Quick vote for formula brands

[littleboyblue]

Hi. Just wanted to see which brand was most popular. Ds was on SMA Gold, but he was constipated, had very stubborn wind, suffered colic and had bad reflux.
I was told by hv that lots of babies have problems with SMA so wondered if it's worth trying a different brand with ds2

cow and gate organic was very good - when DS was a baby he hated aptamil and some of the others.

I am sure they are all fine but my baby very fussy and for somereason would turn his nose up at the rest!

No one else has mentioned it but maybe it's the cows' milk base he's reacting to rather than a particular brand?
My DS (now 16 months & thriving) was exclusively breast-fed til 9 months then I tried him on Nannycare goat milk formula (www.vitacare.com) for his bedtime feed & haven't looked back.
They also do a follow on/growing up milk & both are fortified. I consulted an NHS dietician & she said it was a very well balanced composition nutritionally-speaking.
Not sure how it compares price-wise to the others but if it agrees with your lo & keeps him healthy & therefore happy then it's worth it.
Maybe contact the manufacturer & ask for a sample (you can order directly from them with free UK delivery too).
Best of luck finding something that suits him.
MamaTama

Thanx Mama, baby's not here yet so just doing abit of forward thinking as obviously want to have milk here ready for arrival. I don't think it was allergies or anything like that that caused the probs with ds1 on sma as he's never shown any signs with anything else since, I had just heard from hv and others that they've known babies to have probs on sma that they haven't on other brands

i found SMA put alot of weight on my children, given that other ppl have mentioned constipation perhaps it was water retention?
oh well anyway when i switched to aptimil (sp?) this extra weight dropped off.
my HV said that aptimil is the better one cos it has something extra in it, that they have patented till 2010 so the other formulas cant use it.

dunno if this is true?

i think its trial and error to find a milk that suits your LO. with DS1, we started on SMA but he just vomited it all up so tried Aptimil. when i realised that aptimil and Cow &gate were the same thing (made in the same factory, same ingredients, same packaging, same helpline but £1 cheaper) i swapped and he was fine.

DS2 is breastfed with the occasional bottle. initially we tried cow & gate as his older brother was on it but he just brought it straight back up. he has Hipp organic when he does get formula and has no probs switching between that and breast milk

Used SMA as it's what I was raised on. No problems at all but A's never had more than 3 feeds in a row of it (and that only twice).

My local Sainsburys has SMA, Aptimil and C+G, and they're all the same price.

Well, I went to shops and had a look and have gone for C&G. Thanx for all your responses
Hopefully this baby will be happier on that than ds was on SMA

SMA here atm - but it does give him very firm poos, altho not constipated. A friend told me that SMA is owned by nestle - haven't confirmed this yet but if so I will switch. heard cow and gate are better. aptamil gave him explosive poo which is not great either.

I think SMA is Wyeth a pharamceutical company. I have used SMA with both my children to no ill effect. Aptimil is said to be the best, but I think it's all down to the region you live in and how hard the reps have lobbied your health authority. I chose my formula based on taste. I tried a few and thought it tasted the best. I do think that Aptimil makes fat babies, but have heard the same said of SMA!

I also heard that with SMA. When ds was very small and I was getting him weighed often, his growth chart was going up in a vertical line than following a curve! He came right off at one point, maybe that was the SMA

Who knows every baby is different! You and I could probably eat the same things, I might gain weight you might lose. Just one of those things!

My DDs didn't get on with SMA and disliked Aptamil (although my 1st choice). Used Cow and Gate and they do organic version too - and used it with all 4 when mixed feeding and it was great.

Probably wasp. It's interesting to see though how many families here didn't get along with SMA

Started DD on SMA and quickly changed to C&G

DS on C&G

I use Amptimal for my DD and never had any trouble.

Available in Sainsburys, tescos and boots.

We usually keep a few cartons as back ups in the cupboard and I always have one in my changing bag for emergencies... If the car breaks down ect. They are very handy to have.

DD has SMA Gold, which I introduced at around 5.5 months after being breastfed. She did and still does get a little constipated, but I thought that this was the change from breast to formula. Having the read the posts above, I think it may solely be down to the formula, so I may change it.

God, I feel like I've caused DD unnecessary suffering!

cow and gate comfort..less lactose than other "milks"

Another vote for Aptamil here.

SMA and Hipp Organic made my son's poos look like rabbit pellets.

pudding I'm sure you haven't, but this is why I wanted to use a different one with this baby, just in case.
FWIW, I had to switch ds's formula a few times due to his reflux, he was put on a prescription formula, and there were no problems with the switch over, just if you do decide to change, it shouldn't effect your dd too much

I tried a few on my DD including danish brands and she refused all but Hipp (which also tasted better to me).

They also have the Hipp gruel here (called vælling) which is given as a bedtime drink from 4 months to help babies sleep longer. She loves that too.