I nursed my kids and started milk at 12 months (nursed to around 16-18). I know these "Toddler Formulas" are the new thing, but recently saw a Chocolate Flavored Enfamil Toddler formula at Babies R Us.
I am appalled. Am I the only one?
I should say - yes. I think toddlers should not drink chocolate milk. There are lots of ways little ones can get calcium and extra sugar and chocolate are not included IMO. I was also appalled when I found out my son's preschool after-care offered chocolate milk - little kids can't make those choices. We as parents need to make choices for our kids - but when a product like this is marketed to parents as a way to make your kids healthier.
J.
Of course we are all entitled to make our own decisions. My second was not (and still is not) a great eater. My first and third are so I do get that want to have your kids get something healthy.
We buy chocolate milk for birthdays or on occasion if we are out to eat. I bake cookies from scratch and on occasion add mini chocolate chips to our banana nut muffins. I do not think chocolate is evil and do think kids can have it in moderation.
My problem with this product is parents want to do what is best for their kids. I think that there are many parents (NOT NECESSARILY THOSE WHO RESPONDED TO THIS POST!) who would see it and think the SHOULD give it to their toddlers because it is listed as "healthy".
IMO chocolate is a treat. Not a valuable part of a healthy diet.
Thanks for your responses. I see that my post was written in such a way that folks could misunderstand.
No.. I am equally appalled! It is instilling bad nutrional behaviors from the get go!! Shame on Enfamil!
It's for toddlers right? If it were for babies I would be appalled but those formulas are really for picky eaters and those who don't get normal amounts of nutrition. I don't know any kids who drank toddler formula but how it is so different than other liquid supplements like Ensure? My son won't drink any milk and if he liked chocolate, I would give him that as long as his diet was otherwise balanced. Are you all appalled by Horizon's chocolate or stawberry milk which is also drank by toddlers?
What's wrong with chocolate milk in moderation? I certainly don't think it's all they should drink, but what's the big difference in this and buying them and Organic Farms or Horizon Dairy Strawberry, Vanilla or Chocolate milk box? For that matter, what's the difference in them drinking chocolate milk/formula and drinking juice, which is LOADED with sugar? As long as your children are eating a healthy and well-balanced diet, I don't get the big deal. I've always HATED regular milk, but I would drink chocolate milk. Some mixes like Nesquick contain added vitamins as well. I buy the vanilla-flavored Enfamil Enfagrow for my toddler because he eats a VERY limited diet and will not try most healthy items -or unhealthy ones for that matter. Our doctor suggested the toddler formulas. My husband came home with the chocolate the other day because they were out of vanilla,and I was fine with it -my toddler is a perfect weight, and I'm far more concerned about him getting proper calcium and nutrients than whether or not this comes in chocolate flavor. We're also big fans of Clif Z-bars (one of the toddlers few foods) and all of their flavors -including chocolate brownie and chocolate chip!
For all of you who just cannot imagine why a toddler would need a formula -if you have a child who will not allow ANYTHING other than puffy stuff, certain nutrition bars, dried fruit, and liquids in his mouth -then yes, you are looking to supplement his diet so he gets what he needs! My first ate like a champ -but this one does not and it's certainly not for lack of trying.
If you want to be a freak about sugar and your kid eating any of it -fine -deprive them of one of the joys of childhood, but leave the rest of us out of it. As long as you don't have a fat kid or a sick kid, they really need to learn to enjoy everything in moderation. I've been around a LOT of kids growing up and as an adult who have parents who won't let them eat any junk food -EVER -or any sweets and they go NUTS when mommy and daddy aren't around. They eat every sweet thing, potato chip and whatever other junk they can cram in their mouths. Your kids are NOT going to be under your watchful eye all the time -they need to know how to make their OWN decisions.
In case anyone missed Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution this past Friday, I'd recommend watching it- flavored milks were a hot topic of discussion. (http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolutio
Milk is my kid's favorite drink by far....so much, we have to limit how much they get per day because it's ALL they want to drink. Our daughter would easily drink 10 glasses of whole milk if we'd let her. We moderated what she consumed.
I don't see a problem with flavored milk in moderation. But, I've spent most of my career selling insulin and other diabetes products. There is no harder phone call than the one from a pediatric endocrinologist telling you about a 10 year old with type 2 diabetes who will live the rest of their lives with this disease. Children have to learn to eat poorly - it's not an instinct.
Last year, the CDC reported that our kids' generation will be the first not expected to outlive their parents' generation. 1/3 kids born today will be obese......not overweight, obese.
I'm not a perfect mom. I don't purchase organic produce or prevent my kids from eating pizza or candy. But, it is my job to moderate and provide healthy options more often than not. My kids eat their broccoli before anything else on their plate and ask for strawberries and blackberries as snacks.
Regarding the Horizon products - the company exists because there are parents who will purchase them. But, I choose not to because I don't want my kids thinking that's the norm around out house. We also don't purchase a lot of juices (which we do water down when offered) or Capri Sun's that aren't flavored waters.
The makers of Enfamil are trying to sell a product, and the market will show if it is successful. I can guarantee you, we'd get a lecture from our pediatrician if we ever mentioned something like that.
