hipp organic vs aptamil

[yespeeps]

which is best?

baby is 6 months, on aptamil at mo

aptamil is meant to be closest to breastmilk, am I right? what's the evidence.....

hipp is organic tho....

They're all the same.

I'm not sure, but when I had my DD at the drs the GP said aptamil was the best formula milk.
Unsure why, I had a prescription for LF milk in my hand so I didn't ask!

Legally, they all have to be pretty similar due to tight restrictions. When my twins had to start on formula when we were back on hospital, we used Aptamil. We transitioned to Hipp when they came out, but they tolerated both well. Hipp seems less smelly when it comes back up, and it doesn't stain.

My issue with Aptamil is the cost. They have recently come out with a new "pro-futura" formula, which is £12.99 per 800g, versus Hipp at £8.50 per 800g. I refuse to believe that it is any better, but their marketing is manipulative and could well make parents believe that, in order to give their child "the best", they should spend that additional money. Of course, as mentioned previously, it can't really be much different due to the strict regulations. I find it difficult to stomach the way they prey on parents who may well be making difficult decisions about feeding their baby at a vulnerable time.

My paediatrician told me Hipp has a lower lactose content than aptamil but both are ok.

My hospital had both but I chose aptamil because it's what my corner shop stocked and I didn't fancy chopping and changing.

Formula is very tightly regulated in this country. They are all extremely similar.

The manufacturers of Aptimal also make Cow & Gate. Basically the only difference is that Aptimal is marketed as a premium brand.

However, if your baby is thriving on Aptimal there is no reason to change.

They are not all the same, but it's true no one formula is better than the others. But it's not true aptamil is closest to breastmilk. That was a claim they made in their advertising years ago and were forced to retract because it was false and nor based on anything. It has stuck, which is why they do it.

Aptamil brands itself right at the top of the market to present an image of itself as a premium product,which doesn't mean that it is necessarily better. The same company produces cow and gate which is almost identical (check the ingredients list next time you're in the baby aisle). Aptamil does have a few extra ingredients added to make up their 'premium' claims but it's not really clear whether the added ingredients make any difference.

In short, pick whichever one you like. I recommend one your local shop carries in case you run out.

Hipp is the only one allowed to keep its "special" claim IIRC (of being organic) because it actually is. In being organic, it is not able to add some of the synthetic compounds included in other milks. (That's why they aren't all organic). These synthetic compounds claim to mimic ingredients in breast milk, in a roundabout way so they don't fall foul of marketing, but we don't really know if they work in the same way or are absorbed in the same way.

I suppose it's like saying - if you choose between two types of cereal. Neither is sugary and rubbish. Both are wholegrain. But one is fortified with vitamins (extra to the vitamins and nutrients contained in the ingredients) and the other is organic, relying only on naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Which one would you choose to feed your child? That's the real comparison you're making.

thanks very much everyone, i'm going to phase out aptamil and phase in hipp in that case

Baby Milk Action are a fab charity tackling the lies of the formula companies, thought i'd mention that in case anyone isn't aware, maybe I should have checked their site first!

You can get hipp readymade with the teats from their website and also buy 4 powder boxes cheaper. But to get the ready made without teats and the nighttime formula you need to go to whatever supermarket sells them

just putting a little bit more money into bf support could mean that so many of us would never need to get into the whole complexity of formula!!!!

Hipp organic does have added vitamins so doesn't rely on naturally occurring ones . It would have to to comply with formula regulations on their nutritional content.

Ingredients of hipp:
Organic skimmed milk, organic demineralised whey powder, organic vegetable oils, prebiotic fibres (galacto-oligosaccharides from milk), organic lactose, calcium carbonate, LCP oils (vegetable, fish), potassium chloride, emulsifier (soya lecithin), vitamin mix (vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin A, thiamin (vitamin B1), vitamin B6, riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid, vitamin K, biotin, vitamin D, vitamin B12), L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, L-tryptophan, magnesium carbonate, zinc sulphate, iron sulphate, stabiliser (L-lactic acid), copper-lysine complex, potassium iodate, manganese sulphate, sodium selenate.

It was an analogy not a perfect mirror.

Baby Milk Action used to have a great comparison of different brands and their claims but it must have been taken down when it became out of date.