is there a formula available wihout prebiotics?

[Hazeyjane]

Now that Hipp have started adding them.

Thankyou

not afaik

but remmeber prebiotics are just sugars, they're not pro biotics aka 'friendly bacteria'

thankyou

i just found that when Aptamil added them, dd1 started having explosive diarrhoea that smelt of rotten eggs!

I am having to top up ds with a little formula, and wanted to try and avoid the stench of sulphur!

I dont think SMA has then added - it seems to be common at causing constipation though!!

Prebiotics are sugars - but they encourage the development of bacteria, and have been shown in studies to increase stooling frequency. There are plenty of stories about them increasing diarrhoea. They don't enhance nutrition in any way and I understand they are not absorbed by the baby.

You could call the manufacturers of different formulas and ask them if they have something without prebiotics, or perhaps a different prebiotic to the ones you've used so far.

Or work out a way to do without top ups? :)

Some info from the UNICEF Babyfriendly leaflet for HCPs:

Prebiotics and Probiotics

Differences in the type of bacteria present in the gut of a baby will depend to a large extent of whether the baby is breastfed or formula?fed. The marked differences in the incidence of infection which exist between breastfed and formula?fed infants have been thought to be due in part to the type of bacteria, particularly bifidobacteria, in the gut (Parracho 2007). Two approaches have been taken to try to increase the number of ?good? bacteria in the gut of a formula?fed infant. One has been to encourage bacterial growth (prebiotics) and the other has been to add the bacteria itself to the formula (probiotics).

Prebiotics

A prebiotic is a non?digestible food ingredient, generally an oligosaccharide, which selectively stimulates the growth or activity of beneficial bacteria already in the large intestine. The most recent Cochrane review of the evidence for prebiotics preventing allergy or food hypersensitivity concluded: There is insufficient evidence to recommend the addition of prebiotics to infant feeds for prevention of allergic disease or food reactions? (Cochrane 2007). However all standard infant formulas currently contain prebiotics (Crawley H & Westland S [In Press])

Probiotics

Probiotics are live micro?organisms added to the diet, usually as lactobacilli or bifidobacterium. There is insufficient evidence to recommend the addition of probiotics to infant feeds for prevention of allergic disease, food hypersensitivity or diarrhoea (Cochrane 2007, CRD 2004).

Thankyou for the information.

We have just been to hospital to have ds's chest x-rayed, and it seems he has reflux. I see that SMA do a milk suited to babies with reflux, so I will have a look into that.

Tiktok, I am trying to work out a way to get round the various problems that I have had with breastfeeding, which is why I am expressing as much as I can to keep up supply. The thread I started asking for some advice/encouragement is here - I would be hugely grateful of any further advice !

I was a disappointed with Hipp adding them as well. I chose Hipp with my first baby, to supplement bf and replace it when I stopped at 8 months, because it had the least amount of stuff added. I guess Hipp have done this to compete with the like of Aptamil. Hipp was the best milk I found for a refluxy baby. Not sure how the pre biotics and Omegas will affect it.

Original Hipp, without prebiotics is for sale on the Hip website, but it is discontinued stock, so will run out at some point.

Australia and New Zealand both forbid the addition of Prebiotics and Probiotics.

Prebiotics may be "just sugars" but they are an attempt to replicate the benefits of breast milk, so if people breast feed it seems bizarre to take them.

On top of this, having read some of the various medical reports, generally sponsored by big manufacturers such as Danone, tests have only been done on the benefits for non-breastfed children.

The prebiotics themselves only have been identified as benefitting two particular bacteria. Unsurprisingly, those same types that are also promoted in Probiotic products. There is no reference to all bacteria or if promoting the growth of particular bacteria is actually good for your children.

I am certainly not medically trained but I shudder at the thought of giving my son a food product that will mess with the general balance of his insides, based on some bizarre approach that we are all the same and will benefit from Prebiotics. I think there are also potentially some negative affects, but no one has tested for those.
Feels like man playing god a little too much to me for the benefit of big companies when the effects are not truly understood. Although there is potential that you will then need probiotioc products in future if you continue to have tummy troubles without them throughout your adult life.
Hmmm... I'm sure those big companies only want the best for us... right????

I'm sticking well clear of them. You may have guessed. Looks like SMA Follow on Milk does NOT inculde PreBiotics, in case you are interested