Any Suggestions on the Best Formula to Use for My 6 Week Old

I agree with the pp who said the Walmart brand is just fine and less expensive. We used it.

What kind of bottles are you using? The Playtex VentAire bottles are supposed to be really great for reducing gassiness.

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Hi T.,
I had to change my daughters formula from Nestle Good Start to Enfamil Gentlease (the purple lable) right around 6 weeks. She was very fussy and started spitting up a lot from the Good Start. Once I switched to Enfamil, she started doing much better...although it took a week or so for her to get used to the change. She has been on that now for about 8 months. I would stick to Enfamil if he is taking to it with no reaction. Here is a little advice...you can get the generic brand from Walmart or even Sams (its says on the container "compared to Enfamil Gentlease") and they are much cheaper but still the same formula.
Another thing that we did was after every feeding give him gas drops. It might just add the extra help he needs to feel comfortable from the gas he gets from eating.

I also used the Dr. Brown bottles. Although they are more work to clean, they seemed to help.

Hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions about the formula.

A. T

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Hi, T..

Is there a reason that the hospital did not encourage you to breastfeed? Other than the fact that hospitals are generally pro-formula, because who else can make huge monetary donations to the maternity ward?

If you have no medical reason NOT to b-feed, I would encourage you to try it. (A "bad latch" is a common "medical" reason, one that's *easily* fixed with the help of someone who knows how to b-feed, like a lactation consultant. "Not enough milk" is another fallacy; if you keep the baby on the boob, she'll get her milk, and you'll keep making more. I kept DD on ALL day, it seemed, when she was an infant, but she never needed formula and is the healthiest kid in our play group.)

It's possible to b-feed after a breast reduction, through thrush, with mastitis, with a sick mom, with a sick baby, with a preemie, with a toddler, with a gassy baby, with an allergic baby.... B-milk is THE only natural way to feed your baby, and it is so beneficial for you both. (Your chance of getting breast cancer decreases the longer you b-feed!)

I'd encourage you to find a consultant or, if you are unable to afford a private consultation, to find a La Leche League group in your area. There's a great one in Sterling at the Catholic church on Route 7, and another at the Herndon Library.

Good luck!

I have always had success with Emfamil Gentlease (Purple Label) Your best bet would be to talk to your Pediatrician & listen to your "mommy voice" Congratulations on your precious baby!

I have 3 kids and all three have had different formulas. The best advice I can give you is to try and see which one is best. My daughter was on Good Start, my first son was on Enfamil Lipil and my second son was on Similac. And I had tried about 2 or 3 different formulas with each. But just watch for your baby. He'll give you signs...like constipation and really hard gas pains. Some formulas cause acne. Also, make sure you give the formulas enough time. If you change the formula too fast...it may cause all of those symptoms. Hope that helps!

There are other possibile reasons for gas than the brand of formula. Someone else asked about your bottles. We've been using Dr. Brown's (a little pricey) and they really seemed to help when my son was a newborn. Also we gave him gripe water as a new baby and that seemed to help. You can find it at Whole Foods. Also, have you tried laying your baby on his back and gently pressing his knees in to his chest? This always helped our little guy relieve some of the pressure.
Good luck!

try regular good start with dha and ra i think it called. thats what my daughter took. sometimes simple is best.

he could yhave reflux. My daughter had it but never threw her food up-she was just gassy. Also, I odn't know why on earth a doctor would tell you to switch formula unless the baby was not agreeing wiht it. When you switch formula your baby will be upset most likely and it will probably take a week or two, maybe more, to get used to the new formula. Sinnce you have switched so much it could take even longer for the baby to adjust. I am not placing any blame, please don't misunderstand because i didn't know that either (switching formula info) when my daughter (the one who had reflux) was born.

First, While brestfeeding is best it does ot always work. I caould not medically produce enough even after takling drugs and organics to increase output and there Is NOTHING wrong with formula feeding so that said.
Kennedy was very gassy and in pain fron Nestle, we swtiched to enfamil and tried similac, she was still gassy at that age but it was coming out too, so we stuck with enfamil. Now she is on oarents choice and she is less gassy than the other formuals, so I am not sure of it is age and gastric development or the formula? If he is not miserable see how it goes with the enfamil and then if it improves stay with it if not consult your Doctor before changing and try some Mycelion drops after feeding. My sister who exclusively breasfeeds and eliminated almost everything from her diet has the gassy most constipated son and the doctors say that is just him. So she swears by Mycelion and his reflux meds:)
That said trust your self.

As I've never used formula since I was able to breastfeed my daughter, I do educate families on nutrition since I'm a public health professional. Without writing a novel, I'll say just a few things. It is best to not switch an infant who is growing well and tolerating a specific formula well. Remember, infant's are sensitive to so many things and can be gassy for so many reasons, whether they are breastfed or fed formula. It can take up to 2 weeks for an infant to "settle" into a new formula. An actual allergy to a formula will cause a number of symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the stools, so your son is fine. In addition, it could be the additives found in formula that are causing your son to be gassy, as many parents have seen their infants have gastrointestinal distress from the DHA and ARA added to formulas. You can read about that here
http://cornucopia.org/index.php/replacing-mother-infant-f...
But it appears that your son is just fine with what he is on! Congratulations on your new addition to your family!

I used Nestle Good Start with both of my boys with no problem. They changed the label from 5 years ago to now but I think it's a purple and yellow label. It's the plain regular iron fortified Nestle Good Start.

if he's doing fine with it, then stick to it. it isn't good to switch formulas unless there is a reason for it.
for problems with gas for us best worked alimentum advance with iron. in fact it was great but very expensive. my daughter who at first was on similac adv. with iron came to a point when she refused the formula entirely because it was causing her stomach aches. alimentum changed all that
good luck

T.,
I used the Nestle Good Start for my daughter and it worked great. My advice is to also check the type of bottles you are using. He may be getting too much air that way. A friend of mine was having the same problem and had to get the Playtex bottles with the collapsable liners to prevent her baby from getting too much air. Since then she has not had any problems.

My doctor recommends the Enfamil formula. We only use the basic formula (not for gas or fusiness). We did try the specialty one but did not see a big difference. However, we do give Mylicon gas drops just before every feeding which seems to make a HUGE difference.

Hi ~
I switched from GentleEase to ProSobee Lipil (light blue can)-Enfamils Soy version & it seemed to really help my daughter's digestion.
Also there is a terrific product for gas, colic, hiccups- Colic Calm. It is pricey, but helped soothe my baby tremendously. It's completely natural, which I prefer. It's black in color, so it looks like you're administering ink to your baby, but has a sweet taste, and when your baby is peaceful the stains seems insignificant! I found it on the internet.
Good Luck! p.s. I share the same birthday as your baby! :)