Cow & Gate vs Aptamil

[larnieperty89]

Hello I wonder if any of you lovelies can offer me some advice. My baby girls is 4 months old & has been having Aptamil Anti Reflux milk since she was 2 months & has got on well with it. I have heard that Cow & Gate are made in the same factory & is basically the same milk. Why then is Aptamil more expensive? Can anyone shed any light on this? The ingredients on the back of each box at a glance look the exact same...
Thanks

They are the same - they admitted it back in 2012, when there was a formula shortage and said you could swap between the two without a problem because they were the same, so to buy whichever you could get your hands on.

They are made by the same parent company, in the same factory, using the same ingredients. They are then branded as two brands, one being the cheapest and one being the most expensive on the market. This gives them the largest market share of customers.

Be that as it may, DD1 was fed on Aptamil. DD2 started on C&G and was stupendously sick on it all the time. Swapped her to Aptamil and she was happy as Larry. Go figure! I was furious and more skint!

There is a slight difference, the ingredients are the same but one is present in a greater quantity than in the other, they both have a 24/7 helpline btw.

My DD had very runny stools on c&g less so on aptimil and was constipated on sma.

People say they are the exact same but my DS was on the Aptimil anti reflux too. They were out of stock in the supermarket one day so I bought the cow & gate and it made him really ill. The consistencies of the anti reflux formulas are different too.

By law they all have to use the same ingredients in the same amounts. Formula is quite highly regulated in this country. If there is ever evidence that one brand is better/healthier than another, the government just tells all the other companies to meet the higher standard.

Different brands are there to get more money out of parents, because many of us will naturally pay as much as we can afford to do the best we can for our babies. With Aptamil you are paying extra just for the middle class branding. It takes the piss.

BTW the government scientific advisors have been saying for years that all the 'special' formulas should be banned because they work, just make parents worry unnecessarily there is something wrong with their baby.

"BTW the government scientific advisors have been saying for years that all the 'special' formulas should be banned because they work, just make parents worry unnecessarily there is something wrong with their baby"

I love to see a link to these "government scientific advisers" and their advice if you don't mind.
I presume as you can quote them, that you have access to the research? My son was on a combination of two different types of medication for almost a year under the care of a paediatrician for his awful reflux and the thickened reflux formula enabled us to wean him off the drugs. Your post seems to suggest that these "special" formulas aren't actually necessary.

Yes I had thought they were the same but just confused about the price. I did probably what a lot of parents did & bought Aptamil thinking it would be the better quality - sucker!!
Thank you for all your helpful responses

They don't taste the same...

They don't smell the same either. DD has had C&G since birth but when I forgot her milk recently I 'borrowed' some Aptimil from a friend. It had a distinctive fishy smell to it that the C&G doesn't.

Dd happily switched to c and g when I realised Aptamil was £2 more expensive for no earthly reason. I think it just aims its marketing very much at middle class parents and the higher price tag makes it more appealing to them as it must be a 'premium' product. So it's win win for Aptamil. I am thoroughly middle class and never came across a single ff parent who didn't use Aptamil.

BeakyMinder, the government advisers (SACN - Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) criticised 'night time' milks several years ago, but I don't think they have a position on specialist formulas like the anti-reflux milks.

The ingredients of formula don't have to be exactly the same. They have to include certain ingredients by law, and within certain parameters, but the exact amount and exact formulation are not specified. I don't think the current law has powers to make manufacturers produce an identical product, and evidence that one brand is better or healthier than another is just not available. All brands currently approved of in the UK match the international 'Codex' and are considered safe, and that includes the specialist formulas.

The difference between Cow&Gate and Aptamil (standard formula, not the 'specialist' ones) is small, but it apparently exists and you can compare the proportions of them by reading the list of ingredients on the pack. They are not permitted to claim that one is healthier/safer/better than the other in their marketing, but there is a marketing difference, with Aptamil's packaging and PR aimed firmly at mothers who start off breastfeeding. No reason to assume that this reflects the contents difference, though....it really is just marketing.

www.firststepsnutrition.org/pdfs/Infant_Milks_June_2015.pdf hot off the press - an impartial guide :)

I think it's true that they are made by the same people and have different target markets so aptamil is essentially a rip off.
However I tried my 2nd baby on c&g to try and save some £ but he seems reallyrefluxy on it-
On aptamil no problem

Sorry - just checked my info in that link, and the anti-reflux formulas come under different regulations as foods for specific medical purposes, and so ingredients are not subject to the same legislation as standard formulas.

I've been working with babies and children for over 15 years. My experience is that Aptamil is better to use.
All the babies who were given Cow&Gate were windy, sicky. The Aptamil babies weren't as sicky at all.
Also, if you doubt that there is a difference, why not taste it? I always taste whatever I give to the children, Aptamil has definitely a better taste.

Just read this thread and I'm astonished! I just assumed that Aptamil was the more premium product hence the price and obviously like every parent I just want the best for our little one and that included his formula. Wow!