Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Aptamil closest to breastmilk... who says?

91 replies

knittynoodle · 07/02/2011 20:53

So many people have said this to me, MW's, mum, MIL, SIL, friends...

Whats the source for this statement as obviously there are no formula ad's. Its starting to annoy me that people are repeating this to me as 'advice'. Unless theres a study to prove it, its just hearsay!

Anyone know where it originated?

OP posts:
memphis83 · 08/02/2011 11:32

my mw said try it so i did it didnt agree with my baby so when i went back my hv then said mw are funded to flog it as they are with sma, i went with hipp organic its the only one that isnt endorsed by the nhs!

tiktok · 08/02/2011 11:44

No midwives or others are actually funded to flog a brand . The NHS does not endorse a brand, either.

It's all done with marketing, including
freebies (bits of tat like diary covers), and free training, and free scholarships.

Except it's not free. Mothers and babies pay for it when they buy the formula.

Allegrogirl · 08/02/2011 12:09

I must admit I fell for the Aptamil is for BF mums thing when in tears in Sainsburys trying to decide which formula to buy. Your common sense goes out the window when you're a first time mum and your confidence has taken a big knock. I like to think I'm pretty sceptical about marketing but they got me.

Trillian42 · 08/02/2011 13:10

We also tried Aptamil first for that reason when introducting formula. Oddly enough, DD never took it, but did take Cow & Gate (as suggested by a friend who had the same problem introducing a bottle). Seems like no one told DD it's closest to BM!

bubbleymummy · 08/02/2011 13:49

I've just read some people on here saying that it tasted quite similar to bm which was why they chose it for mix feeding. It's worrying that doctors/nurses etc seem to think it is different to other formulas and somehow closer to bm though! :S

Mammie81 · 08/02/2011 15:09

It tastes and smells absolutely nothing like my breastmilk. We are topping up with it with a view to going back to EBM once our miniature DS has got back onto the growth chart.

It smells like custard powder to me! But we were bought it by my mum who said the same about it being like BM, so I didnt get a chance to choose.

Mammie81 · 08/02/2011 15:10

Meant to add - Mum bought it after our MW said it would put more weight on the baby because of this magic 'breast like' quality...

CarolinaRua · 08/02/2011 16:07

Its marketing. Its all baby milk so all meets a standard. Like anything else you buy, it is packaged and marketed a certain way to make you react in an emotional manner.

Big deal though, who really cares in that all the formulas are similar and all very safe and do the job of feeding your baby.

They cant advertise, cant give clubcard points etc so they are doing what they can to get their totally safe product out there.

tiktok · 08/02/2011 16:20

caroline - "they are doing what they can to get their totally safe product out there."

No. They are doing what they can to make women buy it. They are doing what they can to maximise profit. They are doing what they can to bamboozle people.

There is no ban on getting the product on the shelves, on making it readily available to everyone who wants it or needs it.

The product is not 'totally safe', either. It needs careful handling and preparation to reduce some of the inherent risks.

I don't think it is right that baby formula should be like anything else you buy. This is the sole form of nutrition for the most vulnerable members of our society. Don't you think its marketing should be ethical?

I don't care much if I am appealed to on a emotional level if I am buying a car, or chocolate or even washing powder. But if I am buying something that is essential for the very survival of my baby, I want to know facts!

CarolinaRua · 08/02/2011 16:44

Well Tiktok, its like many products isnt it. Eggs are totally safe but generally not if used out of date. Chicken is generally safe but only when fully cooked.
Thats what I meant, I see no reason to demonise the makers of formula in the same way as the makers of cigarettes.

I think the marketing is ethical in that the product they are promoting is safe! And I think it is something about those prebiotics that make it more similar to breastmilk, not sure though as I never researched it in detail.
You can always complain to the advertising standards though if it really vexes you and judging by your post I am going to guess that yuo are not and never have been a consumer of baby formula???

MoonUnitAlpha · 08/02/2011 16:48

Aptamil tastes nothing like my breastmilk, but it does at least taste ok. Have switched to SMA recently as it's so much cheaper and it tastes weirdly fishy Confused

CarolinaRua · 08/02/2011 16:56

That reminds me of the only cream that worked for my DD's nappy rash - morhulin, it had cod liver oil in it and the smell - uurrgghhh

tiktok · 08/02/2011 17:06

No wish to demonise anyone or anything, carolinarua!

I do think formula should be marketed ethically.

