Is there any difference between hungry baby formula and follow on milk (stage 2 and 3) ?

[Tillyscoutsmum]

DS has been having hungry baby stage 2 Aptamil. He is almost 8 months. It was out of stock on my last shop so I got stage 3 instead. He seems to be hungrier than usual for some reason. It could obviously be coincidence but just wondered if anyone knew whether there was a difference

Thanks

Stage 2 is hungrier baby and is made of harder to digest protein parts of milk. Stage 3 is for 6+ months and is fortified with etc iron etc.
So yes, if he's used to stage 2 then I think stage 3 will be more like stage 1 again for him.

extra iron etc

yes there's a different balance of curds and whey, the two components of milk (can't remember which way round!) the hungry baby milk is harder to digest and sits in the gut for longer IIRC.

follow-on milk may be sweeter as well, not sure though.

Thank you both. Do you think he needs the extra iron ? He is BLW and has a good variety of food.

I had got used to him not needing extra milk in the night so the 4am wake up calls for the last week have been a bit unwelcome !

I wouldn't worry about the iron tbh. Its poorly absorbed in the form they add to follow on and he's better off getting it in his diet, especially if he eats well.

The whole 'extra iron' thing is a red herring that they use as a marketing tool. Yes, milk is a relatively poor source of iron - the answer is to give iron rich foods, not to add indigestible and constipating quantities of iron to milk.

Here is a link to a leaflet which is a guide to infant formula.

Some basic info from there:

What types of infant formula are there?

First milks

These milks are often described as for newborns. They are based on the whey of cow?s milk and are more easily digested than the other milks. Unless your doctor or health
visitor suggests otherwise, this is the best type of infant formula for your baby.

If bottle?feeding, first milk is the only food your baby needs for the first six months. After six months continue to give first milk as you start to introduce solid food. When your baby is one year old, ordinary (full?fat) cow?s milk can be
given.

Second milks

These are often described as for ?hungrier babies?. There is no evidence that babies settle better or sleep longer if given
these milks. They are based on the curd of cow?s milk and take your baby longer to digest than first milks. They are not
recommended for young babies.

Follow?on milks

Follow?on milks are described as suitable for babies from six months of age. It is not necessary to move your baby on to these milks.

Follow?on milks should never be used for babies under six months old as they are not nutritionally suitable.

However, the labels can look very similar to first milks so read them carefully.