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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Which formula is best bm substitute?

29 replies

booboobunny · 14/10/2006 09:35

hi folks,
can anyone advise which of the many formula brands available is most like bm? we have had a job finding a bottle my little angel will take, but have had some joy with mam and ebm. i am hoping to substitute her last bm feed of the evening with formula in the hope of improving her fairly erratic sleeping pattern, but so far i have had a screwed up little face and lots of dribble. i doubt she swallowed any of it! i have tried cow and gate and sma white. can anyone help?
thanks

OP posts:
foxtrottingtotransylvania · 14/10/2006 09:36

aptamil?

tiktok · 14/10/2006 10:02

There are a lot of threads on this, so check archives, booboobunny, as you'll find different views.

To be honest, any brand name mentioned as being 'most like breastmilk' is a result of heavy marketing to mothers and to healthcare professionals.

There is no independent research on the brands on sale in the UK, and as the main ingredient in all of the mainstream ones is cows milk, they are all far more like each other than they are like breastmilk

Other brands' main ingredients are soya, and one formulation has as its main ingredient glucose syrup and vegetable oils (Comfort) so they are pretty far away from 'milk'.

Hope this helps!

Kidstrack · 14/10/2006 10:08

i used aptimil with dd after breasfeeding with no problems, we used the nubby bottle by tommee tippee

Mum2FunkyDude · 14/10/2006 10:24

ideally something with pre-biotics in, it prevents constipation. Aptamil or Cow & Gate. You can buy these ready made little boxes too.

BATtymumma · 14/10/2006 10:26

there is no substitute for breast milk.

and thats from a FF

edam · 14/10/2006 10:41

Aptamil manage to get the message across somehow that their product is like breastmilk. But it isn't any better than any other formula; none of them are particularly 'close' to breastmilk. They are fine for feeding babies though, nothing wrong with them, just the 'closest to breastmilk' image is enterprising/ dodgy marketing to get round the advertising ban, depending on your point of view. Thing about Aptamil is it is more expensive and they've managed to make it popular amongst middle-class mums, maybe because subconsciously people think 'expensive = good'.

I'd try the different brands and see which your dd likes. FWIW I don't think there's any evidence formula helps babies sleep at night, sorry. You may just hit a developmental stage where she does start to sleep longer though - there's always hope!

disemboweledbint · 14/10/2006 10:45

no formula can really be closest to breastmilk because each mum makes just the right milk for her individual baby. so if it's preterm, overdue, poorly, the weather's hot, baby's having a growth spurt, etc etc, the mum's milk adapts to it. formula is just the same all the time. so best to just find one your baby likes. some mums find that their baby sicks up some brands, or others make their baby more constipated. you just find one that suits.

lulumama · 14/10/2006 10:46

as someone else pointed out, there is no substitute for breast milk!!

how old is your LO - formula will not make her sleep through unless she is ready to - you might get an extra hour...but not all night!

I used SMA gold with both of mine -

if she doesn't want the bottle, it doesn;t matter what milk you put in it!

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 14/10/2006 10:54

Try the bottle/formula combo when she is not tired and not ravenous either - mid-morning maybe - then neither of you will get so stressed out. Then if she takes to it she may be up for it at different times of the day if that is what you want to do.
Ignore the comments about 'no substitute for breastmilk' because that wasn't what you were asking was it?

disemboweledbint · 14/10/2006 10:55

er..that was what she was asking! she asked which is most like breastmilk.

BATtymumma · 14/10/2006 11:00

the question asked whats the best substitute for breast milk...so i answered.

i have formula fed both mine and used Cow and Gate premium. for the first it was because he went straight down to special care and by the time i got him he had already been fed one bottle of of it so i continued, then with DD it was the brand i already knew.

I really don't understand why if you are already breastfeeding why you would want to swop to formula for just one feed.
I really dont think FF babies sleep any better than BF.

could you not express some milk into the bottle if you want to stop the actual breast feeding side of it?

im really not getting at you. its just having read how hard some people find it to get bF going why you would want to mix now.

basicly all the formula's are the same. you just choose the one that suits your baby best.

edam · 14/10/2006 11:10

I b/f ds but added in one bottle of formula at night when he was about 8 weeks old, so dh could do one of the night feeds. Worked for us although I understand it can affect milk supply.

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 14/10/2006 11:16

I mixed as well edam, for several reasons.
I'm cross because the OP asked for specific advice and got a few rants about FF, based on the way she worded her request, which i thought was unfair.

BATtymumma · 14/10/2006 11:17

who ranted???

lulumama · 14/10/2006 11:18

you're right foxy - i missed the point..sorry if offended the OP......a lot of time with formula it is trial and error...but SMA gold worked for us....

hunkermunster · 14/10/2006 11:19

There's not one that's closest to breastmilk. They're close to each other.

Pick one that your baby likes and is easy to get hold of if you run out (although with one feed a day, this shouldn't be an issue). Try little cartons so you don't waste a big tin till you find one she likes.

It might not help her sleep better though.

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 14/10/2006 11:20

ok maybe rant was a bit strong - lecture? You'll have to excuse me i have been up since six, DH has just got up and is now going out to football throwing a "on the computer again??" comment over his shoulder as he strolls out.

lulumama · 14/10/2006 11:24

is it too early to open the bar foxy?!?!?!

BATtymumma · 14/10/2006 11:26

to be fair i think that many of the posts here have been made by Formula feeders.

and if i am honest i was hoping she would get enough replies now so that this would dispaear by the tim ethe real Bf heavy hitters arrived.

i can just imagine what Moondog would reply to this question!

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 14/10/2006 11:27

Maybe slip a little something into my coffee?
Poor booboobunny, wondering what has happened to her thread!

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 14/10/2006 11:28

Quick Irish coffee & a sticky bun, lulu, battymamma?
Then we should hide, yes?

IdrisTheDragon · 14/10/2006 11:29

I'd agree with getting some little cartons as less annoying to wate one of those than an entire tin. Used SMA Gold with DS, Aptimil with DD. Not sure there's much difference (apart from Aptimil costing more).

BATtymumma · 14/10/2006 11:30

tis ok.

i think i may have been over defensive....been doing it all morning

lulumama · 14/10/2006 11:30

definitely foxy...got to go out in a min to take DS to gymnastics...can i have mine to go please!?!

BATtymumma · 14/10/2006 11:33

ooh yes please.