It's not like being against unethical marketing of cigarettes at all - the actual sale and availability of cigarettes is restricted, and prices are artificially raised (by legislation) in order to cut down on sales.

Formula is different. It is an essential product for all babies who are not bf or not fully bf. I think it should be cheap, readily available, and the cost of it should be pegged at a low rate always. But the way it is marketed should be ethical - that means honestly, and done in a way which does not undermine the choice to breastfeed.

What bit of this would you disagree with?

Prebiotics are in virtually all formulas these days. They are artificially sourced and are not 'human' prebiotics. Their presence does not make formula any closer to breastmilk.

CarolinaRua · 08/02/2011 17:19

Tiktok I agree with you on the cost thing, its crazy and a real reason as to why i breast fed.

I'm still not sure what damage Aptamil are doing and if they are making incorrect claims then they should be picked up on them.

Original poster
knittynoodle · 08/02/2011 17:27

CarolinaRua, the point is the underhand way in which they make these claims. Health advisors are groomed by these companies into favouring their product (even subconciously) who then influence people who dont question them.

OP posts:
tiktok · 08/02/2011 17:31

Aptamil market themselves to HCPs as being the best and closest to breastmilk - this is done via the 'free' training HCPs get, and its advertising in their journals. This is echoed in the packaging and price-pointing for consumers.

Occasionally, formula manufacturers are taken to task for making false claims. Sometimes, an ad is withdraw or a slogan is changed. Then they come back with something else.

I think this is damaging.

CrystalStair · 08/02/2011 17:36

I was told Aptamil was the 'next best thing' by a midwife with my first baby. No idea why this is supposed to be. Clearly it is more like breast milk than, say, Pepsi is. Or a large margarita. And my babies survived in bouncing health on it so the nutrients are there. But unless it's produced by a herd of wet nurses I suspect claims are not entirely up to scrutiny.

Bubbles1066 · 08/02/2011 17:45

I choose Aptamil when mixed feeding as it tasted the most like my breast milk and was the most similar in consistency - ie quite thin. No one really recommended it to me but the HV did say it was the formula that tends to cause babies the least problems (after I had chosen it) as SMA can be too heavy for some babies. Cow and Gate came a close second though and I do think Aptmail is over priced. Aptamil is a good formula though and I know of several Mums who ended up on it as they had problems with others(SMA especially).

VivaLeBeaver · 08/02/2011 17:46

When I was a student midwife I was told in a lecture by a midwifery teacher that Aptamil was the closest to breastmilk. I challenged her on this and she couldn't back it up.

I'm now a qualifed midwife and will not promote one brand over another, they are all the same level and I tell women this. The only advice I give if women ask me which one to use is to tell them to pick the one available in their corner shop so if they run out late at night they can grab some without having to go to Tesco.

tiktok · 08/02/2011 17:53

Very interesting, VivaLaBeaver - formula manufacturers who promote to midwifery teachers are reaching, indirectly, a lot of mothers. Good for you to challenge.

Bubbles - your HV is saying something about Aptamil that simply cannot be backed up unless she has carried out or read an independent survey (and there hasn't been one).

And what does she mean, 'SMA can be too heavy for some babies'?? I mean....wtf is 'heavy'? If applied to other foods, it would mean 'difficult to digest because of being high in fat/protein' I think. So why not say this, if indeed it is true, rather than this daft word 'heavy'? In fact, SMA's protein and fat content is regulated just as all formulas' fat and protein content is regulated, to stay within certain legally-stipulated limits.

Annabel7 · 08/02/2011 17:57

my head tells me there's no difference in the brands but the part of me that's susceptible to marketing has been completely suckered in by the inclusion of 'immunofortis'. No bleedin' idea what it is but definitely makes it sound breastmilk like..

friedbananas · 08/02/2011 17:59

I don't think any formula milk is really "closest" to breastmilk at all. I think its a marketing gimmick.

friedbananas · 08/02/2011 18:00

My ex-HV told me Aptamil was best though.

Bubbles1066 · 08/02/2011 18:03

Completely true Tiktok. I will tell her she must not offer an opinion at all without providing scientific references to everything she says and to always choose her words carefully.
Sorry to be sarky but maybe she said it because she has seen lots of mothers and babies and noticed this? She was just offering her opinion, she was not selling a brand, I had already chosen.

Ivette · 08/02/2011 18:12

imo nothing is as good as breatmilk and nothing can replace it.

its just advertising

midwives and h are getting paid for recommendations :/

Swipe left for the next trending thread