FF Mamas TTMA "Toddler Transition" formulas

fitmama418

I just got our mail and inside it was a sample for Enfagrow Toddler Transitions. Is anyone out there switching over to something like this before moving to WCM at 1 year? Have you already made the change?

Part of me wants to give this a go for a number of reasons: right now she's on Enfamil Prosobee soy formula but NOT because she has a milk intolerance (she seems to handle the Plum Organics pouches that contain Greek yogurt just fine). I stuck with it because she was getting stomach viruses so often and the doctor recommended the temporary change to soy, but she was generally acting like a different baby on Prosobee over Gentlease so I just stuck with it). So now I feel like I want to ease the dairy transition slowly by switching to this over an infant formula and then go over to organic whole WCM at age 1. Thoughts? I feel like this is more of a personal choice than a "call your pedi" moment, but I could be wrong.

fitmama418

MotherEFFingKatie said:

I was just thinking about this and planned to ask my pedi tomorrow.

LMK what he/she says, Mother Effer.

iluvmeg11

I asked the pedi at our 9m visit and she said it's not necessary and we could switch to WCM and if we don't do that Almond milk would be the alternative- which is exactly what I wanted to do because we only buy almond milk. Hope this helps

DebateThis

We're not using the toddler stuff unless the switch to some sort of milk doesn't go well (like, if he stops gaining weight on his curve or something, then we could do the toddler formula since it's higher in calories).

cagoldi

We're using the toddler formula and have been for about a month. It does have more calcium than the infant version.

Our pedi does not want us to use WCM until he is two. She said they have had a fair amount of patients that had parents who were too eager to transition and the babies became anemic when they did not have enough iron. WCM has very little iron and what little it does contain does not have same bioavailability as the iron in BM and formula. Anemia is really bad news for babies under two because it impairs psychomotor function. If your pedi is doing fairly routine iron tests and has no concerns about the hemoglobin levels then it's probably fine. It really depends on how balanced her diet is and how much milk she is still drinking at that point.

Your pedi will tell you what's best. Personally, I see no rush. 12 months is kind of arbitrary. You can do it that early but you don't need to be in any kind of hurry. If that means waiting until her diet is rich in iron and she is getting most of her fat and calories from other sources at 15 months then why not wait until then?

That may not be the answer for every baby but that's how our pedi wants us to handle it and I'm comfortable with the direction she provided in this department.

fitmama418

DebateThis said:

We're not using the toddler stuff unless the switch to some sort of milk doesn't go well (like, if he stops gaining weight on his curve or something, then we could do the toddler formula since it's higher in calories).

Really? Hmm...

This has me worried only because she's already a little off her curve for her weight (on the higher end). I don't want her to gain too much too fast. Although, I wonder if changing to a toddler formula would mean she'd want less formula and more solids?

fitmama418

You are wise, @cagoldi. Her iron at her 9 month appointment was perfect as was her hemo test. I want to do what's best for her growth and development but I'll be honest...I'm counting the days until November 17th-ish so I can stop giving Enfamil my money.

cagoldi

fitmama418 said:

DebateThis said:

We're not using the toddler stuff unless the switch to some sort of milk doesn't go well (like, if he stops gaining weight on his curve or something, then we could do the toddler formula since it's higher in calories).

Really? Hmm...

This has me worried only because she's already a little off her curve for her weight (on the higher end). I don't want her to gain too much too fast. Although, I wonder if changing to a toddler formula would mean she'd want less formula and more solids?


A started dropping his milk intake to
about 20 oz a lot of days.

ETA: I'm certain this varies among brands but his Getber Gentle infant formula was 100 calories/5 oz and his Gerber Gentle Hraduates formula is the same calorie wise.

fitmama418

@cagoldi she naturally started "cutting out" about 8oz!! Now she gets 8oz first thing in the AM, two 4oz bottles throughout the day, and another 8oz before bed...and still doesn't even always finish every bottle.

cagoldi

Also, I don't know if we will stay on the toddler formula his entire second year. We may try hemp milk or goat milk depending how his diet looks at any given point. Consider the fact that A still has unknown immune problems and/or allergies so his situation is a little different.

fitmama418

So those of you not trying WCM and whose reasoning isn't allergy related, is it because of the iron?

cagoldi

rachelhermione415 said:

Butting in here, because we don't feed formula, but I feel it would be cheaper to just give tri-vi-sol +iron than continue giving formula. B's hemoglobin was a little low at his 9 month check, so that's what his pedi recommended.

