Baby formula

[princessofessex91]

Hi all, im expecting my 1st child in April and i have been thinking about what formula is the best to use as I don’t really no if there is a difference or if the difference just price. Also same question with nappies? Any re would be greatly appreciated thanks ☺️

Have a look at First Steps Nutrition Trust for evidence-based information and guidance around infant formula

All baby formula in the UK is essentially the same - it's very heavily regulated so it's one where you can just genuinely buy whatever is best value in your local supermarket and buying something more expensive isn't going to get you a "better" product. Powdered is more cost effective than ready made (and lasts longer as the ready made stuff can only be kept for 24 hours after opening and needs refrigerating once open) but I found it helpful to have small bottles of ready made formula to use when I was going out. Some formula is marketed as helping babies sleep, better for very hungry babies etc - ignore all that, there's no real evidence for any of it. You also don't need to buy the "follow on milk" that's advertised for babies over 6 months old, first infant formula is fine until they turn 1.

Nappies are a different story - they fit babies differently depending on how big baby's tummy is, how long their body is etc. You might find that you need to change brands as your baby grows to get the best fit. Obviously you can't wait until your baby has arrived to see what size they are and buy nappies, so just buy whatever's convenient and readily available in the smallest size (e.g. Pampers), and try different ones if you find that they are too loose/tight or you get a lot of leaks. That all assumes that you intend to use disposable rather than reusable nappies.

And congratulations!😊

You need a stage 1 infant formula. Beyond that, if you’re in the UK at least, then it’s quite highly regulated so they’re all much of a much. Prioritise convenience- can find it easily in shops so no issue with running out, comes ready made because that’s easiest for travelling and you can get a starter pack with disposable teats for the hospital.

Nappies are a trickier one because what fits best can depend on body shape and you don’t know that before baby arrives. But I wouldn’t want to spend more on them than I needed to so would start off with a few packs of supermarket brands and then look at switching to pampers or whatever only if I needed to. You haven’t mentioned wipes but in case you want recommendations there too I started off with water wipes as newborn skin can be sensitive but quickly moved on to whatever was on offer’.

Thank you for that information ladies, very much appreciated. Cow and gate seems to be the most convenient ie in all stores local.

We did NCT before our daughter was born and were told by the course leader to buy the cheapest formula because they’re all much the same! Highly regulated and all have the same ingredients.

We did find DD was less windy on Aptamil than Cow and Gate but we may just have got better at winding her to be fair