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

Aptimal have a deliberate policy of being more expensive in order to be perceived as better. Aptimal and C&G are made by the same people.

It may be best to buy a ready made carton if its only for emergencies. Once you open a tin it only lasts a few weeks. If you do want to bf then there is a good chance that you will be able to with good support. You can contact your local bf support before you have the baby so you will know who to call on if you have any problems.

We kept two cartons in the cupboard for bf emergencies, so glad we did. DS wouldn't feed in hopsital and was given formula as had not fed all day. Had 1 succesful bf in hospital, sent home, that night could not get him to feed, so did use it. Went on to bf for 4 weeks and wish it had been longer but we needed that carton on the 1st night.

Oh and I second what MrsAlankey said, i wish i had a number to hand when bf all got too much. Am going to have a list compilied and contacted before this one arrives!

Aptamil and Cow and Gate are both made by Danone. If you check out the list of ingredients on the pack they are exactly the same. The difference is Aptamil is about £1 more expensive. The reason for this is that they want to keep the 2 brands seperate as they appeal to 2 different types of families. People thinking they must be buying the best as it's the most expensive and people with less money who choose the cheaper option. The contents are the same so go for Cow and Gate if you were going to buy either of them.

I tried Aptamil, Cow and Gate and SMA with DS. (Before realising Aptamil and Cow and Gate are the same) and the Aptamil/C&G were perfect for DS. SMA made him so constipated, the HV agreed that this seems to be a common problem with SMA.

aptamil seems the most popular with mums I know, and my son certainly did well on it. I have heard that SMA can cause constipation too.

thanks so much for all your replies & suggestions - I think I will either get a starter pack, or a couple of ready made cartons.... seems so strange that washing powders can be compared yet something health related cant - understand they're not allowed to push ff over bf but surely independants such as which?, NCT, good housekkeping institute & mumsnet should be able to do thorough research!!

I used SMA because that's the only one I had heard of (there were a few very old tins kicking around my Dad's garage left over from when I was small). Worked great for DD1. Then used it with DTs. However after a recent operation DT1 went off his milk so we bought every range in the premade cartons to see what he liked. Went with Cow and Gate in the end. However I had assumed they all tasted the same, but SMA is REVOLTING! and cow and gate is Yum. Much more like breastmilk taste in my opinion. However didn't seem to make any difference to DD1 who was the one who was combination fed

All formulea are nutritionally complete in the sense that they all have what they need to have to be legally sold, so they can be only distinguished by the marketing of a few added ingredients. If any of these extras had unequivically proven benefits then they would become required ingredients in all formulea. Historically there is a danger of following food fashion when it comes to feeding babies such as in the 70s when people were recomended to cut out salt and babies became ill due to chloride deficiancy.
The added ingredients would need to be tested in numerous studies looking for numerous variables before anyone could really truly say X is better than Y.

Formula manufactures aren't even all that concerned if their product can claim to be better than someone elses. Most people use what their friends/sisters use and what is readily available. how formula advertising works

The tins of SMA in my Dad's garage were full of nails and screws by th way! I didn't use 30 year old formula that had been kicking around the garage!

the empty metal SMA containers are great for storing random stuff!

DS had SMA - can't remember why we chose that brand but he was fine on it. I would recommend getting some in the house for when you are first home - my milk took a while to come in and at 3am on our first night home DP had to go out and forage for milk for him because he wanted more than I could give him. I remember holding him and crying because he was wailing and I couldn't give him what he needed for 30 mins!