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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Best formula milk....

56 replies

Harrysmom · 25/01/2005 20:00

Hi everyone. Which formula milk is the best on the market? My HV recommended SMA Gold. Also, do you think its a good idea to switch to follow on milk at 6 months for the extra iron? would appreciate your advice ta

OP posts:
auntymonkey · 26/01/2005 16:11

Used Hipp Organic from birth - never had any problems and didn't bother with follow-on milk as was told it was just a marketing ploy. Felt happier knowing it was organic as well. Switched to cows milk at 12 months with no problems either.

eidsvold · 26/01/2005 20:58

aptamil here too... recommended to me by head of neonatal unit after dd was born and I was not able to feed her and had trouble expressing enough ( long story)

yes aptamil is made by milupa.

aptamil first ( blue carton from memory) was suitable up to 12 months or you could change to the forward which was the follow on milk. From memory I changed dd onto the follow on milk around 8 months.

MummytoSteven · 28/01/2005 13:50

used SMA Gold from birth. never followed to change to follow on as DS is happy on SMA Gold. I have asked the iron/follow on question on here before - and was told that the extra iron in follow on is mainly not in a form that a baby can process - i.e. there is very little difference in the iron the baby can use between ordinary formula and follow on so no need to change just to give the baby more iron.
hth

biglips · 28/01/2005 14:00

im on white sma as baba was always hungry before so i switched from gold sma to white sma when baba was 8 weeks old. white sma got more fat content than gold sma

tiktok · 28/01/2005 14:12

Who told you that, biglips?

Fat content in both is identical see here

Diff is the way the protein is made up: white is mainly casein, which is 'tougher' and takes longer to break down in the baby's stomach.

busyalexsmummy · 28/01/2005 14:29

sma gold-whey based
sma white-casein based
you can tell the difference when you look at the texture of the powder in the tin

I would recommend anyone who wants to put their baby onto hungrey baby milk-go see your m/w h/v beforehand, as babies tend to be a lot more colicy on it.

littlerach · 28/01/2005 14:36

Aptimil gets my vote.
We were advised it was best for DD1, prem, so used it fot DD2 too.
Don't really know anyone who has used follow on milks.

mears · 28/01/2005 15:05

None of the standard formula milks are any closer to breastmilk than the other. It really is personal preference at the end of the day. Our unit uses Aptamil in the babycare unit probably because it was the first one to have LCP's in it and it doesn't smell as much when vomited. They all have LCP's in it and there is national guidance about what should be in formula milks as a minimum.

Definately no need for follow-on milk at all.

mears · 28/01/2005 15:07

Forgot to say the ward provide 4 milks

SMA, Farley's ,Aptamil and Cow & gate premium.

Health professionals should not be advising which formula to use as one is not better than the other.

biglips · 28/01/2005 15:11

tiktok - i did asked the Hv if babas old enough to go on to white sma when she was 8 weeks old as white can sit on her belly better than gold which i agree.

tiktok · 28/01/2005 15:41

biglips, both white and gold are suitable from birth so 8 weeks is also suitable for white....as mears says, it's personal preference really, and trial and error sometimes to find which suits a baby better.

mears · 28/01/2005 17:24

Also meant to say all milks supplied at hospital are are first milks i.e. SMA Gold, Farley's first, cow&gate premium, aptamil. These milks have LCP's wheras the second milks did (?do) not. That may have changed. Really it is best to avoid milks for hungry babies if at all possible because they do invariably cause constipation, even though they say they are suitable from birth.

mears · 28/01/2005 17:31

|link{http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=302&id=1721\LCPinfo}

I think Farley's claims their second milk for hungry babies is the only one to have LCPs in it.

Original poster
Harrysmom · 30/01/2005 20:33

Well, I switched DS over to Aptamil 5 days ago now, and no problems, he likes it, seems to finish the bottle whereas he used to leave a couple of ounces of SMA sometime - still has constipation though.... Hes doing several little "nuts" all day, but no big one! and eating loads of solid food, fruits veg, prunes etc.

OP posts:
sophieht · 12/02/2005 21:02

I currently b/f & am returning to work. I'm going to continue to b/f 1st thing in am & last thing at night. I want to know which formula is best to use for the feeds in between. Can anyone help?

pinkmagic1 · 12/02/2005 21:16

I used SMA Gold for the first 6 or 7 weeks then switched to SMA White. When my son was about 7 months I then switched to the follow on milk as like someone else mentioned it is often on offer.
I have had no problems with him at all and my only reason for choosing the brand in the first place is because it is well known.

sophieht · 12/02/2005 21:23

Thanks. My ds is 3 months old. Will it do you know if it will change his nappy contents much?

pinkmagic1 · 12/02/2005 21:32

I did not breatfed for long as I found it very difficult. The only difference I noticed between the poo was it became firmer on the formula.

sophieht · 12/02/2005 21:38

ok. DS manages to take a bottle well, I'm worried that he'll not like the taste of formula, do you know if it's very different?

pinkmagic1 · 12/02/2005 21:41

First time I offered the formula my son drained the bottle. Not sure if it tastes the same as breastmilk but it smells disgusting!

sophieht · 12/02/2005 21:48

Nice look forward to that smell. Thanks for your help, appreciate it

suzanneme · 13/02/2005 23:36

We were told (in a whisper) on SCBU that Aptamil is closest to breastmilk. And we changed to Aptamil Forward at 6 months for the extra iron (cheaper too, so worth doing!!)

hercules · 14/02/2005 13:34

None are closer than anyother. Also follow o n isnt cheaper as you use more. It's a marketing ploy. Baby cant absorb the extra iron anyway.

tiktok · 14/02/2005 13:53

Healthcare professionals are targetted heavily by the makers of Aptamil - there is absolutely no independent evidence that Apatmil is closer to breastmilk than any other formula, but HCPs are apparently told this verbally by reps (it's not in their written material or their ads - would not be allowed as they can't back it up!).

suzanneme · 15/02/2005 23:05

Hercules, babies can and do absorb the extra iron - studies (one recently in the British Archives of Disease of Childhood, for example) have shown that children on iron-fortified milk have higher levels of iron and haemoglobin in their blood. Can dig you out the exact ref (and more if you like) if you'd like to see it. It doesn't follow that this is always necessary, but toddlers do get anaemia and this seems a reasonable safeguard to me if you're bottlefeeding anyway.