To ask which baby formula is best?

[GabbyChalice400]

I've posted in Chat but not had much response. DS is on C&G but he keeps being sick after feeding and has the most terrible runny poos. I believe it's an intolerance but I'm finding it hard to get a diagnosis from the GP.

I just keep getting palmed off with Gaviscon, which only works temporarily.

I'm beginning to think maybe it's his milk and it might be worth switching to something else. I know that regulation surrounding baby formulas are strict, but are they really all the same/similar?

I just don't know what to do! Any recommendations would be great

we found C&G too rich and swapped to aptamil

I'd try switching milks before jumping to the conclusion that it is an allergy

We had more luck with aptamil.

@from123toabc I am thinking of trying aptamil or hipp organic

Whichever one they drink and do not get constipated or the squits with

Try Aldi's own. It's only £6.39 for 900g and my baby has been great on it.

How old is your baby? I thought for small babies a certain of throwing up is normal, and their poo is mostly liquid as well, poo explosions where it runs out of nappies etc happen to everyone. Is he gaining weight ok and does he seem otherwise ok or distressed after eating?

I combi feed my 5 month old and he's been fine on Hipp organic.

I used to work for an infant milk brand and it was probably as awful as anyone imagines. Anyway, by law all the recipes are the same but there are differences in the source of the ingredients. None is categorically better, but babies can be reactive to different versions of the same ingredient.

The advice we were told was to try the closest one possible, so within the same brand. If you're on C&G, Aptamil is basically the same as they're both Danone.

It's important to bear in mind that switching milks is really disruptive to baby's guts - so they can take a few days to settle in. Most people make the error of keeping switching when actually that's causing the ongoing discomfort.

There is a massive caveat though that I was told that by the people who sold milk, and not a medical body, so definitely trust your HV over a stranger on the internet :)

If it's an intolerance to lactose then none of the shop bought formulas will be suitable and you'll need to see a paediatrician to get tested for allergies. You'd then probably get a script for special formula.

However, I found my DS posseted more on Aptimil than HiPP Organic - so switched to that when he was about 4 months old, and used it right up to 1.5 months.

My son doesn't have a strict allergy, but I find the more lactose he has the more windy and runny his poo is, so I limit it and give Oat milk instead of cows now.

They are all the same. The difference is marketing.

Some might be more suited to individual babies than others, but that doesn't make them "best".

HiPP organic I recommend it to everyone

I'd forgotten to mention we've tried Aldi's own brand but that made him worse than anything.. just stuck on what to do. GP seems reluctant to diagnose an intolerance but he has all the symptoms. He's 4mo

And yes he is distressed after most feeds

We used Kendamil organic once I stopped breast feeding. Me, DP and one of my other DC all have issues with dairy, not allergic but all have some degree of intolerance. I'd heard that organic formulas were better tolerated by babies and I've had no problems at all. Bonus is it doesn't contain palm oil. It is expensive though

@PleaseSirMyGoat How much is Kendamil? Is it sold in supermarkets?

My son had some gastro issues initially and we were prescribed Nutramigen lipil 1 formula for a while. It’s extensively hydrolysed and even though he didn’t actually have CMPA it was life changing. After a few months his digestive system seemed to mature enough to go back to regular formula.

You can get it in Sainsburys or online, either Amazon or straight from the manufacturer. It's £12 a tin on Amazon

I suppose different babies respond differently to different formulas in special circumstances, but most of them are really essentially the same ingredients - so I went for Aldi’s own brand. So much cheaper and DS is happy and healthy. I really don’t know how the price differences can be justified.

I found the Aldi's own brand milk to be so watery, don't know if it's just me that made this observation

Thank you @PleaseSirMyGoat. I don't think there's anywhere near me that stocks it so I'd have to get it online.

Would prefer something that's easy to get access to should we need it

If you do run out of other options their delivery is super quick. Maybe try Hipp organic like pp suggested, have heard good things about that too, we just decided to go with Kendamil due to lack of palm oil and being made in UK. I've been so pleased with it I'm still using the toddler milk for DS now he is 14 months as I'm reluctant to give him plain cow's milk yet. I only use 1 tin a month though so it's not too bad

Hipp organic.

You can buy aptimil pepti from boots which is the first step to try if you think baby has a intolerance

The cheapest one you can easily buy - Aldi or Sainsbury's own brands, if possible.

Think about other steps for reflux ie. raising the head end of the mattress (not giving a baby a pillow) and keep doing them and giving the gaviscon whilst you switch brands.

Smaller, more frequent feeds might help (if feasible).

Consider introducing solids as early as is safe - will hopefully need less milk once eating a bit of baby cereal, so may be less likely to regurgitate it because the volume is smaller.

Cows’ milk intolerance is more common than Lactose intolerance, and as the mainstream formulas are all based on cows’ milk, it can be worthwhile to try a hydrolysed formula such as Nutramigen or Similac. It can take 2 weeks to see a difference. Is your baby thriving otherwise (ie gaining weight)?

Have a chat to your health visitor - they may recommend a change, or can refer you directly to a feeding clinic