Babies: 9 - 12 Months
Chocolate Syrup in Formula?
My DD was not drinking enough formula so at my pedi appt. this week she suggested that I come up with "creative" ways to get her to drink more. One of her suggestions was to add some chocolate syrup. I've done it some this week, and it definitely works, but is there anything else I can add? Has anyone else encountered this and if so, what did you do?
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Re: Chocolate Syrup in Formula?
WTF!
I agree... I would get a second opinion. That is nuts.
I am going to go with... MUD.
Are you an AE perhaps??
ummm noooo....I wouldn't be doing this...how about offering it more or-or umm seriously I wouldn't put chocolate syrup in her formula...
And then when your kid will only eat things with sugar in them????
WTF? I highly doubt your pedi suggested this. That's a LLPOF thing to me.
I don't ever push the issue. If she won't eat, she's not hungry. I'd cut back a bit on the solids and see if she turns to the bottle more, or I'd try a new formula but you start that shit now and you'll be the parent saying "but he only WANTS nutella and white bread for lunch! I've tried other things but he wannnnts it." isn't my way of parenting. That sounds nutty. And do you KNOW what is in chocolate syrup?
yeah, that seems a little strange to me. I don't think I'd feel comfortable adding that kind of processed sugar to my baby's diet at this age. Can you maybe try some apple juice or some other type of juice to sweeten it a bit, in a more natural way? Not sure what that would taste like, though.
My friend started giving her DD chocolate syrup in her milk when she was just shy of 1, and now that's all she'll drink. She constantly has a sippy cup of whole, chocolate milk in her hand and she sucks it down like there's no tomorrow....and they wonder why she won't eat any real food. I'd be afraid of that happening, but I guess if you just do it once in a while and your DD doesn't get addicted to it like this girl, then you might be fine. Good luck
If she's not taking formula then what is she eating/drinking all day long?
Just give her a Twix and call it a day.
Voila!
I think you just shocked us all.
Seriously though... if my pedi would have suggested that I would have walked out. There is no way that I am going to pump my baby full of sugar.
I have never once heard of a pedi suggesting to add anything to formula at all. Our pedi said to cut back on solids if DD started drinking less than 24 oz a day. So that is what we did.
I would just get a 2nd opinion.
my mom put a little applesauce in my formula.
did she used to drink formula fine or did you just have to switch? maybe a different kind? my mom did that after she had to wean me, before i could have cows milk. hth
Has she been formula fed her entire life and just now refusing it?
On MTV's True life i'm a single parent or something like that, I swear I saw the girl add jar food (like sweet potatoes) to the formula and shake it up. That seems like a better choice than chocolate...
And i'm not insinuating you are a single parent! just wanted to state where I saw the idea.
A friend of mine, her daughter went on a bottle strike after they started solids. To get her to drink her bottle, they would make "milkshakes." It was basically formula and a jar of food. I would think that sweet potato or any fruit would work.
When I read your title, I was wondering if it even mixed in. Aside from the idea that it is sugared up chocolate that I don't want to give my baby, does chocolate flavored formula turn anyone else's stomach? The thought almost turns mine. Ick.
Don't feel stupid or incompetent. You did the right thing by asking about it. Also, it is normal to worry about what/how much your DC is getting. Obviously, you now know that chocolate probably isn't the best choice, so you can experiment with something else. Even though it sounds weird to me (but I am not in your position) I would probably try a fruit or veggie added to it first. That way you know that she is still getting the nutrients from that (plus the flavor) and not the added sugar of juice. It may be hard to transition to milk later, and it would suck if you had to start mixing fruit juice into her milk as well.
GL!
how old is your LO? sometimes they can decrease their fluid intake due to other reasons. I'd try another formula if you can, maybe one that is NOT iron fortified (they are less bitter).
We had problems switching from BM to formula, we tried everything but DD loves Hipp Organic formula from the UK, its as close to tasting like BM as you can get... there are some problems getting it imported to the US tho.
she also likes the Mom to Mom formula from Safeway (its a new brand) and we get the 9+ months kind... it tastes sweeter but has no added sugar or anything.
maybe try something like that and see if its a taste pref instead of adding sugar to the formula.
(we tried DD on enfamil and similac and she was down to 16oz a day at 6 months, when we switched she imediately went up to 24 oz a day).
if you LO is old enough, you can make smoothies instead of just the formula, mix the formula, add a little yogurt and fruit puree and blend.
i also agree w/ pp about lowering the finger foods and jarred food just to see if that helps stimulate her want for the formula.
GL
Low iron and no iron formulas should be taken off the market. There is absolutely no reason for them. A baby should always have iron in their formula. It is essential to their diet.
She is 9 months old tomorrow
I've been cutting back on solids (which she prefers), and offering her the bottle as much as I can. I put formula in her sippy cup as well and offered that to her. She's never LOVED taking the bottle. We pretty much maxed out at 24 oz even before she started baby food but her growths was always on point. She's always been right on her own growth curve and at those same percentiles for height and weight at every appt. I'll get to the bottom of things with my pediatrican and go from there.
I am pretty sure she wasn't being sarcastic. She said it and it totally didn't register with me for a few minutes, then when I realized what she said I clarified (I thought).
Regardless, it's not something I'll be doing. There was a post from this morning (or last night) that I read where the poster was talking about how she needs to trust her instincts. I would agree with that. It can be hard though. Some of the responses made me feel like a complete idiot for even trying it. As I was doing it I thought "this is so strange" and I probably should have just listened to that.
As I said before, she never loved taking a bottle. She's been on the same formula for her entire life, but it seems like now that she's tasted food, the formula isn't cutting it
I'll figure something else out. I guess if nothing else, your responses have been a wake up call. HoweverI don't think I'm cut out for posting on message boards as I was surprised at how personally I took things and some of the generalizations that were made regarding the kind of parent I may be! I think I'll just keep lurking as I was...usually someone else has already asked the question I have!
Thanks again for your responses.