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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Picking holes in all formula

40 replies

Chica1990 · 22/08/2021 10:09

Hello everyone!

I'm due my first baby next month and am planning to breast feed but wanted to pick a back up formula, just in case. The problem is I think I am massively overthinking it and picking holes in every formula I come across!

I really would prefer to have a variation that comes with ready made sterilised bottle with teats which probably limits me more. I have looked at the below:

Aptimal: I was always drawn to this but am put off by the palm oil, isn't there massive fuss around palm oil?
Hipp: says organic palm oil. What are people's thoughts of palm oil in formula?
Cow and Gate: no palm oil but saw they use soy in their formula. When doing a fertility diet before it was recommended to avoid soy as it can effect hormones (something like that) so don't love the idea of it in formula.

It's a shame kendamil don't have ready made bottles as I think that would be the one for me.. please feel free to correct me if they do!

Interested to hear people's thoughts? Thanks I'm advance

OP posts:
Dashdotcom · 22/08/2021 11:12

We’ve tried all 3.
Cow and gate and aptimil are apparently the same company/manufacturers- cow and gate made my baby really windy as it’s quite frothy if made from powder
Hipp he likes, box is annoying though. Others are in a tub whereas hipp is in a bag inside a box.
If it was me I wouldn’t overthink it, try one, if baby doesn’t like then try another. They’re all regulated so basically pretty much almost identical anyway

Seeline · 22/08/2021 11:26

I think you will find that baby will decide which one they prefer. If they will take a bottle.

Pre-made in bottles will work out very expensive if you end up having to use them a lot so don't worry about that.

OiPanda · 22/08/2021 11:29

Is the premade bottles for when you're in hospital? If so then I'd just pick one and accept its for your your back up plan. If you're thinking more longer term then I think you'd be better off buying reusable bottles and sterilising them. Then you can choose the formula you prefer.

PeasPeasPeasAreGoodForYou · 22/08/2021 11:31

Don't over think it, they are more or less all the same.
As pp long term your best buying bottles and the powder.
Premade are great for the hospital but that's the only time we used them and used MAM bottles when we came home.

OiPanda · 22/08/2021 11:32

You can get bags you put in the microwave to sterilise bottles if you just wanted something on standby rather than buying a big steriliser unit.

hauntedvagina · 22/08/2021 16:10

@OiPanda

You can get bags you put in the microwave to sterilise bottles if you just wanted something on standby rather than buying a big steriliser unit.
Great idea. You could also get a couple of Mam bottles as they are self sterilising so no need for anything other than a microwave.
Thesearmsofmine · 22/08/2021 16:13

Just pick that that you can buy in your nearest shop and then your baby will let you know if they are happy with it.

SoupDragon · 22/08/2021 16:14

I think I would forget the "pre-made bottle" criteria and pick one that is readily available from my nearest 24 hour shop.

Twizbe · 22/08/2021 16:23

By law all formula is nutritionally the same. It really doesn't matter which one you pick.

Get the cheapest and easiest to get.

If you plan to breastfeed just get one starter pack in just in case. Any more could be a waste.

Blabbyoak · 22/08/2021 18:46

We use aptamil Pro futura. I find it far less sticky when cleaning the bottles and it never blocks the valves or teats in the bottles we use. I found the normal aptamil keeps clogging the teats.

SparkyBlue · 22/08/2021 18:57

Honestly don't overthink it. I've found cow and gate worked best with mine but it's basically all the same. I did find Mam bottles great I used them on DC3 and they were far better than the avent ones I used on my older DC. They were recommended to me by a nurse in the nicu and they were amazing.

ActonSquirrel · 22/08/2021 19:01

That is horribly wasteful. The teats etc are used once and thrown away. All that plastic.

Buy the ready made formula if you must and reusable bottles.

Verbena87 · 22/08/2021 19:09

If you’re planning to breastfeed I would honestly take the advice above of go for what’s easily available from home, then invest this level of thought/energy in identifying good local breastfeeding support instead (so helpline, local groups, do you have a la leche league support worker nearby, can you get a couple of home visits from a breastfeeding support worker, can you go to a group before birth so you can see mums feed and chat things through?) - I had awesome support from midwives before leaving hospital, then used a local group plus helpline, and it was brilliant. Friends who had less early support had less of an easy journey.

