Can you mix formula brands?

[Northernbeachbum]

DS1 is due in a few months and I'm planning to formula feed after the first week for various reasons

We were really pleased to hear aldi have launched formula at a much lower cost, so hopefully he will get on ok with that. But at the moment they don't do ready made. Could we use aldi as much as possible but have pre made bottles when needed or would that upset his little stomach?

The simplified who booklet I linked can answer some questions on why artificial feeding is not promoted.

It is not promoted because WHO and other health organisations do not want formula feeding to compete with breast feeding.

The WHO booklet does not say anything about switching formulas. I do not think you will find any evidence that it is really bad for babies. Based on my personal experience, it can indeed lead to mild constipation or slightly upset stomach (I learnt it through trial and error when I was looking for formula that worked for DD reflux) but I would not overexaggerate the impact.

And at no point have I mentioned breast vs bottle.
In fact I've not once voiced my opinion.

Please be careful. Just because other people have risked the health of their newborn in mixing formula does not mean it has been without effect, and it does not mean that it will be absolutely fine for you.

The SAFEST way for you to feed formula is to stick to one brand and make it up as directed. There is no doubting that.

I would argue that parent induced constipation due to switching and mixing formula is indeed really bad for babies.

Grace, nothing in your link backs up what you're saying the allergy point is surely rather far fetched.

I understand the reasons behind not promoting formula milk, especially for infants, and agree that it is important that parents choosing formula have access to good, unbiased information. I cannot see that mixing one brand for powdered and another brand for ready made is likely to be disastrous. Surely, anyway, the powdered and ready made forms of one particular brand are likely to differ. So I don't see that this is really much different.

By the way, the international code is voluntary. WHO have no power to make laws, only recommendations. UK law has adopted some of the recommendations in this particular report, but not 100% of it. So while some aspects of marketing formula are illegal, there are parts of the code which are not included in UK law.

ibfan.org/the-full-code

This is the full code. And yes I'm fully aware of what the government has subscribed to. It doesn't make their report any less valued.

The OP can do whatever she wishes. I think it's irresponsible parenting to base what you feed a newborn off of anecdotes from people on the interent.

Switching and mixing can lead to constipation and upset stomaches. It can cause allergies. It can lead to vomitting etc. I do think this is really bad for babies and as the link above suggests, breast milk not produced following guidelines can cause a whole host of problems.

I'm just not sure why you'd risk it but of course I'm the only one even attempting to provide evidence. I can't see any evidence that it is 100% safe to mix so therefore I would choose not to do it.

The Op asked about mixing formula brands. You claimed (without any evidence) it can be fatal and are now telling others they risked their newborns lives. You are scaremongering, if you can't see that then you have serious issues with ignorance. You've lost any authority on this discussion when you lied there was evidence to support your claim.

OPNot quite sure I've understood your question:

If you mean you have two brands of formula and put them in the same bottle then feed immediately, then I don't see why not?

You do have to be careful about preparing bottles in advance for hygiene reasons though. I'm not sure about the latest advice as it changes every 5 mins. We used ready made, which was a case of pour in the bottle and heat up. Once you've opened a bottle of cow and gate, if it's a large one, you have 48 hours to use it up, for example

Don't buy too much of one brand though, in case your baby gets on better with one than others.

That's fine by me. I don't particularly want to be part of a conversation that promotes unsafe and ignorant practice.

No you lied and were caught out, well done for bowing out gracefully

NHS guidelines here say there is no evidence that changing formula brands does any harm.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/types-of-infant-formula/

I find the inference that I'm reckless and risking my baby's health (based on no evidence) to be highly offensive.

I honestly think I'm going to have to stop following many threads relating to infant feeding because I find some poster's attitude towards formula so upsetting.

