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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Which formula is best?

28 replies

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 16:23

I know there's not a lot in it but, I know some people have different preferences and I just wondered why. My DS is 4mo and I am breastfeeding but I want to start weaning him (HV advice) because he's a hungry boy and my bangers just aren't enough! So for now I just want the formula to mix with baby rice etc so that my supplies aren't further reduced. I was expressing for this but I'm struggling to get enough so need a back up..

OP posts:

lilham · 29/11/2011 16:43

Get the cheapest? They really are the same because there are tight regulations on first infant milk.

buttonmoon78 · 29/11/2011 16:46

There's nothing in it!

Aptamil is perceived to be the best (and was what my ds was on before going dairy free) but that may be because it's the most expensive and being creatures of habit we assume that expensive = better.

Are you sure that it's a true supply issue and not simply a growth spurt? Weaning is a real faff and it's truly not necessary yet. If you really want to supplement your bm then you could offer a ff after one of the bfs?

Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 16:50

Well we've persevered for the last month, I thought initially it was a growth spurt but he's just kept going! I'm only giving him baby rice to beef up his feeds, it'll be a little while before I start with anything else. Thank you for the advice :) I'd rather just keep bf exclusively for as long as I can (wannabe mother earth) but I'm really starting to struggle. I wish there was an instruction manual for all this..

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Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 16:51

Also the way the HV goes on you'd think that formula was poison. Which is helpful..

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 29/11/2011 16:52

why do you feel that baby rice is better than breastmilk for a hungry baby?
the 4 month growth spurt is a killer, but the easiest way through it IMO is to feed more frequently at the breast. the frequent feeding will ensure your supply increases to meet baby's needs and the high calorie breastmilk will be better for him than nutritionally devoid baby rice.

HV's it would seem, are often giving out terrible advice on weaning. very out-dated.

if you wish to continue breastfeeding for longer then I think that weaning early and replacing feeds with formula/baby rice will not help you achieve that.

to answer your actual question however, there is nothing in it. none of them are any better than the rest

buttonmoon78 · 29/11/2011 16:53

Tell me about it! I've only managed to bf one of my 4 beyond 10wks so you're doing really well in my eyes!

I would still recommend ff before rice as weaning is just such a hassle and I'm very lazy

buttonmoon78 · 29/11/2011 16:54

As in a ff top up, not as in full ff

thisisyesterday · 29/11/2011 16:56

why give formula top ups though button moon?

formula strives to be like breastmilk. it wants to be the same as it. the manufacturers do everything they can to try and imitate it..... so why not just give more breastmilk?

formula is no more calorific than breastmilk so there is no advantage to using it instead of breastmilk.

buttonmoon78 · 29/11/2011 17:00

No. I know. I wasn't bigging up ff at all. OP has stated that she is really struggling. So perhaps a ff top up after a full bf would help.

Obviously she's free to ignore me but if she feels like she's feeding all the time and getting nowhere then being told to feed more might not be what she needs to hear.

I don't intend for this to turn into a bf/ff debate though so perhaps I'll just wind my neck in now and back off.

OP I hope you find an answer soon.

RitaMorgan · 29/11/2011 17:01

If the OP wants to wean, and the baby is a decent age (over 17 weeks, holding own head up well, lost tongue thrust etc) then fair enough. Not ideal, but we don't always do they ideal thing - we do what works best for us.

As for "best" formula - agree they are all much the same. For just a little bit to mix with baby rice I doubt it makes any difference what you choose. Just make sure you make it up correctly if using powder - mix the powder with very hot water to kill any bacteria that might be present in the bacteria.

FunnysInTheGarden · 29/11/2011 17:02

with my two Aptamil was best. The others were all too rich and gave both DC upset stomachs. I have heard other mothers say this too, and in fact we thought DS2 had colic, when in fact it was just that SMA was too rich for him.

BertieBotts · 29/11/2011 17:05

Topping up with formula is actually likely to reduce your supply rather than help it. I'm not saying it's a bad thing and if you want to introduce formula because you feel it has other benefits, then that is absolutely fair enough, but I'm worried that introducing it in order to "keep up" with your DS' needs is going to cause more problems than it solves. Health visitors "demonising" it or advising not to use it without saying what the reasons or potential problems are drive me mad!

There might not be an instruction manual for bf, but www.kellymom.com is pretty much as close as you can get... there are articles about every subject you could imagine and the information is very good and well researched. It's worth a browse around.

