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Bottle Backlash: Chocolate- and Vanilla-Flavored Formulas for Toddlers Under Fire
Filed under: Nutrition: Health, Feeding & Sleeping, Nutrition: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Expert Advice: Babies, Expert Advice: Toddlers & Preschoolers
Feeding your toddler sweet, flavored formulas could spark sugar cravings. Credit: Getty Images
If your toddler is hitting the bottle hard, it might be time for an intervention.
A new toddler formula that comes in chocolate and vanilla flavors is under fire from some mom bloggers and nutritionists who worry that it could increase a kid's likelihood of developing childhood obesity, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The product in question is Enfagrow Premium, which Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. introduced in February as a beverage for toddlers who are transitioning from infant formula or breast milk. The formulas are milk-based but contain 19 grams of sugar per 7-ounce serving, the Times reports.
Mead defends its product, noting that it's no sweeter than other beverages toddlers drink, and that it also has Omega-3 DHA and prebiotics.
"The toddlers years can be particularly challenging since food preferences may be erratic and unpredictable," Mead Johnson spokesman Chris Perille tells the Times. "Products such as Enfagrow Premium can play a role in helping children achieve a more balanced, healthy daily diet."
However, some say giving kids sweet beverages at a young age could get them hooked on sugar.
A commenter on Momlogic.com writes, "What's next, genetically modifying moms to produce chocolate breast milk?"
Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, criticizes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on her blog, arguing that the product is claiming health benefits for children younger than 2, the Times reports.
But FDA spokesman Michael Herndon says the product is considered a food -- not an infant formula -- under FDA guidelines. He also says the product only claims to "support" normal body functions, according to the Times.
Instead, Enfagrow is part of the "follow-on formula" category, which is basically formula for toddlers. It's been a lucrative business for Mead, which in 2009 made $900 million in sales from children's nutritional products -- mostly toddler milk -- according to the Times.
Instead of sweetened toddler milks, though, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests parents offer their children several healthy options and allow the kids to choose. The academy adds that dietary supplements are usually unnecessary for toddlers who eat a nutritious diet.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
5-06-2010 @ 3:08PM
ASHSFI said...dont buy it if your worried about your kid getting fat
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 7:26PM
Inkling said...There is already too many toddlers with rotten teeth from being put to bed with a bottle of milk. Do we really need milk with more sugar in it? Someone should sue the company that is making that crap. It is irresponsible.
5-06-2010 @ 3:08PM
michelle said...Frankly, I'd be much more concerned about the eating habits of kids who can open the fridge and the pantry and help themselves to whatever is there.
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 9:51PM
nakedhousewife said...My kids can help themselves to anything in the pantry or fridge any time they want, because I don't purchase things that have no business being called food. This product is absolutely outrageous- just another crutch for the lazy parent, and these unfortunate kids who will battle poor health, dental problems, and obesity all of their lives are the ones who will suffer for it.
Kids don't need Enfagrow, Pediasure, or any of that junk, flavored or not. They need real food, not yet another sugar drink masquerading as nutrition.
5-06-2010 @ 3:30PM
Amanda Edge said...Can your toddler go to the grocery store and buy it for himself? No. So what are you worried about? If moms don't like it they can choose not to buy it. Pretty simple!
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 7:33PM
Annie said...Irresponsible parental food choices and lack of encouragement for exercise, sports and outdoor activities may lead to childhood obesity. Choosing baby formulas with sugar, using television as a babysitter with lots of junk food being advertised, along with children cooped up without exercise, sports and play activities, no wonder kids are overweight.
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5-06-2010 @ 4:14PM
Sonia said...I've seen mothers put Hawaiian Punch in a toddler's sippy cup first thing in the morning. It is a parent's perogative to spend the extra money year 2 for toddler formula. At least it has vitamins. I, personally, buy the regular Enfagrow. I don't think my son will drink the chocolate and vanilla versions and would not buy them due to the sugar content. If he wants chocolate milk I'll add a teaspoon of Ovaltine to 8 oz of milk. Some kids are getting too much sugar from other sources: cereal, cookies, etc. At least the flavored formula's are more nutritious Let each mother's conscience be her guide!
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 4:39PM
James said...I'd be more interested in the chocolate breast milk.
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5-06-2010 @ 6:49PM
John said...I'd be worried more about the brain washing of our children that is going on in our public schools. Our children are fat because they sit around and play video games all day, schools don't even require physical education anymore, they are too busy teaching our kids about non science like global warming and re-writing American history. They don't teach about the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, they villianize our founding father, tecch that soddome AKA homosexuality is okay, they teach that religion is evil, the goal is the separtate our youth from morality. My parents raised 5 healthy children without all this bull about calories and trans fats, or colesteral, people didn't know anything about these things they just ate, all the education about whats good and whats bad and look at the fat ass lazy youths of today, they say kids are smarter these days yet our governement has decided we need a national driving age, wow kids are smarter but too stupid to drive at 16. If they want children and adults to be healthy get them to turn off the TV, COMPUTERS, CELl PHONES and VIDEO GAMES get outside and play.
