Aptamil feeding guidelines a bit strange?

[StrawberryAddict]

Hi. Is anyone else puzzled by the feeding guidelines on Aptamil readymade milk compared with Aptamil powder?

For example for a 4 month old the guidelines on the powder suggest mixing 210ml (7oz) water + 7 scoops powder which makes up nearly 240ml (8oz) of milk in total.

The readymade for the same age group suggests only 210ml of the readymade milk.

We are told to follow the water/powder ratios carefully because making the mixture more concentrated will damage the baby?s kidneys etc but when I asked, Aptamil told me the readymade formula is simply more concentrated than the powder+water mixture. So the nutritional content of 210ml of the readymade is the same as 240ml milk made from powder.

Isn?t this a bit strange? Intuitively it just feels wrong that the readymade could be more concentrated and the baby is therefore expected to take a lesser volume (and less water) if they are fed on readymade.

I?m not sure I believe that the readymade is more concentrated. I think it?s more likely they have just messed up their feeding guidelines.

I looked at SMA and they advise 230ml readymade as an equivalent to 210ml water + 7 scoops of powder. This seems much more sensible and consistent.

Has anyone else noticed this?

hi, that does sound a bit strange. do they have the nutritional value on the package? like the calorie, fat etc per 100ml? you could see if they match

Great idea 1petshort. I hadn't thought of that.

Well surprise, surprise, the nutritional content information on the powder and readymade carton packaging is identical. So 100ml of milk made from powder is identical to 100ml readymade milk according to the labels.

Which means either the labels are wrong or the Aptamil people were talking b*llocks when they told me 210ml readymade has the same nutritional value as 240ml powder + water.

I'm really annoyed now. I don't like being lied to, especially when it's about something as important as feeding a baby.

I'm really tempted to go back to them and say if what they told me is true, their nutrition information labels are wrong. We'll see if they admit they misled me or acknowledge their labels are wrong.

I'm really not impressed.

Thats not good at all. Shame on them for lying to you. You oughta phone them back.
I use aptamil for my DD. I have noticed that the ready mix looks so much creamier than the powdered.

I wonder if they have realised this and are changing the packaging ?? I have been trying to get Aptamil ready made cartons for weeks now and they have been out of stock on Sainsbury's on line. I was in Asda today and the shelves were empty with a "Do Not Replenish" note on the shelf. There was plenty of ready made stage 2 and 3 though.

Oooh thats interesting Tills.
I'll have to check with work, I know the mothercare stores stock formula so there might be some email about it if it is being pulled.

Yes the readymade is looks creamier and thicker doesn't it Amazingbouncingferret- which is why I could almost believe it is a bit more concentrated. My son seems to really like the readymade. He would happily drink 210ml if that's all you offered him, but he would equally happily neck 240ml if you offered him that much, which is why I wanted to be clear on their guidelines.

Also why on earth do Aptamil only do 200ml cartons when their feeding guidelines for 4 months+ say to give 210ml per feed? Who is going to open 2 cartons for a feed and just take 10ml out of one carton and then chuck the remaining 190ml away? If you are out and about there's no way you can use that spare 190ml. Crazy.

Aptamil really haven't thought the whole readymade formula product through have they.

I hope the lack of cartons where Tillyscoutsmum is means they are revising the labelling and bringing in some 250ml cartons. But I doubt it somehow.

Will let you know what their answer to my query about the labelling being incorrect is....

Boots still have the cartons available online if you are running low Tillyscoutsmum.

www.boots.com/en/Aptamil-First-RTF-Milk-200ml_42052

Thanks Strawberry

The extra volume created by the mixed up stuff is simply the volume of powder you've added, plus froth and air from shaking it through mixing.

I really wouldn't worry about it. Babies don't drink exact quantities anyway, they just take as much as they need.

Zebedee, I'm not worried - I just think Aptamil should be honest with their customers and should have accurate nutritional information about their product on the label. As far as I am aware nutritional information is tightly regulated.

Of course the extra volume comes from the powder...I'm well aware of that, it's not froth and air.

All I am saying is that Aptamil say in their nutritional information that 100ml of readymade is nutritionally exactly the same as 100ml of milk made from powder and water but yet they advise you to give a smaller volume of readymade to your baby than the volume of milk you would give them made from powder and water. So if their labelling is correct, giving a smaller volume means you are giving your baby less nutrients, calories, fat, protein etc if you follow the feeding guidelines. Maybe I'm on my own on this, but that just sounds like a completely insane thing to want to be doing! Which is probably why other formula manufacturers seem to recommend a higher volume of their readymade is given than the volume of water alone that you'd mix with the powder.

Granted for an individual feed it's a small difference but over a day, week, month I think it's something I would want to be aware of. If you believe the labelling and add the figures up, to me it looks like feeding your baby on readymade gives them about 10% less nutrients than feeding them on the advised equivalent volume of milk made from powder.

So something is incorrect. Or I am going mad.

I know feeding babies isn't an exact science, but aren't we entitled to have accurate and consistent information about what's in the carton?