This is good about weight gain worries, what is normal, the 4 month growth spurt etc.

This explains how milk production works and why supplementation can be a bad thing.

And this is about fussiness and frequent feeding.

Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:06

I wasn't planning on cutting out any bf just topping up. DS feeds fully on each side now and it still doesn't seem enough. He has always been a star when it comes to feeding and I have had no problems but the past 2 weeks+ he's started getting quite upset after he's been feeding for a while and seems frantic for food but it seems not a lot is coming out. thisisyesterday is this something that happens to a lot of 4mo? Very grateful for all the advice

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 29/11/2011 17:10

You can offer more than the 2 sides, if you feel he wants more. Just swap back to the first side again. Milk is made on demand so it won't ever be "empty" even if you feel he's just emptied it. If you see the kellymom page I linked about milk production it explains about the full/empty thing and how this isn't how it works. It's difficult not to compare a breast to a bottle which is why we tend to think of them emptying and refilling and about how much milk is there, when really it just works in a totally different way and if you can throw these ideas out and start from scratch it really helps.

It is a common feeding pattern in 4 month olds, unfortunately! Has he been waking more at night as well?

Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:15

Yeah all of a sudden! This is all so helpful thank you! I will try and persevere then and see how we go. I have NCT friends with babies around the same age and with a few it seems a similar pattern, I think perhaps I was a bit too worried he wasn't getting enough when I guess he knows better than me!

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Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:16

And button you're comments were very helpful thank you!

OP posts:

Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:16

** your

OP posts:

MildlyNarkyPuffin · 29/11/2011 17:18

He's having a growth spurt.

He has always been a star when it comes to feeding

You've managed to feed him up to 4 months, so it's not a feeding issue. It's that his needs have increased. If you feed him more your breasts will respond to his increased suckling by making more milk. If you don't and give him food/formula your milk production won't increase, so you'll need to keep on supplementing.

The HV's advice isn't good. Giving him baby rice because he wants more milk? If you want to add something add more milk - be it breast or formula milk.

BertieBotts · 29/11/2011 17:19

Sounds like the classic 4 month sleep regression - it can last longer than a normal growth spurt! It did used to be taken as a sign that babies were ready to wean but these days we know that weaning readiness is related to other things and the waking in the night and being unsettled while feeding is something they just do. In fact introducing solids can make some babies more unsettled, perhaps it makes their tummies hurt if they aren't ready for it.

Do you have any breastfeeding groups locally? They can be really helpful, especially speaking to mums with older babies who have been through your stage and come out the other side!

Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:26

I do have friends who have older children and bf until they were nearly a year. I'd rather not stop ever and he is gaining weight well so I will persevere and see how we go. Thank you all and I will bookmark the kellymom website! :)

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Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:28

One last thing though, how long will this bloody growth spurt last?!

OP posts:

GloriaTheHighlyFlavouredLady · 29/11/2011 17:35

Well the good news is if you get through it without supplementing things tend to get way better from then on. It's a bit like the last challenge.

Try 3 or 4 sides each time and your supply will catch up. Google 'Kellymom 4 month' and it explains why this happens. You feel like things are going backwards but they really aren't.

Hth

Original poster

krustyloaf · 29/11/2011 17:39

Who needs HV hey...

OP posts:

BikeRunSki · 29/11/2011 17:45

With no prejudice towards bf/ff or any particular brand of formula, going back to the original Q, here is my and my ff friends' experience of various formulas:

Hipp - Organic, if that is important to you. Comes in handy singke serving sachets, which are useful for travelling
SMA Gold - Most likely to constipate your baby
Nurture - Had no probs at all, but I don't think Heinz/Farley's make it anymore
Aptamil - Perceived to be most "Realistic" but could be that it was first to include Omega 3 (or something) and is most pricey.
Cow and Gate - Cheap, very similar ingredients to Aptamil (first 75% or so on list are same as Aptamil, and both made by Milupa), is about £1.50 a tub cheaper than Aptamil.

BertieBotts · 29/11/2011 17:56

Aptamil is heavily marketed to HCPs - hence it's good reputation. If that sways you at all. You're right that it's made by the same company as C&G.

Plus it's the most expensive, for a reason. People associate cost with quality.

It's quite interesting to analyse all the marketing factors - it's quite staggering when you really get down to it.

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