Which Formula milk to chose???

[Sweety123]

Hi, I've used in the passed SMA gold and Aptamil with my other 2 children but as I'm due my 3rd baby I don't want to use SMA gold!
I'm not sure if I should try Cow and Gate or using Aptamil again?

So if anybody has tried Cow and Gate Formula and Aptamil Formula milk which one they though was better or found no difference in them answers would be a grate help :)

[purrpurr]

Another one wondering why no SMA?

[BabyStone]

We used SMA pre made bottles in hospital and then switched to Cow and gate as the pre made bottles were cheaper, when we got home we stuck with Cow and gate powder formula

[Parsnipcake]

I am a foster carer and find the milks all very similar, but I like SMA because of the travel cartons - they come as a bottle and you can buy presterilused but reusable teats for them. All the other brands use cartons that rip your nails to shreds when you try to open them. Cow and gate, for me at least is quite difficult to get hold of, there are supposedly international shortages, especially of the liquid milk.

As an aside, this 2% thing really pisses me off. Women in our society don't have the social support and expertise around them that has been there historically, I know my 2nd baby was such a poor latch I would have never managed to feed her had I not had a good experience with my first. I am all for promoting breastfeeding but I think the lack of info available from health professionals about bottle feeding is scandalous. As a foster carer of newborns I have had to struggle through so much by myself because midwives and hv's either don't have or can't give me the info I need on formula and bottles.

Op, good luck ;)

[AnythingNotEverything]

There really is always one.

And "bite back", I don't think so. Challenging rudeness is not biting back.

[Squiffie]

So are we to challenge how I've written things now?! As in the wording/terminology? Rudeness works both ways. It's ok to name call but god forbid I mention boobs?!

[Tiredemma]

Im going to be using Aptamil this time around.

[VivaLeBeaver]

As a midwife I reckon they're all the same. I don't think it's worth paying more for a "premium" type one. I think Aptamil is more expensive? I don't think it's any better or worse than sma, cow and gate, etc.

Personally I'd go for whichever one your corner shop stocks incase you run out.

[StandingLampTassles]

Less than 2% of women are unable to produce breast milk, but what about those that can, but have babies that won't latch, babies with allergies, babies that scream like a banshee at the breast for no reason at all, but no one can detect tongue tie or any other issues, so you wait till said baby is dehydrated, dangerously thin, unhappy and exhausted (about 3 weeks old) and then are told in no uncertain terms by doctor to give it bottle of expressed milk. Baby gulps down bottle and heaves a sigh of relief and refuses breast from that point, you keep expressing but find look after a tiny baby doesn't allow you time to express 8 times a day, so you only manage 6 times (including through the night), but then your supply diminishes through stress and exhaustion and at 8 weeks you buy a carton of aptamil and everyone is happy

That's me, btw.

FFS so only 2% of women don't produce milk, yes,
but there's a shitload of other factors that mean some women really are better off bottle feeding. And if none of this applies and they just prefer to bottle feed, then that's fine too.

So squiffie I suggest you keep your sarcasm to yourself, and OP, we used C&G and Aptamil interchangeably, and there is really no difference at all, except price!

[SignoraStronza]

I bf mostly, but when I use formula I go for Hipp - purely because I see less advertising for it and it hasn't been embroiled in as many marketing/ethical scandals in developing countries.

[BotBotticelli]

squiffie oh DFOD.

[BotBotticelli]

And before you get all sanctimonious at me for daring to swear at you, sometimes people just need to be told to wind their necks in.

Some people (me) for example have suffered terribly guilt and PND due in no small part to my abject failure to feed my DS. Yes my boobs made milk. But he could not latch well, no TT, was losing weight, dangerously dehydrated an ended up on a drip in hospital to despite lots of help from lactation consultants, NCT breastfeeding counsellors, specialists mWs etc etc.

So, dear, do have a care when throwing around your snarky comments cos they might just make a knife f guilt and upset twist in the stomach of a woman you never met.

