Ok then, lets start over with the next step formula question.?

Question

Last time I asked this, I was annoyed with a couple of the responses insulting me the way I handled the situation. I did what I had to in order to make my child feel better. The hospital would have done EXACTLY what I did. I am not an idiot. Even with doubts, I took my child to the doctor in the morning and he assured me that what I did was right. When I asked him about why it happened, he said it had to do with the abrupt change from regular to next step. I was not content with that question, so I came on here trying to get different points of view. So, here we go again.... What is the biggest difference between the regular formula and the next step formula? What is the main reason it was made?

Answer 1

First, with this type of forum, if you ask a question, you are opening up the flood gates for all types of answers. It is best to ignore the ones that irritate you, take most with a grain of salt, and be grateful for any that you get that are truly helpful. I have been a mom for 28 years and have been a child care provider for 20 years. In my experience, because a baby's system takes some time to develop, slow introduction of new foods and beverages is generally best. Even when switching from formula or breast milk to whole milk, most babies like the slow introduction to get used to the new taste and to give their digestive system time to get used to something they aren't used to. The Next Step formula is still a milk-based formula but has added iron, vitamin C, and other nutrients that regular formula does not have. It is OK for babies 9-24 months old to have, but isn't necessarily something a baby has to have. I personally think it was made basically as a marketing product, something that parents feel their babies need as the "next step" to formula. However, after the age of 1, when the risk of allergies is reduced, most babies make the switch from formula or breast milk to whole cow's milk without problems. The additional iron, vitamin C, and other nutrients found in Next Step are naturally consumed by a baby who is eating a well-balanced diet and drinking whole cow's milk. It is generally recommended to only switch formulas or switch to whole milk after checking with the baby's doctor first. When you do want to introduce something new, try mixing 1-2 ounces less of the current formula with 1-2 ounces of the new formula or whole milk (when doctor says it's time). Over time decrease current formula and add more new until the switch is complete. I do think your doctor's assessment that the problem was caused by the abrupt change is accurate.

Answer 2

You really have to take some people's responses with a grain of salt. Some users on here think they they are the mother hen and know everything about parenting so when someone does something that's different from their "way of doing things", they have to insult you and tell you how bad of a parent you are. Just ignore them.

I used the Nestle Follow-Up formula with my son, which is from 6 months plus, not 12 months like some people were telling you. He luckily had no issues with this change. I believe that a lot of the follow-up formulas are based on cow’s milk protein and are calcium enriched. That could be why your baby is throwing it up. The added iron could also be causing this problem as well. I know that some babies can be very sensitive to certain things. You could try switching your baby back to his old formula for a while, or try a soy-based formula instead.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi, I tried giving my daughter the Next Step formula for older babies and toddlers and she didn't like it either. I consulted the doctor and she said to give her formula until a year old and then whole milk. I think the reason it was made was because it has less iron or something, because most babies this age are getting iron from solids. I'm not sure what happened with your last question, but a lot of mothers on here try to make mothering a competition rather than help each other out.

Answer 4

It was made to be an alternative to whole milk. It's basically a powdered enhanced milk product. Meaning there are a whole lot of other additives in there than your regular milk. Her stomach probably just can't handle all the extra stuff in there.

Even with whole milk there is a period where you mix the new milk in a little at a time. I did this with my son every two ounces. So, I cut formula by two ounces and added whole milk. Once I knew he was okay I'd increase the whole milk by another two ounces and so on until he was drinking straight milk.

There's nothing to say that toddler formula is better than milk. Only that it has more ADDED nutriants. But, as long as you are feeding your child three healthy meals and two snacks daily there is no need for the next formula. Personally, I think our generation has been gimicked into thinking we "need" bottled food for our babies and "enhanced" milk. Just another marketing ploy in my opinion...

PS: Some people think they have all the answers. They fail to see every family and child is different...they can't see past their own noses. Luckily, they get bored here pretty quick ;)

Answer 5

I asked my peditrician that very same question and he said, "nothing...it's marketing." So I compared labels and sure enough, there wasn't much of a difference. So, if she had a bad reaction to Next Step then it probably was the abrupt change(there is a slightly higher amount of some things but it could be any number of things), so I suggest sticking with her regular formula and moving her to whole milk closer to a year. If you know now that she needs to be gradually introduced to new foods then try mixing 1/4 whole milk with formula and gradually add more(that's what I did). Good luck!