Neocate Formula - Any suggestions please

[zeered]

My baby boy has been prescribed neocate formula as has multiple severe allergies. However wont take it - not surprised, I tasted it today and has a bitter chemical taste.

Am still BF at the moment but quite anxious as need to return to work soon. Has anyone also struggled with Neocate...any suggestions or advice, would be great.

Many thanks

It tastes like the devil's spit - your son has my sympathies.

Health professionals seem to like to keep this quiet, but you can get a banana/vanilla flavoured Neocate. My dd wouldn't go near the unflavoured version, but she loved the banana one and did very well on it.

I guess they don't recommend it as standard, because it does taste sweet, and they don't want children to develop a sweet tooth. However, breast milk is pretty sweet. And I reckon getting your child nourished is probably the priority.

You can also mix the neocate with milkshake flavouring (crusha)if you want to try that as its dairy free then reduce the flavouring gradually iyswim.

You have my sympathies, have not tasted it but is smells absolutely foul!!

My DD has been on neocate since she was 10mths BTW (is now 13mths)

How old is your baby Zeered? it may be a case of insisting if he is not old enough. (I believe that the flavoured Neocate is only for children older than a year)

The only struggle I had with NEocate was that as it costs an absolute fortune, my GP was trying not to prescribe it, despite instructions from allergician, but when it is about multiple allergies, there is nothing as good for the case as Neocate.

I also thought the flavoured neocate was from 1yr+ (you can also get black current flavour I believe)although I haven't changed DD to it as mad child likes neocate

Was told by chemist that a small tin is over £30 DD has 4 tins a month roughly....

If you get in sachets, it works out to £5 a day so about £150 per month

I just gradually mixed it with bm - tiny amounts to start with.

We managed to get DS1 onto it at 18 months by mixing it with the rice milk he was previously having and gradually upping the doses. He's still on it at 5.5 and loves it (we live in France so all subsidised here up to age 12 or so!).

DS2 we put onto Pepti Junior at a year and had loads of trouble getting him to take it (started mixed in with bm). It was a complete nightmare and I thought I'd have to keep bf forever but in the end we just kept persisting and he gradually took more and more.

So, try not to worry, just keep going with it (and I would recommend mixing with bm) and it may well get better.

If there is anyone on the forum in France could you please advise me as to the availability of neocate here. We are in dept 22 and struggling like crazy to find anyone who will listen to us about our daughters reflux, trying hard to find a gastro paed at the moment. Feel very alone and don't know where to turn really. Many thanks Jen

Hi, Jen, I don't know about availability in France, but if you're really desperate you can buy neocate on Amazon.

Also you might be better to start a thread of your own. I think one allergy board regular is in Belgium so may be able to help if you start a thread with your specific query in the title.

Zeered, its extreme but can you cut the allergic foods out of your diet and pump when you go back to work? How old is DC? I cut soya and dairy out (still dairyfree and DD is 21m now) she drinks oatly when I'm not available.

I pumped to 15m and she still gets BF now around my work pattern.