Don't you think that a 4 year old should not be still drinking baby formula?

I have a neighbor that does have a 5 month old baby whom is on the carnation good start formula and i saw another neighbor ask her to loan a can (Powered) of it to her for her daughter who is 4 years old and in pre-school.



Don't you think that she is too old for this and then her mom "claims" well she cannot drink regular milk even if that is true there are other things to drink not baby formula.



Do you know anyone like this?

Don't you think that a 4 year old should not be still drinking baby formula?
There is milk in the Carnation Good Start baby formula. My daughter used that when she was a baby-and it says right on the label that it contains milk (dried).



It is possible that the Dr recommended it, but there are other things you can give your child besides baby formula for vitamins and minerals.
Reply:Formula milk is just regular milk but in powdered form with a few added vitamins in it so if she can drink formula then she can drink regular cows milk. If she truly cant drink it then there are other milks such as soya milk and rice milk which are available from all supermarkets. If she doesnt want to give her these then she should give her juice or water. At 4 she should not be having formula!
Reply:At four years, that is way too old to be drinking formula. If the four year old has a lactose intolerance, the mother should consult the doctor as to what he/she could drink as an alternative, but although it can't hurt the 4 year old, I still think it is hindering the child's possible milk allergy and the mother needs to find an alternative for the child. I don't think that is a good idea, especially because formula is so expensive. What is going to happen in another 7 months when her 5 month old gets of formula? Is she going to keep buying it for her now 5 year old? She needs to talk to her doctor about this!
Reply:Yep...sounds a little fruity to me.

If her daughter cannot drink milk, then why would she give her a lactose based formula?? And yes, there are plenty of other alternatives to milk....lactose free milk, soy milk, or just boost up the other foods/drinks with calcium in them, or take a vitamin......babies really do not need formula after the first year. By this time, they should be eating enough solid foods to be completely healthy and happy.

You have a very strange neighbor! :)
Reply:I sure do not know anyone that has a 4 year old child drinking baby formula.... Sounds like mom needs to get her on other liquids and food.
Reply:Please inform that person that there is a HUGE difference between Carnation Powdered Milk and Carnation Powdered Formula. 4 year olds need to be drinking 2%-ish milk. If she cannot drink milk, the refer her to Soy milk or Lactaid if she is lactose intolerant.
Reply:yuck! i can't believe that the kid would even drink that. i don't know why that woman would feed her child formula in place of regular milk.
Reply:Definitely not; unless there are some psychological problems with the child or parent and their is such things as lactaid or pediasure this causes the child to rely on such things and could even hinder the child's development.
Reply:No, she should not be drinking formula anymore. If the child cannot drink regular milk there are alternatives for that. Maybe she doesn't know any better and thinks its more nutritious.
Reply:I've never heard of this before!

Very odd, and really expensive.

There are lactose free milks out there for her to drink.

It won't hurt her but it's just weird. Hope the kids in her class don't find out or they'll laugh at her.
Reply:No...she sounds goofy! Lazy might be the word here!
Reply:yes i know someone like this

her son is 5 and still in diapers while not in school



his teeth are all full of cavities and misshapen because of the bottle



he's also very small and about to be removed by the cps



you need to either tell the woman to get her kid on something else milk like or call child protective services



i'm betting she just wont drink regular milk cause formula also has lactose in it



tell her mom to try goats milk or rice milk as they both have a sweet taste
Reply:No, the four year old should not still be on baby formula. My children have not been able to drink regular milk either, but they have lactose free milk and our pediatrician says as long as they are taking a multivitamin and eating some dairy products like cheese that they don't have to have milk. There is no way I would still be buying formula at age 4. In fact, I have a daughter that is 3 1/2 and she has a protein allergy to milk and I buy her things like Nutripal snacks or toddler snacks because they do have extra nutrients in them.
Reply:I dont know anyone like that but it's not right. my son can't drink regular milk because he has a milk allergy but he drinks soy milk. formula is a meal! is the kid eating enough regular food or is he filling up on this and skipping meals? I don't think he should be drinking it, personally. there are other alternatives, formula shouldn't be one of them
Reply:I personally do not know anyone who does this, no. I switched my baby to whole milk not long after her first birthday. If she can't drink regular milk, I would think there are substitues besides formula but I'm not a dr. Perhaps her dr. advised her to do that for some reason we don't know.
Reply:Ironically, the younger the baby, the worse the health consequences of baby formula are. In terms of having the best lifelong health, babies under 2 should not consume any formula, only human milk.



For an older child with an already developed gut, the formula is not going to be damaging. Baby formula is sold to adults and the elderly in the form of products like Carnation "Instant Breakfast" and "Ensure". All basically the same crap, though the current crop of soy-based baby formula is the worst of the lot. Soy has some chemicals that mimic estrogen, so babies raised on soy-based formula get this very specific type of fat kid look, you've seen them, the 6 year olds with fat man boobs.
Reply:nope. I'm with you. However, there is nothing "wrong" with it from nutrition/medical perspective, as long as it is not the main source for the kid's food or nutrition intake. It is just a very expensive way of dealing with the issue.
Reply:well there are milk supliments, but you know, It wouldldnt actually do her any harm, there are lots of vitamins in baby formula, It would do more good then harm. I wouldnt give it to my daughter but on the outher hand, who knows. mabey her doctor recomended it. If I were you, Ild just let my neighbor raise her own children without the gossiping hens wagging their fingers and judging. now if she were doing something to harm her daughter, then it would be your business.
Reply:does she drink it from a bottle or a cup? Usually to lean babies off of formula you take a little milk and mix it with the formula and everytime they have a new cup you add more milk taking formula out. by a week you sould have a cup with milk only they we never know. that is how i took my son off formula. He was only 1 when i took it away from him. I think that is way to old to still be drinking formula i wonder what the dr says about that.. You can also use pediasure
Reply:I do not think a 4 year old should be drinking baby formula however it may have been reccommended by the doctor. The child may need the things that are in the formula that she cant get from milk since shes allergic
Reply:All I can think is.... eewwww. Formula tastes nasty, and I can hardly stomach the thought of feeding it to unsuspecting babies, let alone an older child. Blech.



There are supplemental childrens' drinks if the child is underweight, that are more appropriate than infant formulas. And if it's just a matter of the child not tolerating milk well, milk is not really necessary for *anyone* past the age of weaning. It's a convenient source of protein and calcium, certainly, but contrary to popular Western belief, it's not necessary for balanced nutrition.



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...

Great book on health issues associated with dairy consumption



http://www.notmilk.com/

Interesting website advocating against dairy consumption