When i stopped BFing I went on to formula. Switched brands often between the premium brands. No problems. All 3 now teenagers. Really struggling to see how it could have been fatal🙄🙄🙄

@userthenlotsofnumbers I just wanted to know if it was safe to use Aldi powdered formula at home and, say, Hipp ready made when out and about if needed. Not in the same bottle, only because at present Aldi don't do pre made formula

I am also very aware we might have to try a few brands to get the right one for DS

Ah I see. I doubt you'll have any problems doing that

It's interesting that you be asked this OP as I was wondering this my self today. My LO has quite bad reflux and colic. I've been using cow and gate anti reflux which reduced the regurgitation loads but then caused her to be constipated but gassy and when she did manage to eventually pass it was like play Doh and was casing her pain when pooping. The straining from the gas then caused her to sick up again. I've just switched to cow and gate comfort yesterday and so far the tummy troubles have gone but the reflux is back! I was wondering about offering one or two bottles of the anti reflux and the rest comfort milk or might see if can give some anti reflux and rest normal first infant milk. Obviously I won't until spoken to HV on Monday

I used both cow and gate ready made and powderd for a few weeks after bf didn't work out and I don't believe the reflux and colic are related to this as she had both when on breast milk.. Lots of my friends use aldi milk at home and a branded ready made milk when out for a long time as its easier and you dont have to worry about bacteria forming. their babies are thriving- no stomach issues and gaining weight normally.

From the NHS link given earlier:

There's no evidence that switching to a different formula does any good or harm.

(within 'standard' first infant formulas, so not lactose free / soy / anti-reflux etc)

It's exactly what I would have expected, given that the composition of first infant formula is so prescribed. The branding is about loyalty / profits, not about actual differences.

@Amazing just fuck off with your 'artificial feeding' and 'breastmilk substitute' slurs. Yes slurs, just fucking say formula.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you notice it causes stomach upsets or discomfort in your baby, then you would of course stop switching! I don't think there's any reason to avoid it based on some vague fear that this might happen.

Some people breastfeed most of the time but feed formula occasionally - they are not told that they are upsetting their baby's stomach, even though the composition of BM and FM is likely to be much more different than the composition of two brands of formula.

I think it's irresponsible parenting to base what you feed a newborn off of anecdotes from people on the interent. [From AmazingGrace16]

Which is why basing it on what the NHS says, as quoted above, is the most sensible option - ie swapping between different brands of formula will not cause any harm.

Thank you to the last few posters, that all helped a lot

Most formulas suit most babies. If your baby is particularly sensitive, one formula may suit better than another. And for a baby with a sensitive stomach, it may be that they respond differently even to the ready-made and powder formula from the same brand. Your plan sounds perfectly fine to me. If it turns out your baby is really sensitive to changing, then you simply forgo the convenience of the ready-made or you switch the powder to the same brand as the ready made.

I can say with absolute certainty that none of these scenarios will kill your baby. Or have ever killed any baby.

I am willing to bet the scaremongering poster here earlier has never willingly fed a baby formula. So she is probably even less qualified than the rest of us to spout advice on the Internet about formula feeding.

Best wishes.

I was wondering this too, as we want to completely switch from Aptimel to Cow&Gate, we were told it;s the same company and pretty much the same ingredients, but the latter is a lot cheaper, so we could feed the same thing but save some pennies.

I regularly swap between Aldi Mamia formula and Cow and Gate. Never had any problems with doing this and I looked and the ingredients on both packs and couldn't find any difference apart from coconut.

Come on, AmazingGrace.....don't go in the huff :)
There is no risk in swapping brands - minor differences in milk composition (and that's all they are) don't harm babies, and if the milk is prepared correctly and hygienically, it really does not matter what brand is in the bottle.
I suppose if different brands have different sized scoops you might find measuring the powder differs, but in the UK, scoops are standard so not an issue here.
There is even a school of thought that it's good to swap brands - if you get a damaged batch (occasionally happens - the batch is withdrawn from sale as a result) you haven't got a whole lot of already-bought packs (though I reckon you'd get a refund).
Minor differences in taste among the brands might be some way of mimicing the minor differences you get in breastmilk, which does vary anyway :)

Not cool to scare people with scary tales - switching formula brands is normal, commonly done, and nothing to be fearful of :)

I'm just presenting facts.

Yeah but you're not, are you? You're just presenting unverified statements and irrelevant links.

OP, it'll probably be fine but I'd maybe wait til baby is older? We found DS was best suited to comfort milk and I didn't want to tempt fate by mixing it up - but we did take premade bottles on flights, and there were no issues with that.

Premade is best when they're little anyway as it's sterile and super convenient. Worth the extra money I think!