Chocolate flavored formula. Discuss.

Really? The formula bit I have no issue with but chocolate? When we are facing an epidemic in diabetes and  obesity? Why oh why?  Marion Nestle lays it out well here. Her suggestion: let’s genetically modify moms to produce chocolate breast milk!

Comments

[Kelly]

I'm a pretty 'cruncy' mom who uses CDs, feeds organic, etc. However, I really don't see any problem with this what so ever. This is not BABY formula. It is TODDLER formla and will be used mainly for kids who are not growing as much as they should be and/or don't drink whole milk. The toddler will not be living off of chocolate toddler formua - he/she would be drinking it in addition to eating well balanced meals.
If you are a parent who has tried everything to help your child grow and thrive, this might be just what you are looking for. Many parents feed their toddlers Carnation Instant Breakfast to help supplement their calories every day and those come in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors. Carnation Instant Breakfast is often recommended by pediatricians to help children grow and this is a very similar alternative.

[Kortney]

Upon immediately seeing that I think that's gross. BUT...I do have an argument for it. Because I had to use the vanilla flavoured formula of the same brand for a couple weeks for my daughter.

She was exclusively breastfed until 11 months...at 9 months I realized I would have to go away for 3 days without my daughter when she was 11 months. I wasn't comfortable giving cow's milk at that age and so I had to turn to formula.

Low and behold - my exclusively BF child refused a bottle...okay, so just put some formula in a cup. No deal. She GAGGED and hated every kind of formula we tried. Until we tried the vanilla flavoured kind. She slowly began to take that. We eventually and slowly, by my weekend away, managed to dilute down the vanilla flavor with regular formula...and she drank the formula while I was away that weekend.

It was a 2 month process and in that regard I am thankful for vanilla flavoured formula. Chocolate is a bit unnecessary though as is formula past 12 months unless your baby truly won't eat regular foods with any gusto. But that part's just my opinion ;) We went back to breastfeeding and eventually switched to cow's milk at 12 months.

[Marie F. Brown]

I was thinking the same thing. I don't let my kids drink chocolate milk but only on special occasions and sometimes when we go out to eat. They are encouraging kids to become wayyyy to attached to sugary things. Why not teach your child to just eat healthy, period.

[Margaret]

As a pediatric dentist...extremely concerning...dental caries (cavities) are THE most common chronic disease of childhood. 5 times more common than asthma 7 times more common than hay fever. 18% of children aged 2 to 4 years have cavities...do we need another product contributing to this epidemic as well as obesity and diabetes...??

[Erika T.]

Wait, a minute. It is CHOCOLATE flavored for 12m+. It has no more sugar (I am assuming). I have kids that couldn't drink Cow's milk. We did Chocolate Soy, Chocolate Chai Rice, and Chocoalte Hemp. The Chocolate tastes far better than the plain and vanilla of these alternatives, AND doesn't contain any more sugar than the unflavored versions. I have no issue with this at all. It is COCOA that doesn't have the caffeine. It isn't like they are pouring chocolate syrup in it. It is far healthier than taking whole milk with Hershey's syrup in it. It is powdered, so you can take it with you. I think it is JUST FINE.