Formula feeding questions!

[kidsareok]

Hi! FTM here and 35 weeks. Hoping to breastfeed baby but also looking at formula just incase I need to go down that route! Just wondering if anyone can recommend the best formula? Also, how many tubs per week would you say are needed for a newborn? Also - is a prep machine worth it? Thanks in advance!

Buy whatever formula is readily available nearby. We used Cow & Gate as it was the easiest to find in our stores.

1 tub was enough in the early days as they take little and often then progressed to about 1.5 per week from about 3 months.

We didn't have a perfect prep machine and probably wouldn't bother with one now as I really didn't find it any hassle but I know lots who love them so it depends if you have space/spare cash for it.

Hi! I started off BF but after 4 weeks it wasn't for me so moved to formula.

I think, unfortunately your question is impossible to answer! It's like asking which is the best type of apple-everyone has different tastes and the same applies for babies!

My DS started on aptimil but it made him constipated and we then realised he had silent reflux so needed something specific for that. We moved to HIPP anti reflux (the packaging and storage is not very user friendly). DS had terrible diarrhoea at first but we stuck with it. He was then much better and on that for 4 months.

There was then a supply issue so we were forced onto SMA anti reflux which he happily drank so we stuck with that as it was easier to dispense.

Other babies have been fine on Aptimil. Some mothers swear by SMA Gold. One fussy baby I know of will only take Asda own brand!

I wouldn't worry too much in advance. Perhaps have something in the cupboard for those just in case occasions and work from there.

And the prep machine is a life saver for the middle of the night feeds! But it is loud so we kept it upstairs but not in the room with the baby.

Good luck!

It's tightly regulated so not lots of different in the main brands. I'd say use what you can find easily.

We used a mix of ready made and powder to start with - there's a fair bit of waste to start with as they only gave tiny amounts. By about 3/4 months in we used one tub a week plus ready made bottles when we were out. It's not cheap.

I'm a huge fan of the perfect prep - found it made my life so much easier!

Formula is all made to the same standards so none are 'better' than any others. Some will have flashy names like Profutura and will be a couple of quid dearer than the standard one. But they really are all the same. See what is available in your closest corner shop or garage and go with that. Then if you are caught short you know your nearest shop sells it!

A tub would last around 10 days - a week to start with as they drink little and often (the amount that goes down the sink made my eyes water). By the time Dd was 6 months and you start introducing food a tub would last under a week.

I didn't have a perfect prep for my first but I did for my second. It was the best thing I bought. So much easier than messing around with the kettle, waiting 20 mins for it to cool to around 70 degrees then making the bottle, then sitting it in cold water until it's cooled down enough to feed. Just make sure you run the cleaning cycle weekly and only buy the correct filters and they are brilliant.

And in terms of how much you need. To start with, not much. But post 12 weeks ish, it ramps up.

My DS was having about 900ml a day. I think the act formula can does about 8000ml so one can would do us for just over a week. But some babies drink more per day plus you have some wastage.

Now we're weaning one can will do us for over two weeks

I plan to try and breastfeed this time but have bought some ready made SMA to have as a back up. My oldest 2 are teenagers now but used that with them. It’s slightly more expensive than some of the others but I used it before so would use that one again. When newborn I only needed a tub every week and a half then when few month old a tub a week. Then once eating a little meal each mealtime back to a tub every week and a half.

There's no "best" but they are not all the same. They all must meet the same minimum nutritional standards but ingredients do vary. Some babies will get along with a particular brand better than others. On threads like this, for every person saying "I found brand X was brilliant and brand Y was terrible" there will be someone saying the opposite.
If you want an objective compaison of brands then the best place to look is the First Steps Nutrition website, but just bear in mind that even if you decide one brand looks best, your baby might not agree, so don't get a large stock in. I'd probably not get more than a few cartons of ready made to be honest. Unless you live somewhere really remote, you can restock fairly easily if you need to and you don't want to end up with cupboard full of formula that you either don't need or baby won't take.

Unfortunately it will be a bit of trial and error as every baby is different, there isnt a one size fits all.

We started on aptamil ready made milk (I had initially planned to breast feed) but they are pricey to keep up (although really useful to pop in the changing bag when going out) so we moved on to cow & gate and have recently changed to Aptamil comfort milk as our 7 week old has a lot of wind and the comfort milk is thicker and slows down his feed (he is a real guzzler so that wasnt helping). Hes been a much happier baby since!

We have a perfect prep machine and wouldn't be without it now! But I would recommend getting it once you know you want/need to use formula, as it is very pricey and would be a big waste of money if breastfeeding is successful.

I wouldn’t buy too much if you’re planning to breast feed.

With my DD I started with SMA but it absolutely stank so I chucked it and went for aptamil instead which was loads better.

I wouldn’t bother with a perfect prep machine, there’s issues with it not being able to be cleaned properly. SIL is a midwife and it’s the first thing she told me to stay well away from.

Some are organic, some are not.

Perfect prep machine was a godsend, I loved ours - but I only brought it because my midwife was incapable at helping with bottle feeding after breastfeeding went tits up 🙄

If you’re planning to breastfeed, then I would maybe get a box of the little ready made bottles in and that’s it - then if you decide you’re going to combi feed/move to formula, then buy the prep machine.

I combo fed. I used a prep machine and loved it, the milk is always the right temperature. I used ready made bottles too but always ended up over heating them. I used aptamil first formula right the way through.

For me.. aptamil. Tommee tippee bottles with the x teats (the harder they suck the more milk they get and it's cheaper because you don't have to then buy different size teats). And yes prep machine definitely. But buy one 2nd hand. I got mine for £10 off ebay and used it every day for 2 years. Just need to buy replacement filters every couple of months.

Thanks so much everyone! So helpful, I've seen mostly Cow & Gate and Aptamil in my local shops so I'll try those if I need to. I've bought a starter pack of Cow & Gate just incase I need it in hospital! Think I'll try and see how breastfeeding goes and either buy a good pump or a perfect prep depending on which route I take. Just going to see how baby is 🥰. Thanks again!