Show your support
I stopped giving my son formula at 12 months and transitioned to cows milk but now he drinks lactose free or soy milk at 18 months and only has a bottle before bed
It's recommended to wean off the bottle at 12 months. Basically formula is no longer needed after that time too so in your case, to ease the transition, I would swap formula for a cup of full fat cow's milk. Just make sure your toddler doesn't drink too much milk through the day (1 cup is enough) as too much milk can interfere with food intake. All that toddlers need are food and water. Formula at this age is just a marketing trap, which many parents unfortunately fall for. https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/breastfeeding-bottle-feeding-solids/weaning/weaning-off-bottle-feeding
@Marcelina yea, it’s just harder as she’s a very difficult eater and never eat meals and not a big food person so I still wanna make sure she’s getting some sort of nutrition
How much formula is your daughter drinking? It's a common reason for refusing food as the formula fills them up and they don't experience strong appetite for food. So you might be causing more issues than solving by offering formula. In your case I would totally stop formula and focus on offering a good balance of foods. As a mum of 3, my advice is to basically give your toddler what you eat, only modifying slightly where needed. Toddlers love food full of flavour so don't be afraid to use spices in your cooking like cinnamon, cumin etc. just avoid sugar and salt. I also offer finger foods. Have a look at the solid starts website for inspiration. An 18 month old should be able to eat more complex finger foods like fritters, pancakes, savoury muffins. We try to eat all together so my 11-month old sits next to us (in a highchair) while the family eats. I think that helps to build a positive association with food and toddlers learn a lot by observing. Offer just water for hydration.
@Marcelina she’s always been really fussy with food I’m started since 6 months never been a fan she’s only on 200ml before bed that’s it
200ml might not seem like a lot but it could be interfering with appetite for solids. I would stop that and see if it makes any difference to daily food intake. It could also be that your toddler is refusing food as it's more work to eat, thinking that the bottle will come so I'll be full for the night that way....you just need to experiment a bit here and try to do things differently. With my first child I used to be so worried she would go to bed hungry but remember that it's not just the evening calories that count. It's also about how they have eaten through the entire day. The main meal for toddlers is actually lunch so I would focus on this first and keep offering a variety of foods (protein, vegetables, fruit etc). It's normal for foods to be rejected many times before baby/toddlers accepts them. I like to show my girl that I'm eating her food so she then immediately gets interested in doing the same.
Yes wondering this too..I still give my 18 month old a morning and bedtime bottle 😬 I just think they get so many nutrients from the milk but wanna stop the morning one for sure