Readymade formula instead of powdered

[crumble797]

I had a very long and difficult birth and am now in the process of slowly recovering. I wasn’t able to breastfeed sadly and have been feeding my baby with the ready-made bottles of Aptamil formula. I know it’s a more expensive option than the powder, but I’m so tired and can’t face faffing around preparing the powdered formula at the moment.

Is it ok to feed baby (who’s now six weeks old) on readymade formula only or is the powdered stuff better for them?

DD has been fine until now, but during the last few days she’s started screaming halfway through her feed and doing huge burps when winded. She was drinking loads of milk last week but is taking smaller quantities this week. Could that be down to the heat and/or a growth spurt?

Also, when do babies’ digestive systems mature a bit and start to handle milk better? I hate seeing DD in distress during her feed and then straining to pass wind and poo!

Have you tried a soya alternative? Could be a dairy intolerance? We switched to soya formula and he did much better on it. Also, just curious as I struggled, why you can't breast feed? Sorry to pry!

It's fine to feed the pre made formula. It's identical to the powder just made up for you. If you can afford the extra don't worry about it.

Baby sounds a bit constipated. Have you had him checked out by the Dr? How are his nappys? Consistency of poo?

If he is struggling with wind try infacol or gripe water (check age suitability for gripe water on the bottle)

I know some people don't approve of them but I swear by my tommee tippee prep machine. Minimal faffing and perfect bottle In no time at all! X

Just in response to the above please do not feed your baby soy based milk. It is not advised for babies (especially male babies) under the age of one due to high levels of oestrogen.

I was going to suggest a perfect prep too. I loved ours but do some research and make sure that you are happy with what you read.

The ready made formula is fine and no different to powder so if you can afford it go for it. It just gets really expensive when baby is bigger and having more.

My DC are teens now, but I had to formula feed both of them. I was in hospital which each for a while and therefor they started out on the ready made formula provided by the hospital.

I tried to switch to the powder version of the same brand of formula when we went home, but neither tolerated it. They would vomit up the powder based formula soon after a feed but were absolutely fine on the ready made packs. I think the difference was the viscosity, as the ready made is much thicker.

It was bloody expensive but worth it as we had much happier babies, less crying and much less vomit!

Our tommee tippee perfect prep machine is such a lifesaver :) only problem is you can't make a bottle any smaller than 4oz but its especially good in the night so your baby doesn't have to wait long for milk. We found ready made formula made our little boy windy and more sick with it being so thin but if it suits your baby and its affordable for you then why not :D around 14 to 16 weeks their digestive system becomes a bit more mature well this is what I noticed with my little one anyway :) xx

I combi-fed DS, mostly breast really, but he still had one bottle a day from DH right from birth to 1 year, when he stopped wanting milk altogether. We tried the pre-made bottles, but for some reason they always made him sick, whereas the powdered formula went down no issues. We never did get to the bottom of why that was, but ended up buying a perfect prep machine in the end which was totally worth the money for the convenience.

Oh and also re resin burping halfway through a feed. It's really normal for a baby so small to need burping a few times a feed, particularly as they start to take more, their tummy's are small and feeds can take time. Both mine did not take a full feed uninterrupted until around 5months.

I also echo PP soy milk only on the advice of a doctor after a proper diagnosis of dairy allergy/intolerance.

Soya milk is not normally suitable for babies with CMPA and it’s not suitable for under 6 months.

Definitely consider a perfect prep.

Are you doing paced feeding?

I was using wysoy SMA from birth. My son was doing really well on it as he has an intolerance to cows milk, he's exclusively breastfed now.

There are advantages to the ready made stuff if you can afford it. It's potentially a bit safer than the powder because it's sterile and you can keep an open bottle in the fridge for 24 hrs. When the baby is drinking larger amounts you can buy it in 1 litre bottles.

I wasn't comfortable with the perfect prep machine because it makes bottles up with tap water, apart from the 'hot shot' at the beginning. Saying that, we always made bottles up in advance and kept them in the fridge, which others may not be comfortable with.

