Best newborn milk?

[mumtobee22]

Hi all what is the best milk for a new baby. aptamil, sma or cow n gate ? What are ur experiences? Thanks

They’re all basically the same - formula milk is highly regulated and has to meet certain nutritional standards, so there’s not much difference. If your baby ends up having an allergy or reflux there are other milks for those, but you won’t know that until they are here.

I would choose the most easy one to get hold off. So check your local supermarket stocks the one you choose.

Unless it's got added stuff to it like comfort milk hungry baby (they are just thicker) ect it's all the same. Get what's easiest so you don't run out.

I do know a lady who chose by taste testing them all in advance but she did regret that because she said they all tasted foul and she couldn’t understand why babies like it. They clearly do though!

Breast

Whatever you can get at your local supermarket!

I breastfed too, and also believe it's the best I could do for my infant @YawnyOwl however OP is clearly asking about formula, and I would hate someone to feel beaten down about their choice (or lack of- maybe OP is part of a same sex couple, or is medically incapable due to meds, or simply doesn't want to). I suspect midwives and society will make them feel shit enough about every choice they ever make wrt their child, so maybe your comment isn't helpful?

@Queenfreak

I breastfed too, and also believe it's the best I could do for my infant *@YawnyOwl* however OP is clearly asking about formula, and I would hate someone to feel beaten down about their choice (or lack of- maybe OP is part of a same sex couple, or is medically incapable due to meds, or simply doesn't want to). I suspect midwives and society will make them feel shit enough about every choice they ever make wrt their child, so maybe your comment isn't helpful?

100% this 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@YawnyOwl

Breast

Unhelpful and unnecessary comment

I would breastfeed @YawnyOwl only I take meds that make me unable to

@mumtobee22 I plan to bottle feed for no reason other than I want to. I'm planning on using Aptamil purely because they are all regulated so I just picked the cheapest one that's stocked at my local shops

Can't believe Aptamil was the cheapest, its usually the most expensive!

@dementedpixie I might be wrong what's the green one???

With my first, I chose SMA.. purely because I was going back to work at 10months and that's the one they used at the nursery I had chosen 😊

@May2021Mummy me too. I bottle fed my second because I wanted to. Best choice for our family. I was reading this thread just waiting for someone to chime in with ‘breast’ 🙄 yawn indeed @YawnyOwl !

OP we used aptamil 😇

Aptamil! You can get it literally everywhere the others I don’t see as often in the smaller shops xx

We used aptamil because it was so easily available, and you can generally pick up a bottle of the ready made stuff in case of emergency

@PolarnOPirate well it's the 21st century and the choice is there for a reason I don't know why there's still so much stigma about it

@dementedpixie I stand corrected I meant cow & gate 🙂

I don’t want to push breast feeding but if you want to it’s worth checking with the breast feeding network that you definitely can breast feed on your meds.

Personally I would go for a formula which also does ready made bottles of milk for out and about.

@YawnyOwl glad you said it first. The only food a baby needs

@mumtobee22

Do speak to your specialist and look online because risk averse consultants often just say no breastfeeding but actually there's alternative medications that are ok. My sil had to do all her own research and found a specialist in the USA that had a treatment protocol that allowed breastfeeding, told her U.K. consultant who agreed and 2 years later she's still breastfeeding!

Wow the breastfeeding brigade are out in force tonight. OP to answer your question, I went for cow and gate because it comes in the sterilised pre made bottles and they were very handy in the early days.

We started with aptamil but then switched in the hospital as he was a hungry baby, the midwives said SMA was ever so slightly thicker so thought it might slow him down a little.
Still on SMA, handy at the start as my local boots sold the ready made bottles with teats. Lifesaver during the early weeks, the first week home I just couldnt get my head around sterilising and making bottles so used them until my brain fog cleared a little.
Now I think Aptamil would be easier as its sold in Lidl and Aldi. It's a pain going into another supermarket just for formula but not exactly a reason to switch.
I'd check out what the local shops have and what will be easiest to purchase at the start. Be prepared for baby to make the decision for you though. Some friends had to switch around formula until they got the right fit for baby. Once you know they are suited to it stock up on tetra packs for trips out of the house/power cuts/baby suddenly wants another bottle 30mins after the last one etc.. I could kiss the person that invented them.

@Queenfreak

I breastfed too, and also believe it's the best I could do for my infant *@YawnyOwl* however OP is clearly asking about formula, and I would hate someone to feel beaten down about their choice (or lack of- maybe OP is part of a same sex couple, or is medically incapable due to meds, or simply doesn't want to). I suspect midwives and society will make them feel shit enough about every choice they ever make wrt their child, so maybe your comment isn't helpful?

Couldn’t agree more!

Before people start ramming the “Breast is best” argument down people’s throats, perhaps consider the circumstances that mean that this isn’t possible for the OP and other posters who choose to formula feed. Breast is absolutely not best for everyone.

OP, I haven’t decided whether I will breastfeed or use formula but know many mums who recommend Aptamil, on the basis of its availability and the fact it’s in hand sized bottles for newborns whereas I don’t think all other brands do?

To actually answer the OPs question. I went for Aldi mamia. It's the cheapest on the market, DS got on really well with it and it was easy to mix. It did mean I had to be a bit more organised, I always had at least one full tin spare in the house in case I dropped the open one. DS had no objection to aptimil ready made so long as we warmed it up but often I just took a flask and asked for iced tap water to cool it down. If we weren't going to be anywhere with that option I'd take a second flask full of iced water to put the bottle in.