8dpwoah · 22/08/2021 19:10

I'm replying on the assumption that you only want the premade with tests for your hospital bag in case BF doesn't start well while you're in..in which case you may not even need them so i wouldn't fret too much.
Last time we took SMA because it was easy to get, we never used all of them before their date. This time I've got a box of Hipp Organic but as others have said they are all nutritionally the same and it's a small amount for a specific job.

If you were posting about choosing a formula to use daily then that would be well worth taking feedback but for half a dozen bottles of 'just in case juice' to tide you over in hospital if you need it you won't go far wrong with any of the ones that you can get off the shelf.

Givemebackmylilo · 22/08/2021 19:12

Baby will decide 😅

C&G made DS poorly, Aptamil was great

MuchTooTired · 22/08/2021 19:15

We used sma. They do pre made bottles too.

Reason for picking it:

Pre made bottles for hospital
I was fed it as a baby
They stocked it at my local convenience store
I could buy it on amazon prime

I’d never intended to FF, but had some just in case - my friend told me her hospital didn’t have formula in (very pro BF) and if you needed formula you had to supply your own so I’d bought some just in case.

orishan · 22/08/2021 19:26

The regulations on formula are extremely strict so they're almost identically made. The biggest priority should be which you can get easily (and cheaply) from your nearest supermarket so that you know you can always get the one you need if your baby is fussy (mine will only drink hipp, will spit out anything else).

FTEngineerM · 22/08/2021 19:32

It depends really, are you avoiding palm oil in your food too?

Organic palm oil and palm oil with still have the same forest destroying properties (if that’s what you’re worried about).

Just try one, see if they like it. Can always switch after.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 22/08/2021 19:36

I never had any formula as a back up for any of mine. 2 breastfed with no issues. Twins had some issues and hospital wanted me to top up with formula for a short time, which they provided. Perhaps that's changed now with covid, but I also wouldn't invest too much time and energy in your back up plan personally. The advice to locate local breastfeeding support for back up is good, and also speak to your hospital so that you know who the breastfeeding support people in there are and can request them by name should you need to.
Good luck.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 22/08/2021 19:37

I used Aptamil as that is what they used in the hospital for prem babies so I continued with it.

NavigationCentral · 22/08/2021 19:39

This really is not an issue.

Your baby will decide what formula they like. Or if they consume formula alongside breast. Or if they have a super specific allergy that demands prescription formula.

Mine are 5 years and 1 year and I remember the desire to plan and prepare being extreme in my first pregnancy.

Starjammer · 22/08/2021 19:41

Our hospital had formula if you were establishing breastfeeding and needed to supplement for whatever reason. They had loads of different kinds - you just asked for what you needed. They only didn't provide it if you were formula feeding from the outset as planned, as obviously you were expected to bring your own in that case.

Anyway I wouldn't overthink it. We cup and syringe fed anyway to start with when we needed to supplement breastfeeding, so the teats were useless, and then when we had moved on to the occasional bottle top-up, it was easy just to pour it into a bottle. If you are only topping up, then the ready-made ones are fine, but if you are breastfeeding at the same time, you probably want a better teat than the ones on the premade bottles. And if you go exclusively formula feeding then you don't want to buy premade as it's expensive. So I'm not sure the teats are really worth it.

LavenderPink · 22/08/2021 19:43

If you want the formula the hospital provide while you establish BF then you might have to ask for it. My hospital weren't allowed to suggest it.

hemhem · 22/08/2021 19:48

If your objections to palm oil and/or soy are environmental (rainforest destruction due to overfarming and massive airmiles transporting from tropics to northern hemisphere countries) then please please rethink your approach to planning ahead with formula as a back up. Ready made bottles will create a mountain of unrecyclable single use plastic. How much do you actually want to breastfeed, maybe focus on that instead, like if you're 50/50 then plan for formula but at least make it with reusable bottles from the big tubs

Justgettingbye · 22/08/2021 21:08

I've used aptamil and cow and gate.

I got sucked into the 1st time mum trap of Aptamol being closer to breast milk 🤦‍♀️ have used cow and hate with my second. Had no issues with either.

Our health visitor said that they are made by the same people and it's just branded to suit certain cliques. I'd say c and g as it's cheaper!