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 5:16PM
Virginia Amalfi said...If you are conserned about obesity in your child then don't buy the chocolate or vanilla Enfagrow...Nobody is stuffing it down your throat......just stick to the original. The company is just offering variety and trying to be inventive.
Reply
5-07-2010 @ 9:41AM
wyocal said...Hello, Baby Bottle Tooth Decay!
This is stupid beyond belief. Toddlers should not be put to bed with milk or juice, either...guaranteed to start rotting teeth even as they are sprouting. And--the sugary formulas are worse! Dreadlful.
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 5:49PM
CINDI said...WHERE'S THIS SUFF MADE USA OR CHINA, IF CHINA, SEND IT ALL BACK AND LET THOSE KID'S DRINK IT NOT OUR'S!
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 5:50PM
jrayhol said...WOW, I'm amazed that some website is stoopit enough to pay the LORD OF THE IDIOTs to write this incredibly dumbass article!!
Worry about getting nuked or tornadoes or you commie "prez" bankrupting this country even more, BUT FOR GOD'S GOOD SAKE DON'T WORRY ABOUT CHOCOLATE FORMULA YOU RETARD!!
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 8:14PM
organicjude said...OMG jrayhol.....um, I think you have had way too much sugar lately. GW is responsible for the shape the economy is in now! And the correct spelling for the word is STUPID not stoopit.
So who really is stupid, hmmmmm?
5-06-2010 @ 6:05PM
CJ said...I buy the Vanilla flavored Enfagrow for my son (14 mos), and he likes it just fine. He was a little under 6 lbs when he was born, so I opted for the additional calories since he refuses to eat anything from a jar or the Gerber Graduate Toddler meals (which have a lot of sodium anyway). The formula is a small portion of his diet, which consists largely of cereal (Beech Nut, not regular breakfast cereal) mixed with regular milk, fruit, vegetables, and whatever meals I cook. I tried the original - he refused to drink it. It's all about what parents give kids. They're too young to learn bad habits on they're own.
Reply
5-06-2010 @ 6:17PM
Sam said...If you have a toddler who is not interested in regular milk try what we did. Mix in a little natural, unsweetened applesauce. It sweetens the milk a little, will fit through most sippy-cups, and is wholesome. It sounds weird, but not to a 2-yr-old. Most kids like applesauce. It turned our son into a milk-loving boy. The applesauce is a good source of filber and vitamins without resorting to sugary drinks. He's loved milk ever since, long after we stopped adding the applesauce, and he's a big strong 9-yr-old now.
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5-06-2010 @ 6:19PM
Sara said...I think the whole toddler formula thing is just a crutch for lazy parents who (1) don't want to invest the time and energy in making sure their children eat proper meals, and (2) just buy into the hype. Nutritionists will tell you that at age 1, children should start drinking whole milk (the fat helps boost cognitive abilities in young children). I have a 9mo, and like her big sis, she gets homemade baby food made of fresh fruits and vegetables (sometimes frozen), and when she turns a year old, she'll get milk. Incidentally, my older child is tall and slender, extremely intelligent and very active. Why mess with what works?
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5-07-2010 @ 4:57PM
mom of 1 said...wow i'm so glad you have all the time in the world to make your own baby food. good for you. but remember that not everybody is a perfect as you are and how dare you call other parents lazy or claim that other parents use toddler formulas as a crutch. get off your high horse woman! some kids are allergic to milk so maybe you should open your mind and keep your criticism to yourself and understand that each parent has a right to do what they are going to do. what the heck do you want? a bloody medal for being miss make your own baby food mom of the universe?
5-06-2010 @ 6:39PM
Babs said...Toddlers on formula? Is that honestly necessary? I would imagine that a toddler could eat just about anything Mom put on the table for dinner. Could it be Mom is too lazy to cook and MJ sees a quick easy buck?
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5-06-2010 @ 7:04PM
Candice W. said...I have a 19 month old diabetic. I have used pediasure and the enfagrow to supplement her diet because she is a very light eater. I need to give her a certain amount of carbs in a day and if I do not meet it there is a chance of hypoglycemia. She also has been diagnosed with failure to thrive. Diabetes does that to little kids, so the people who say I'm lazy and irresponsible need to keep their mouths shut. Not every parent wants an easy way out. I breastfed for a year to the point of risking my own health, buy every kind of fruit and vegetable on the market and try to give her organic foods. She is not fat by any means becauseof those drinks, in fact quite the opposite. It has helped her gain a pund and keep it on. She is currently 22 pounds, which is below the growth curve. Think before you say something, that is all I ask.
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