How did you decide which formula brand to use?

[oggybags]

I'm hoping to be able to bf with first baby due soon, but want to get a tub of formula for in the house just incase
I realise that I'd need level 1 new baby but is there much varience between brands? How did you choose your brand? I've looked at them all but can't see huge varience, & asked around new mum friends and it seemed pretty random!
Thanks

Best advice I ever heard (though I bf and have never bought formula in my life) was to get the one that's available from your local 24hr store. That way you know you can always get it.

Very little difference between brands.

Chose 1 that also came in ready mixed cartons as we travelled a lot.

I asked MWs in hospital after having DS. He rufused to latch on and never had anything for 2 days - MW reckoned SMA was the most popular, but she couldn't really reccommend one over another.
I think different babies suit different formula iyswim.
It might be better to wait and see how BF goes first and if needed DP or a friend could go and get formula?
Good luck with DC (I'm due DC2 in March) :)

I just followed what my SIL did, as she was the only person I knew who'd had a baby before me.
I used Aptamil but wish I hadn't now as it's just gone up to NINE BASTARD POUNDS a tin. Think the other brands are a bit cheaper. Different babies get on better with different brands, but if your baby seems happy on the one you start with, then stick with it, I'd say.
The hospital had Cow and Gate, Aptamil and SMA and it was a rough 3-way split I was told.

i used aptimil as the others seemed to upset my kids tummies.

Not much between any of them.

The brand I chose was the one I was familiar with from when my cousins were little - who says marketing doesn't work? Even on 8 year olds?

Now I'd go with the cheapest, most readily available make.

I used Cow & Gate because my mum had used it for all 4 of us.

I generally don't think there is much of a difference between them and I don't believe that any one of them is better than another.

I think it's best to try BF before buying any in because if it's there and you find it hard for a few days you are more likely to give up and reach for the tin, if you do decide to buy then I would agree to go for the one that most availoable to you nearby.

I picked Aptimal as it was the only ready made carton available at my local shop (was mix feeding so only one ff a day). However now the price has gone up so sharply I switched to SMA as it's much cheaper, ds didn't notice any difference.

The main difference imo is whether they contain DHA/ARA - although actually I think that most of them do now. Whether you think this is a good thing or a bad thing is another matter though.

I picked Aptamil as I liked the polar bear on the box!
it did sit on the side for a week while I worked up the nerve to move away from the boob. This was at 6 weeks but we'd been heavily brainwashed at antenatal that all ff was BAD! Now I know a happy mum is all that matters!

i tried all brands with ds. sma made him very windy and constipated, other brands he just didn't like and hipp was the only one he would take.

dd has had every brand (except sma) and has had no probs and guzzles them all down. she is mainly on cow and gate atm as she will only drink formula from ready made cartons and those are the cheapest brand in our local supermarket.

Hi Oggy,

I was wondering the same thing and have decided to buy a box of these:

www.boots.com/en/SMA-First-Infant-Milk-Starter-Pack-12-x-100ml_955186/

I like that I can have them on hand "just in case" and it means i don't need to buy bottles and theres no stress about sterilising. It off-sets the big price in my opinion.

HTH

I picked the shiniest tin - shiney must mean good? I hid it on the top shelf for ten weeks.

My boy was in SCBU so I just used what had been used there. :)

In hospital the midwife asked me which one i wanted (he had to be suplimented in the hosp) and I didn't know so she told me most of the muslim parents tend to go for cow and gate, so I just went with that. (it has halal logo on it so maybe that is why) but I would always stick with cow and gate now as i am used to it

Mw recommended aptamil. She said SMA often causes constipation.

I liked the little plastic bit in the cow and gate and aptalim box that means you dont have to use a knife, but I wasnt going to pay the extra for aptamil. Plus I could get hold of it easily, and the local chemist sold the little cartons.

second sma comment - my HV suggested it was not agreeable with all babies. If i cannot manage BF again this time round i think i would go for cow and gate.

I used the brand that most of my local shops/chemists stocked (didn't drive then) My 2 dds both took SMA and we never had any problems with it, am planning on using it again with dc3.

We tried all sorts!

DD1 was on SMA and she was the sickiest baby ever!

DD2 was on Farleys (now Heinz Nurture)

DS was cow & gate.

Of all 3 brands, cow & gate was the best by far!

My twins were fed SMA Gold. They were premature and were formula fed to keep the weight on and I expressed too. The hospital gave them SMA and I continued with that. I had one twin who suffered constipation constantly and the other twin was absolutely fine. If you want to buy a formula before hand I would suggest it's just one tin to see if it suits your baby and as already mentioned get a brand that you can pick up anywhere in any shape or form. So if you have a power cut you can grab a carton!

Unfortunately the law as it stands means that nobody can do any sort of comparison or recommendations of any particular brand.

Which? magazine, for example, wouldn't be able to scientifically compare the brands available on the market to identify which makes are better, contain superior ingredients, cause less problems (constipation etc), are best value etc etc.

So it's left to word of mouth, and generally people just use what their friends use, swapping brands only if they have problems. Gives the formula companies very little incentive for improving their recipes and making their formulas as safe and nutritious as possible.

Short of standing in the baby aisle of the supermarket armed with a scientific textbook and a calculator, there's not much we can do to work out which formula is best for our needs. All because such knowledge would allegedly compromise breastfeeding rates .

the rules surrounding formula manufacturing i think state that they all have to have the same ingredients, so one cant be recommended in favour of another, iyswim. I use Hipp, though, cos i though they were the most ethical one available.

I gave dd farleys (Heinz) and the next morning her face had swollen on one side. It probably wasn't related but it was the 1st time dh gave her a bottle as dd was breast fed and I needed a bit of sleep as I was unwell. We didn't try again until dd was 8 months and we went for Aptimil which dd liked as stayed down. I've heard mws say Aptimil's the best (although I know they're not supposed to).

I used Apramil once baby was 10 months and I was stopping b feeding. But did not buy any before baby was born. Did not occur to me.

A friend gave me a dummy for emergencies and I WISH she had not! I used it and it caused all sorts of sleep probs for us. I think better not to have it in your house because if you want to breast feed you are likely to have a few challenges in the early days and it's just easier to not be tempted!