toddler formula - thoughts?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this. do u think toddler formula (vs. cow's milk) can offer some real benefits, or is it more of a waste of money? if anyone knows of links/articles that provide some non-biased research on this, i'd love to read them.

DS has been drinking Enfagrow Toddler formula since 10mos. he's never had issues with growth/gaining weight or anything, so at 12mos ped said we could switch to cow's milk if we wanted. however, at 13mos we've mostly still been giving him toddler formula bc that's what he's used to. our ped said that was fine, and didn't seem to have a strong opinion either way.

i know that Enfagrow has DHA, some iron and other vitamins so i guess that's the main reason...i figure these added vitamins can't hurt, right? the only downside is the cost. formula is $19 a can and we go through a can every 2 weeks. though that's not much in the grand scheme of things, especially since we get so many Enfamil coupons.

[twowhat?]

My vote is that it's a waste of money if your DS is already eating a variety of foods in his diet. But I can quote no research to back that up

[mommylamb]

What I've read says it's just a waste of money. You can always try to switch to cows milk gradually and see how he accepts it. We had no problems switching to milk when DS turned 1.

[edurnemk]

What I've read says it's just a waste of money. You can always try to switch to cows milk gradually and see how he accepts it. We had no problems switching to milk when DS turned 1.

[Momto1]

My vote is that it's a waste of money if your DS is already eating a variety of foods in his diet. But I can quote no research to back that up

[daisymommy]

You could get 2 gallons of organic whole milk for about that price each week, which IMO is more nutritious.
I pay $5.49 a gallon.

[AnnieW625]

I think you are going to get type of answers here, but honestly if it were me I would talk to my pediatrician first if you really think there is a concern that he still needs to be on formula. Hopefully you are buying it at Target because I keep getting $5 off coupons for Enfamil (PM me if you want one) and we use Similac from Costco (just anytime I buy a baby related item I get one).

We switched from formula to whole milk right at 12 months old and were never told to go back, but I never thought to ask either.

[bigpassport]

We do toddler formula first thing in the morning and last thing at night. During the day, DS gets milk, juice or water. I think of his formula as at least one balanced "meal" a day. I don't mind the expense, especially with coupons (there is usually a $5 off coupon under the Enfagrow lid and nice BBB'ers namely Annie, with store coupons too). If I liked milk myself I might abandon toddler formula, but milk kinda grosses me out so I have a mental block about giving DS too much milk. In sum, I don't think toddler formula is necessary if DC has a balanced diet, but I don't think it hurts either.

[veronica]

DS did not like milk of any kind. We tried the pediasure, but he didn't like that after a week. Finally, we settled on the danimals yogurt drink....for some dairy. he was eating great so we did not worry too much and he's 3.5 now and fine. He still doesn't like milk but can eat cheese, yogurt , you name it.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thx everyone for the replies.

about transitioning DS to whole milk, that's really not a big concern for us, bc he seems to like whole milk just fine. last week we bought a gallon of milk and put that in his cups/bottles instead of the toddler formula. he didn't seem to mind the difference. only annoying thing is that it takes much longer to heat up, bc it's refrigerated (DS will only drink warm milk). also, neither DH or I drink cow's milk at all (we drink soy), so we have to buy milk just for DS. he only drinks 14 oz a day, so after a week, half of the gallon is still left but we have to throw it out bc it's gone bad already. i feel bad wasting it, but then again at my Walmart a gallon of milk is regularly $0.99-$1.49, so it's still way cheaper than buying the toddler formula.

i did some searching and it seems like toddler formula is used mainly by those who have kids who don't eat much solid food or when weight gain is a concern. my DS does eat a large variety of foods (he eats mostly table food, and there are very, very few things he will not eat) and he does eat a ton (including cheese, yogurt), so i guess there isn't a huge reason to stick with toddler formula.

and yeah i've been getting enfagrow coupons/samples in the mail, and when i buy a can, there's sometimes a coupon under the lid or on the label that i can stack with it too....pretty much every time i buy a can i have at least $5 in coupons (once i even got a $12 off coupon in the mail!). i guess that's part of the reason we still buy it...$5-$12 off a $19 item seems like such a great deal, and i figure it can't hurt (it has dha, vitamins etc) so why not. hmm, now that i think about it i must admit it does seem like i've been suckered into a really clever marketing scheme....