SMA Staydown / Anti-reflux formula

[owltrousers]

Hope its ok to post this here for traffic.

We've been using SMA Anti-reflux milk successfully since my DS was 3 weeks old. We never got a diagnosis of reflux due to being fobbed off my GP's but decided to try the milk and it was a game changer, all has been perfect since, he's now 9 weeks.
I recently purchased a job lot of 6 tins of the SMA Staydown from ebay thinking it was the same stuff - but it seems really bitty and thin - not thick like the newer stuff at all. Also you have to make it up strictly with cool water - whereas he always had his milk luke warm / room temp before and he's been really grisly and windy on it. I'm starting to think its just the thickness of the milk he gets on so well with.

Can anyone offer any advice about the differences in the milk? SMA only advise that anti-reflux can be used in place of staydown (which is discontinued now) but I suspect there are differences.

I don't have experience of these milks but if you find it's too thin you could try adding a thickener? We used to use Carobel, available over the counter, to make regular formula milk thick. You could make it really quite thick. I'm not sure if you're supposed to use it with pre-thickened milk though.

Hi @MinnieMousse thanks for that, I have heard of carobel but because my LO has been getting on so well with the anti-reflux milk I didn't want to change his milk again (we tried 4 different types to begin with!) and I know you can't use it with the staydown. Can I ask why you thickened the milk?

Making up formula with cool water? No no no. That is a dangerous practice.

Reflux! She was really bad. She was on ranitidine too which stopped the pain but she still threw up everywhere. The Carobel seemed to help to hold it down. She was just on regular aptamil but at 6 months was diagnosed with CMPI too and the Neocate milk was really thin so I used the Carobel a lot with that too.

@Grandmaswagsbag - Its how this formula is made. Its on the tin.

It’s flipin dangerous and I can’t believe they are allowed to print it on their tin, but the truth is you can’t trust anything on a formula tin, you need to get impartial advice. The formula is not sterile and can in some, admittedly rare, cases contain bacteria that could make your baby incredibly ill. Please don’t do it.

SMA Staydown has to be made with cooled boiled water and then you need to roll the bottle not shake it to mix it. I used it for my son who is now six. I would then reheat his bottle in a jug of boiling water. Was amazing for us for him.

It’s against the advice of every professional body to make up formula with cool water. EFSA, FSA, WHO. The risk is small but fatal in a number of cases and there have been contaminated batches of formula quite recently. If you’re doing this why even bother to sterilise the bottle? If you’re putting a non Sterile substance into it for baby to drink. Doesn’t make much sense does it so save yourself the bother? No thought not, as it’s an unpalatable thought. Formula is not sterile because it comes out of a tin and the nice people at SMA say it’s safe. First steps nutrition trust has some really good impartial reports of different formulas and how to make it a safe feeding practice.

@grandmaswagsbag thank you for your concern, I am already aware of everything you said but as I said in my first post - this is the only formula that works for us and it it only mixes properly with cool boiled water, so that's what we do.

Still hoping for more advice about the differences in the two formulas if anyone new pops along and happens to have any experience with them.

Sorry, I just assumed a parent couldn't be aware of this and still chose to ignore it. If you’re making an informed decision and want to risk it who am I to tell you otherwise.

Parents don't move to non-sterile milk as a quick decision. They do it when they feel they have no option because their baby might not be feeding properly, or gaining weight or reacting poorly to other meds etc. Try not to judge because if you haven't been in this situation the reality is you don't understand. If you found an alternate solution then you were never in the position where you felt you had no option. Of course all bodies recommend steralised milk and that's what you go for if you can. No you dont stop steralising bottles if you use non sterile milk because you do your absolute best to limit exposure where possible. Just as an FYI though, the milk we have been prescribed by our doctor (neocate) is prescribed to lots of babies with allergies and intolerance and it also isn't sterile. Parents can ring the helpline or write to the companies who can advice on additional ways to reduce risk i.e. if you have to prepare bottles, not to prepare too many in advance, the best way to warm them subsequently etc. To any parents and babies going through all these issues, it's horrible and of course you are doing your absolute best. Good luck to you all.