Advice needed on using pre-made formula

[Miggs28]

I have been giving my 8 week old DS pre-made Aptamil first formula since he was 3 weeks old.

He suffers with reflux and is on gaviscon for this which does help alot, along with keeping him upright and having everything tilted!! My HV has advised that I need to move him off the pre-made formula on to powdered formula as otherwise he will end up with a 'lazy bowel'. I've tried to do my own research on this and have not come up with anything tbh.

My concern with moving him across to powder formula is that he may well become constipated because of the gaviscon and I think that the pre-made formula is actually keeping him regular.

I'm thinking once this hot weather is done and dusted (and DS's crankiness goes away!) to try and introduce the powdered formula slowly over a few weeks - does this sound like a good idea??

if you want to keep using pre-made then do so, I have never heard of 'lazy bowel' issues with it (I would ask her for a link to the research showing an issue!). If you dont want to upset the status quo and you and he are doing well on the cartons then I would stick to what is working for you.

What does she think liquid formula is made from? One is the dried, powdered version and one is the reconstituted version. They're the same thing, no?

I've never heard of this before. As far as I know, ready made formula is exactly the same as powdered formula when its been made up, except that it's sterile when unopened. A bit like UHT milk. Happy to be corrected though. DD had ready made formula from birth until went into cows milk (i was too lazy to make up feeds with powder!) No HCP professional ever told me she would get a 'lazy bowel.' sorry for no further advice

My HV said because of the way the liquid formula is treated it can have a laxative effect - I hadn't heard of this but it might well be why DS has not had constipation whilst being on gaviscon.

Thanks everyone. MrsApplepants, its reassuring to hear that your DD had no problems with using it.

If that's right then surely manufacturers would either not be able to sell it due to long term adverse effects or would have to put a warning on it to advise parents of the risk? Also I believe breastmilk contains natural laxatives so does that mean all bf babies are going to have lazy bowels too? Also why is it the ready made stuff they give straight away on maternity wards to newborns or in scbu if it would have such a detremental effect? I'd seriously challenge your hv on that piece of advice & certainly do your own research online - if what she's saying is based in any scientific fact the information would be freely available online. Personally we combined fed ds1for 6 months before going completely to ff with solids, with the ff we used a mix of cartons & powder & neither seemed to make any noticeable difference to his nappies & at 19 months he had the most active bowel of anyone I know!

Ready to feed is not exactly the same stuff, believe it or not. It is a separate product, and it tastes different. It is UHT milk, and the water used may be different from your own tap water.

"Due to the differences in processing methods and ingredients between RTF and powder formulations, the same brand may have minor differences in nutritional composition between formulations."

But nothing I have ever read in the lit. suggests that it would have an effect on the baby's bowel. Please ask her where she has this info from.

Is she perhaps thinking of comfort milks?

Sorry, my quote came from Caroline Walker Trust's overview of formula, available here: www.firststepsnutrition.org/newpages/Infants/infant_feeding.html

Thanks TikTok and thanks for the article it was really interesting to read.

Definitely feel like my mind has been put at rest, DS has his jabs today & with the hot weather I have decided not to change anything just yet and to keep going as I am.

I would eventually like to move across to powder but feel much less pressure to do it straight away

That sounds like absolute bollocks. I gave DS some firmula from about 22 weeks - Hipp Organic. He hardly pooed on breast milk at thst age (about once every 2 days). He was exactly the same in the Hipp and I used cartons for yonks as I was too lazy to use powder and also used the formula on an adhoc basis do didnt want to open powder

Weaning - on the other hand - has made him poo for Britain. Maybe food makes babies have lazy bowel - according to your HV

I've got no scientific advise to back this up but I have found the cartons do cause my DS to produce some spectacular nappies! He isn't constipated when I make them up myself using powder but definitely a lot more solid and containable.

My DS has been on ready made since birth (he is 1 next week) because I was mix feeding at first he was on a carton a day, so much less hassle than powders! Then when we tried moving him onto powder he kept being sick with it, just kept him on ready made. Also enjoyed the less hassle in making up bottles!
It's also great in this weather as you can just use it cold straight from the fridge to help cool baby down a bit.
No health problems to report here, fully functioning bowels!

Miggs, do ask your HV where she has her info from.....there's no need to be embarrassed or awkward or rude about it. 'I was interested in what you said about 'lazy bowel' and the ready-to-feed...got me a bit worried, so I did a bit of hunting, and I can't find anything about it. Can you tell me where I can read a bit more? My friend was asking me about it....'

I do think your HV is talking out of the wrong end!!

I know a toddler who only every had r2f milk until she went onto cows milk at 2yo! She was and it fine.