We FF and give Poly-Vi-Sol per pedi recommendation.

fitmama418

leopardgurl831 said:

I think it's weird to drink another animals milk. Also I think pasturization takes away many nutrients from WCM. From what I remember Almond milk has more nutrients. I do love dairy though! @fitmama418 I talked to my pedi about the growth curve because LM went from 91% to 68% in weight. He said there is one curve for both BF and FF.

You lost me.

Melissa1506

We just went for our 9 month check up and the pedi told us at 1 year to transition over to wcm and didn't say anything about toddler formula. She also said to start trying to give him formula in a sippy cup to help get him used to not needing to use a bottle. Has anyone else heard this? He will be 10 months next week.

fitmama418

Melissa1506 said:

We just went for our 9 month check up and the pedi told us at 1 year to transition over to wcm and didn't say anything about toddler formula. She also said to start trying to give him formula in a sippy cup to help get him used to not needing to use a bottle. Has anyone else heard this? He will be 10 months next week.

Yes our pedi said the same thing. I'll probably wait until November to try that, though. She takes water out of a sippy just fine.

Melissa1506

fitmama418 said:

Melissa1506 said:

We just went for our 9 month check up and the pedi told us at 1 year to transition over to wcm and didn't say anything about toddler formula. She also said to start trying to give him formula in a sippy cup to help get him used to not needing to use a bottle. Has anyone else heard this? He will be 10 months next week.

Yes our pedi said the same thing. I'll probably wait until November to try that, though. She takes water out of a sippy just fine.


Have you started with a straw sippy cup yet? Or just a regular sippy cup?

fitmama418

Melissa1506 said:

Melissa1506 said:

We just went for our 9 month check up and the pedi told us at 1 year to transition over to wcm and didn't say anything about toddler formula. She also said to start trying to give him formula in a sippy cup to help get him used to not needing to use a bottle. Has anyone else heard this? He will be 10 months next week.

Yes our pedi said the same thing. I'll probably wait until November to try that, though. She takes water out of a sippy just fine.

Have you started with a straw sippy cup yet? Or just a regular sippy cup?

Just regular BUT she absolutely loves straws and tries to suck out of the sippy (and her bottle) as if it were a straw. Therefore, I think I'm going to be getting her a few Camelbaks here soon.

BookBug12

I'll talk to my ped first, but I'll probably skip the toddler formula and go straight to WCM.

DebateThis

cagoldi said:

Also, I don't know if we will stay on the toddler formula his entire second year. We may try hemp milk or goat milk depending how his diet looks at any given point. Consider the fact that A still has unknown immune problems and/or allergies so his situation is a little different.

The first time I've ever seen my pedi absolutely panic at any of my "crazy" ideas was when I suggested we'd transition H to goat's milk. There is a rare but apparently very dangerous vitamin deficiency associated with it called Megaloblastic Anemia. https://nyp.org/health/blood_aneper.html

DebateThis

leopardgurl831 said:

@DebateThis‌ does that only apply to goats milk? If you got enough leafy greens would it not be a concern?

I didn't do a TON of reading on it but my understanding is that goat's milk is much higher in sodium than cow's milk (quick google = 122mg sodium per cup in goat milk vs 107mg in cow's which is hard on the kidneys) and the high sodium in it actually blocks absorption of key nutrients (folate) AND is lower in folate than cow's milk. So it's like a one-two-three punch of not good.

Then there's the "oh crap" factor that a lot of kids who are lactose intolerant or who otherwise can't do cow's milk also have issues with goat's milk.

Most of what I'm finding is in regard to babies who are not eating a lot of solids but the fact that it is harder to digest, actually blocks nutrient absorption and apparently has allergenic issues was enough for me to scratch it off the list. 

cagoldi

@DebateThis Thank you for that info. We are proceeding with extreme caution, so I am absolutely not making any move until we talk to the pedi well into next year. I do lean towards hemp milk, but again, no moves will be made without the guidance of his doctor.

mwhipple77

@klongoria11‌ YGPM

mwhipple77

Sing2phins said:

@mwhipple77‌ Want mine, too?

Yes please! I'll send you a PM now!