If I'd had my choice, both of my kids would have been breastfed for the first year. But, I had the choice of either breastfeeding my daughter and possibly dying or starting chemo and having a chance of beating cancer. We had no choice but formula, but never would I have purchased this particular product.
Holy sugar coated cow. Why?
Why do you think chocolate milk is bad? I didn't know sugar and chocolate were the devil. Are you against toddlers having chocolate ice cream too?
Here's some interesting facts about chocolate milk.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/11/17/chocolatemilk_he...
It's just another way to poison our children.
Please rent the movie FOOD INC. (really is an eye opener)
So sad.
Why would there be such a thing as "toddler formulas"? Formula or breast milk or a combo til O. year, right? I know longer breastfeeding is optional (although unappealing to me), but why the h-e-double-hockeysticks would a toddler need formula? Weird.
Well, this proves it--they do walk among us AND they do pro-create!
Hi J.,
I suppose they are jumping on the "chocolate as an antioxidant" bandwagon. Reminds me of Clorox making non toxic products, lol. I personally believe dark chocolate in it's purer forms is a wonderful antioxidant but I don't believe that the formula is going to be chemical free OR healthy.
Marketing has rared it's ugly head!
M.
That is so horrible, I don't even have any words.
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I just want to clarify -
A Formula is marketed as a health food, and I think there are many parents out there who will make chocolate flavored formula, milk, treats, etc. the norm. I love chocolate. But, I am teaching my kids that these things are a special treat, not to always be expected. Fruit is are usual dessert here. I also have started making our own ice cream, etc. that we have once a week or less. To me, ice cream once a week is moderation. And, I don't think being conscious of your moderation makes you a freak about sugar either. I think being aware and conscious of where/when/what we eat, and thoroughly enjoying our full fat, full flavor, full sugar ice cream makes us appreciate those treats. By the way, I love sugar and chocolate. I don't use substitutes.
We have to set examples, and help kids make choices when they are too young to make their own. I don't care if it's organic or not, milk still does not need added chocolate. Just because it's Horizon organic does not make me want to buy it any more than the store brand chocolate. And yes, we drink organic milk, use organic formula (when I'm not nursing), and try to buy local, seasonal products. Oh yes, and juice is rare in my house. In fact, we only started offering it to my 2yo recently (watered down, of course) as an alternative to drinking too much white organic milk.
I don't give my daughter chocolate formula, but we do mix Carnation Instant Breakfast into her milk. Why? Because she's so underweight my DR is concerned that if she gets sick, she doesn't have the body fat to handle it. So I'm following my Pedi's recommendation of adding it to her milk everyday.
My daughter is a picky eater.... but she only eats fruits and veggies, she will not eat anything that has higher calories or fats in them. Am I concerned about her developing bad choices because of this? No... she's 2. Would I buy the Chocolate Enfamil? Yes, I would.... because her weight is a concern.
I think the chocolate formula is a very bad idea for different reasons. One of the main reasons is that it is unnecessary to train their taste buds to want/need the chocolate. I teach nutrition classes to moms and I get to learn from and teach a lot of moms of picky eaters. One of the things that happens is that children's taste buds become accustomed to certain 'fake' food tastes and then they become very resistant to real food tastes. This chocolate formula is another marketing trick to make moms think this is a healthy option for children.
I agree that children need to make thier own choices, but when they are bombarded with foods that are fake and proven to negatively impact their health, and those foods are made with ingredients that are known to be addictive, it's completely unfair to a child to expect him or her to be able to make good choices on his own all the time. Adults can't even do that.
For my own 3 children, we talk a lot about how food supports our health or doesn't. Also that it's important to enjoy treats and some sugary foods once in a while, but doing that on a daily basis will not help you live your best life. They get it. And they make lots of good choices and don't go crazy over fake food. They eat it sometimes and sometimes Dad and I say no because they've had too much in recent days or just because of particular ingredients that are shown to be bad for their bodies.
I wish I could let my kids choose whatever foods they wanted when people offered them, but unfortunately that leads to tons of fake foods that will negatively impact thier health now and in the long term. Loading kids up on sugar, in the name of the joys of childhood, is hard for me to understand. Kids receive way more sugar than most of us did growing up and it's contributing to many issues besides obesity.
Educating kids though empowers them and just like I wouldn't let my kids decide whether they wanted to smoke or to drink alcohol or not, I can't let them decide to eat everything they get exposed to because none of those things are good for them.
i saw this also, and i was like why flavor it chocolate? and in response to one post, some toddlers need extra vitamins and things and they need to be on the formula that is right for their age, as well as milk. A child that is growing correctly and meeting milestones does not need to continue taking formula. anyway, to answer your question, no you are not the only one!
Great post, J.! I absolutely agree with you! And I had never heard of flavored formula until today. Yikes!
Just something to point out......has anyone noticed that chocolate milk in the carton is LESS expensive than regular milk? My mom asked a friend who works in the dairy industry why that would be. He said that they flavor the milk that didn't pass quality inspection.........voila....chocolate milk.
My girls are teens. I've never heard of such a thing and yes I'm appalled too.
