Formula and manic baby

[WidgetWB]

Its a long old story this one, but a very short version is - I put ds3 on Aptimil at 10.30pm bottle for one feed per day. After three or four days there was a rash all over his head and he was getting progressively more alert and almost manic. He wasn't settling at night, waking up screaming for food, rigid, unbendable, frantic tossing of head, scratching his ears, etc etc. The rash went, as did the other symptoms when I stopped formula. I then tried Goats Milk which did the same thing but not to quite the same extent - but I only did it for three days because someone told me it was bad for their kidneys and lacking in vitamins and folic acid and had been banned in this country and US. I would have carried on if it had worked, but it didn't.

We are now totally breast fed again which is fine but he is 11 weeks old and I have two other kids to sort out and get to school etc, and it takes a long time to breast feed him.

There are so many suggestions, omneo comfort, lactose free, pepti junior, I don't know which one to try first.

I was really wondering if anyone has had similar experiences with their baby and if they resolved it?

Please help - I am going round in circles and its taking a long time to sort out as I don't know where I am going. Every time i research one thing or the other it comes up with negatives which makes me doubt my theories. The docs and health visitors are useless, they want me to go to pepti junior which I think is mad as its just assuming he is allergic to cows milk which may not be the problem.

I can't cope with my baby being so frantic when he is usually so calm and smiley and lovely!

Hi there

I had a similar problem with my little one who is 9 weeks. He did not have a rash but all the other symptoms. I know you say that you think that they are mad in assuming he is allergic to cow's milk, but I think you should give it a try. I was allergic to cow's and goat's milk as a child and I was covered in rashes and eczema. My little on has been prescribed Nutramigen 1 which is still a cow's milk formula but the protein molecules are broken down so that it is easier to digest - he is still not entirely free of discomfort, but far more settled than he was. I would go back to the doctor if I was you and try one of the other formulas. I do sympathise with you as I breast fed for 5 weeks but ended up going on to formula as it was so demanding of my time. Best of luck x

Widget, I may be missing something here, but if your baby is happy on breastmilk, and unhappy on anything else, why introduce the anything else??

The baby still has to be fed, bottles have to be prepared, milk has to be bought, water has to be boiled....I don't see the saving in time of one bottle.

I know Tiktok, you are so right, it does seem madness, but I am going on holiday for a week without him or would be if I wasn't feeding him and I don't really love breast feeding. The thought of doing it for a year fills me with horror!

Katie - think I will try Pepti Jnr as I have been prescribed it and see what happens.

Anyone else out there have any suggestions?

also - is pepti junior still made with cows milk like nutramagen?