Has anyone used carobel to thicken formula? Confused how to prep it

[Peterbishopssarcasticsmile]

My DS is on aptamil anti reflux which is a thickened formula. We have an all day appointment coming up and the health visitor recommended that I use carobel to thicken ready made formula for the day to make it easier, as the anti-reflux formula has to be made fresh each feed and my water warmer will only keep fluids hot for 5-6 hours and we could be out longer than that.

I've looked at the Cow and Gate instant carobel and am confused, it says to add one spoonful to 60ml formula for a 3% concentration, does that mean you would double it for 120ml - he currently takes 210....or you only add a spoonful to 60ml for any size feed, then make up the rest?

Sorry if it's a stupid question, the instructions are really confusing. I want to try him on it prior to going incase it doesn't agree with him.

Thank you!

Hi we use this prescribed for DS. Using the standard cow and gate formula which is exactly the same at Aptamil - we use around three quarters to 1 full scoop for a 6oz bottle and this just fits through the tommee tippee size 2 teat. For a 210ml bottle that your DS has, I would maybe try the one full scoop and see how it goes. The dietitian said it’s no exact measurement (the box is an inaccurate guide) and you just need to play around with the amount, make it too thick and it just clogs the teat up. It depends what bottle your using. But no you don’t have to just add the one scoop to 60ml then add more milk. Just make the full feed up as per usual, add even half a scoop, shake and leave for 3/4 mins see how it works and if that’s no enough then add the other half. You will feel when you shake the bottle when it’s thickened.

Yes completely agree with PP - it's trial and error basically. Personally I would add 1.5 scoops, shake well and leave for at least 5 mins, ideally 10, then assess. The standard ready made bottles are 200ml btw. If you have any extra milk with you (which you probably won't but still) then you can always thin it down by adding more milk if needed. We use a cross cut test for thickened milk but DD needed it very thick.

The other option would be to get a better flask for hot water, we had one made by Thermos which kept water hot (I used to check it with a thermometer) for at least 12 hrs.