Thanks for that.

[BotBotticelli]

Oh and in your dystopic imagined world, who would be deciding which women 'really need' your brandless white cartons of milk?

Someone as sympathetic and well informed as yourself I hope?

And now I am going to hide this thread from myself :)

[GoingUpInTheWorld]

I didnt breast feed. Didnt even try. Didnt want to breast feed.

I started off on sma, but when dd developed colic, i was told by the hv that aptamil was the easiest to digest out of the lot. I switched to aptamil.

Never had a problem with it.

[Pizzahutlover]

I used aptamil as it also has prebotics in it that other formulas dont have. Breast fed as well. Tried sma but was too heavy for my baby so switched and seen a difference in baby stools and had less colic on aptamil. Breast is best and we all know that so dont blame squiffie for pointing out the obvious but think a nicer tone would be nice. Op if you can breast feed that would benefit your child allot as its better then what comes offa production line but its down to you. Spoke to midwife said aptamil was the best as was the closest to breast milk.good luck op and hope u find what ur looking for.

[Chottie]

Cow and Gate ready mixed.

[Sweety123]

I did think I was asking a simple question.....

I was just asking if anyone had use either cow and gate or aptamil formular milk for advice.....

Yes it is right boobs do make milk for some but not for other's Squiffie.....

But that was not my question!!

I do not feel I should have to explain my medical history just to ask a question....

We live in a country with freedom of choice I have no problem with people choosing to bf or not, I do not feel that we should have bf pushed on us as there could be a medical reason not to bf or it could be down to personal choice!!!!!

People should not judge.......

Re, not wanting to use SMA my first child had a lot of problems with SMA and second child was in specialcare due to being very poorly when he was born the hospital automatically gave him Aptamil....... :)

Thank you for all of your helpful comments :))

[ArtemisKelda]

Sweety I've used both Aptamil and C&G with DD with no discernible difference, they're pretty much the same but C&G is far cheaper.

[Bamboobambino]

I'm using aptamil for one twin and SMA lactose free for the other. They seem to be thriving.
These threads always attract the pro-breastfeeding aggressors. They get off on it for some reason. If provoking BF/FF debates are the most worrisome issue in their lives, then they're pretty lucky I say.

[Squiffie]

But most of the judging has come from the dff posters. It was a knee-jerk reaction to a post for which I've had plenty of abusive comments for.

The guilt thing pisses me off - guilt is internal no one can make you feel guilty.

I'd rather people just owned their decision like goingupintheworld and say actually I just didn't want to!

No one knows my background either.

[TheContrastofWhiteonWhite]

I haven't used either, but I get angry about how much more expensive Aptamil is for a product which is tightly regulated and therefore basically the same. I just feel they have conned people into believing that there is somehow a 'premium' formula. It really isn't like chocolate or cheese. Nutritionally they are just as good and flavour is mostly babies' preference. So personally I would start with cheaper brands and only go for Aptamil if you feel you are really stuck.

[BotBotticelli]

Oops forgot to hide thread.

You're right squiff my guilt is internal. I am wracked by it and it has ruined almost a year of my life and seriously hindered my bonding with my son.

You have not made me feel guilty. But your feckless flippancy ruined my evening.

Halle-fuckin-lullia for the Internet. Tim Berners Lee loves this shit.

[PacificDogwood]

Oh ffs, folks, behave.

OP, chose whatever FF you fancy (or that agrees with your baby). They are all much the same (contrary what manufacturers' marketing will have you believe ), and whatever agreed with my baby or your previous children says nothing about what your next baby will get on well with.

For the record, I've EBF, mixfed and FF (mainly Aptamil and some C+G).
Do what you feel able to do - BFing is ideal, but we are lucky to live in the Western world with access to clean water and power to heat it.
Could you consider giving your baby colostrum for a few days??

[thisisyesterday]

OP..... all formula milks are basically the same!
I would choose one that is readily available near you in case you run out, and that costs the least!

which report on milks!