Do what you feel comfortable with and gives you the least faff in your circumstances. I also couldn't breastfeed as planned and it was a mad rush to get sorted with everything, so I totally understand your position.

For the pp who asked about failure to breastfeed, my baby was born with lip palsy and no suck reflex as a result of a botched forceps delivery. Everyone and his wife tried to get her to latch and I hand expressed colostrum to syringe feed her. In the end, bottle feeding was absolutely the right choice.

Hi OP. I also had a really difficult and long labour that resulted in an EMCS due to sepsis and also couldnt breastfeed as id planned too.

Ive been using the ready made SMA formula from very early on and really like it. I buy the 1lt bottles. My son is now 10 weeks old and ive had no issues with it. Like PP, I also make up bottles in advance either for the day or in the evening for the night.

We fed ready made since birth. DS is now 11 months. He's flourished!

Thanks so much for the replies. I thought it could be constipation or wind, but she's doing one poo every day or two at the moment and the consistency looks fine (like mustard, no hard pellets). She does seem to strain for ages though and cries while doing it. It's really horrible to see her in distress.

Also, I'm washing my bottles in the dishwasher after use, then sterilising. DH then makes up three or four bottles in advance and stores them in the fridge. Is it ok to make them up in advance? They're all consumed by DD within 24 hours.

I have some Infacol in the cupboard but haven't used it - perhaps I should give it a try. DD's six week check is coming up so I will speak to the doctor then as well.

There will be people that say its not OK to make the in advance but I do. I think if the milk is going from a sterilised container into another sterilsed container then there shouldnt be a problem. Ive been doing that for 2 months now and not had a problem. The only thing you shouldnt do re-use the same milk/bottle after 1hr if its been in the babies mouth.

Infacol helped us in the early days. We've stopped giving it to my son now as hes a bit bigger and wind seems to be less of a problem for him. He went through a stage of straining to do poos. At one point hes strain so much he'd vomit and poo at the same time 🤦‍♀️. Thankfully he just goes red in the face and poos now without added vom

I used to use the ready made for going out and the occasional night feed when I couldn’t be arsed to make a bottle up. If it wasn’t for the cost I would have used them all the time - it makes no difference to the baby from what I’m aware.

DH then makes up three or four bottles in advance and stores them in the fridge. Is it ok to make them up in advance? They're all consumed by DD within 24 hours.

It’s really not recommended, although that’s how most people used to do it - it’s unlikely to cause harm but I think it’s better to be as safe as possible especially when they’re still so young. Maybe get a prep machine for convenience - we never had one but it’s something I wished we’d had.

If you are using ready made then there is no point making up in advance. Sterilise the bottles and assemble them empty. When a feed is due, pour milk into a sterilised bottle and feed.

Ready made is more expensive but if you can afford it then its fine to use.

And soya formula isnt recommended as a 1st choice alternative to cows milk based formula so dont give that. Babies do put a lot of effort into pooing but it doesnt mean anything is wrong

Oh by ‘making up’ did you mean pouring the ready made into the bottles? I suppose there’s no harm in that if the bottles are sterile - the ready made bottles can be left open in the fridge for 24hrs from what I remember.

@Pinkblueberry we pour readymade formula into sterilised bottles then store in the fridge (with a sterilised lid over each of the teats). Is that ok safety wise?

If the bottles are sterile and the formula opened that day I don’t see why it wouldn’t be ok - I suppose there isn’t any commonly known guidance around that because most people don’t do it that way, they would just pour as needed. Is making them up before really more practical? I don’t see how time is being saved here, but I’m sure there’s no harm in it.

@crumble797 why can't you just pour it in before you feed. It really makes no difference time wise. Infact it's quicker because you don't have to heat it up

You do have to heat it up because the opened can of formula needs to be kept in the fridge. Either way you have to heat it up.

OP your way is exactly what I do.