottles. Normal milk is much better for their teeth

    Gemm x
  • Hi hun,
    it is a marketing thing but ds started rtefusing milk so tried follow on and will now take a reasonable amount. I think he may have been bored of taste. . Follow on milk isnt a problem for their teeth. There was a report on telly but it related to toddler milk and goodnight milk which is different. x
  • You defiantly don't need to change.

    Follow on miks are the only way the company's can advertise there milk as they are not allowed to advertise first milks. My hv told me this! I was very shocked i think its such a scam!

    First milks can be used right up until a year old and then they go onto cows milk xx
  • I agree there's no need to change unless you particularly want to. I think (and my HV agreed), that follow on milks are a marketing ploy, as the companies aren't allowed to advertise first stage milk (because you're only allowed to promote breastfeeding), so follow on milk (from 6 months) allows them to promote their brand. Yes it has added vitamins etc but if baby has a healthy diet it should be getting all it needs from that and stage 1 milk - if you have a poor eater I might consider it.

    I wouldn't start on follow on milk before 6 months, I was advised it can be a bit rich too, My son didn't start on formula til 6 months, and he still only had first stage milk - which is fine until they are 1, then he moved to cows milk.
  • I disagree - if you compare the ingredience of follow on and stage 1 there are quite big differences. Plus if it was a marketing ploy then it would be ok to use it from birth and get your clubcard points etc.

    For me with weaning and teething I can never guarantee that I have managed to give a balanced diet to LO so the follow on milk reassures me that at least if he is refusing to eat that day he has got enough iron etc.

    In my red book at the 8 month check one of the checks is that baby is on follow on milk.
    Good luck x
  • DS is just over 6 and a half months and I've changed from bfing to follow on milk because I'm off back to work in a week and it seemed the best option. I thought if I wasn't feeding him myself anymore then it had lots of vitamins and iron in the milk to keep all that in his diet, which is a bit less worry for me!

    Em x x x
  • we didnt feel the need to change, I didn't do any research as such, just felt that evie ate a balanced enough diet not to warrent different milk. we switched to full fat cows milk when she turned one.

    I think in my mind it's the same as "hungry baby" or "good night milk" in a sense that it's available, but not a necessaty for every baby.

    xx
  • This is an interesting topic as I was never going to change as had heard all the stories of it being a marketing ploy etc etc, however we did in the end on the basis that mu LO was on Hungry Baby, and at the time, was still taking quite a lot of milk along with 3 meals a day, so my HV recommended the follow on as not quite as many calories, which he didn't need to sustain him anymore as on 3 meals iyswim!!!

    So in response tho, we did change and we just did a straight switch. from the hungry baby milk finished, we went straight onto follow on, no gradual progression and my Lo was fine. He is now on 3 bottles a day.
  • I chenged to fllow on milk at about 6.5 months. I only really did it because we used Heinz nurture milk and it' been discontinued.
    We use Hipp Organic follow on milk and it's cheaper and LO seems to like it ( he has never been a good milk drinker but will now actually finish a 6oz bottle
    It's probably coinsidence but he started sleeping through the night the week after we started giving it.
    You don't need to change though if what you use works well. image
  • thankyou ladies,

    i was going to wait until after 6 months anyway, i guess its just given as you would normal formula? it says that it has the same nutritional value but isnt as filling to help with solids intake, that has worried me a little with LO being on hungry baby anyway???
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