Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

Formula or follow on milk... I'm confused !

17 replies

mumtosp · 06/06/2013 17:09

Hi all,

DS is almost 8 mo and I've been thinking of weaning him off the breast during the day. I will continue to feed him first thing in the morning and also at night. I'll be back at work full time in 2 months and hence need him to stop relying on me for day time feeds. He has 3 meals a day, but isn't great with snacks and would rather have a feed.

Since we have always ebf, I have no idea whether I should go with formula or follow on milk? Also, which brand ?? DS has pretty bad eczema, so I am also concerned about him being allergic to one of these brands...

Thanks in advance for all your help :)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

WoTmania · 06/06/2013 17:34

follow on milk is a marketing strategy - they banned the advertising of infant formula so suddenly they created 'follow on' formula to get round the rules. So in short, it doesn't make much difference.

Have you tried called a BF helpline? LLL, NCT, BfN, ABM all have BFCs who could talk to you about going back to work and how you can do that and breastfeed,
The 'breastfeeding and work' meeting is one very well attended at the LLl group I go to. Could be something similar near you or you coudl just go along and chat and see if there are other mothers who've been in the same situation.

KatAndKit · 06/06/2013 22:46

At 10 months I reckon you may be able to get by without formula - he may up his snacks because you are not there and then make up for the milk when he is at home with you. If you do need to leave milk I would go for first milk rather than follow on but that is because I don't believe in follow on milk being necessary. Has he had any dairy products yet such as cheese or yoghurt or cows milk in cereal? If he tolerates dairy he probably won't be allergic to formula.

A lot changes in 2 months with babies so wait and see where you are at nearer the time.

HPsauceonbaconbuttiesmmm · 07/06/2013 08:44

Doesn't really matter but aptimil is said to be closest in taste to breast milk. I used aptimil follow on and had no problems with it. You often get offers on follow on that don't come up on first milk! And fwiw at this stage I'd go straight to a cup rather than have to get rid of bottles later.

I ebf my DS til 6m then went back to work so I started introducing a sippy cup from 3months with expressed milk. He got this well by 5-6m and I swapped to aptimil follow on. No problems.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting

JiltedJohnsJulie · 07/06/2013 22:18

I went back at 10 months and mine were bf morning, on pick up and bedtime. They just had a little full fat cows milk while I was at work.

Agree that talking to a BFC would be useful. She should be able to help you with a return to work plan

Original poster

mumtosp · 14/06/2013 09:52

I spoke to a BFC who said that I should try and pump at work, but if I find that too difficult then feeding DS morning and night should be fine and the rest of the time he can be on formula...

She said that I shouldn't bother with follow on milk and just use the 1st formula... I'm confused - I thought I need to be on follow on milk or at least 2nd or 3rd formula milk as they provide extra nutrients that DS will need... am I missing something ??

OP posts:

ilovepowerhoop · 14/06/2013 09:56

first milk is fine for the whole of the first year but you can use follow on if you wish. I did swap to follow on milk but only because it was a bit cheaper and not to do with spurious claims about extra iron and vitamins (which they will get from food anyway).

JiltedJohnsJulie · 14/06/2013 18:45

I'd stick with first milk. The NHS don't recommend follow on and it was only invented so that the formula companies could get around the advertising law and make sure their brands are recognised

brettgirl2 · 15/06/2013 14:56

The big advantage of follow on is that you can get clubcard points and it is often reduced. It also doesn't have a government health warning on the side.

Original poster

mumtosp · 22/06/2013 11:35

Question on making up formula milk - is it necessary to use only cooled boiled water ? Since my DS (8.5 mo) has started filtered tap water, can't I just use his drinking water to make up his feed ??

OP posts:

delasi · 22/06/2013 11:44

Formula should be made with water over 70C - this is to kill bacteria in the formula itself and not necessarily about making the water sterile as some people think.

As for first infant vs follow on, we've used Hipp first infant from birth so when DS approached 6mo I compared it with the Hipp follow on ingredients and quantities and decided that follow on would be fine - I considered it purely for being cheaper but wanted to feel confident that it wasn't going to be worse somehow!

ilovepowerhoop · 22/06/2013 11:45

you are supposed to use freshly boiled water that has not gone below 70°C so it can kill the bacteria present in the formula powder. You could use the filtered water but would have to boil it first as the issue is with the powder not the water

KatoPotato · 22/06/2013 11:51

I would recommend follow on milk as you can receive and use clubcard/advantage card points and redeem them which you can't with first milk.

delasi · 22/06/2013 11:51

Forgot re: your original question: DS also has eczema but Hipp hasn't made it worse (I incorrectly put he was ff from birth, technically it has been from 2wo, he had rashes from birth). I know a lot of people who think Hipp is more 'sensitive' in this regard, but every baby is different. If you decided to go with formula you could buy a box on offer or a couple of ready-to-feeds to see how you go. If there's a reaction then you can speak to your GP in case there is a milk allergy, there is soy formula/non-cows milk formula and I believe you can get some on prescription (paediatrician discussed it with us briefly when determining if DS had an allergy, but didn't so never went down that route).

meditrina · 22/06/2013 12:02

As said above, follow on milk is a marketing ploy.

That said, it is sometimes cheaper so although I abominate the concept it might make sense to use it on cost grounds.

I think it has to be trial and error for which brands. Is there any way you can express for some of the bottle feeds? Is there somewhere private at work where you could pump during your lunch break?

JustTryEverything · 28/06/2013 20:35

If your little one is having 3 meals a day, (and is also a normal, very inquisitive bubba) I would suggest that everything that goes in his mouth is not 'sterile'!! - therefore I took the view (from stopping BF at about 8mo) that normal tap water is fine for milk. But different HV give different advice - personally I can't imagine more bacteria lurking in the tin of formula than in the everyday stuff that gets 'explored' with his mouth!

However, in terms of allergy stuff, most brands do a 'ready to go' carton for less than a quid so you could try him on one of them and then by the full tin if he seems ok on that.

JustTryEverything · 28/06/2013 20:35

*buy

Original poster

mumtosp · 30/07/2013 10:14

Thanks all :)
We started with Hipp first milk which DS took to very well, but we have noticed that on some occasions his eczema flares up after his feed. So we are thinking that it could be the soya in the first milk. (He recently tested positive to soya allergy)
So from today we have moved to HiPP follow on milk which doesn't contain any soya...

OP posts:

Flip