What is the difference between hungry baby milk and follow on milk?

[ratfly]

I am trying different formulae to see if it has any effect on ds's eczema (6 mo). Was bf til 4 months, now exclusively ff. I am trying Hipp organic, but usually use hungry baby milk for his night feeds (in a vague hope it will make him wake less...). So would their follow on milk be the same thing?

With no anti-formula bias please

No, follow on milk is usually for 1 year+ - it contains more iron than ordinary formula milk. At 12 months babies can be given cows milk but if babies are fussy eaters can be good to keep them on follow on formula for a while.

They say their follow on milk is for 6months +. The other stuff is 'growing up milk' for 10 months +

Follow on is 6 months + and has added iron (although not in a readily digestible form). Hungrier baby has a different balance of milk proteins(iirc) to regular first milk to slow the digestion of the formula. Not the same and not interchangeable for an infant under 6 months.

follow on milk is more like the first milk (i.e. more whey based than casein based like the hungry milk) It is suitable from 6 months to 2yrs although cows milk is perfectly ok from 1 year. Follow on has extra iron and vitamins but it is debatable whether the extra iron is actually needed.

So should I stay with their infant milk (just while I am trying it out) then?

sorry to confuse you - I stand corrected -was right about the iron bit though!

If you plan to use Follow on (and it isn't strcily necessary, ever but may be cheaper ) then you may as well just do one switch. The extra iron could constipate your ds or he may be fine.

seems to me like I can stay with infant milk and don't HAVE to change? Is that right?

Yup , until a year infant milk is fine