L.P. asks from Darien, IL on January 20, 2010
Does Somebody Use Similac Alimentum for the Baby? Does It Really Work?
My baby is 5 weeks old. I have heard about Similac Alimentum. Who uses it for the baby? Does it work? pLease help... My baby is gassy and fussy the nost time of the day.
Featured Answers
I.D. answers from Chicago on January 27, 2010
My baby drank this for six months because she has blood in her stool...and the doc said she was allergic to the protein in the formulas. Well the bleeding did stop but she always threw up a whole lot. It never stopped. I felt I needed to change her to the Earth's best organic formula but the doc said since she was a premie that we should wait until six months so we wouldn't take any risk. Like I said she never stopped throwing up. At six months, I switched her to the organic formula and the vomiting stopped gradually. Within two months she was completly better and I never had any problems with her digestion after that. I just wanted to let you know my experience. I wish I would of gone with my own instincts and given that to her first. Hope this helps.
More Answers
B.S. answers from Peoria on January 24, 2010
Hello. My son is now 2 but he was VERY gassy and very fussy as a baby. We used 2 different formulas before trying Alimentum. Once we used it, within 3 days he was a different baby! It really does help. It is super expensive but a friend recommended we buy it on EBAY, which we did for 9 months and we saved HUNDREDS of dollars. Good luck!
M.R. answers from Chicago on January 20, 2010
Since your baby is so young, and (I think you said this in an earlier posting) you are also breastfeeding, it would be best to consult with your child's pediatrician. If the baby is having digestive problems to begin with that are exacerbating the gassy/fussy issues, your child's pediatrician can guide you to the best solution to solve your baby's problem. No food is one size fits all so while it might work for your baby, it might just make matters worse. Constant switching between breastmilk and different types of formula might be the cause of the problem.
If your baby is super fussy, you may wish to read Dr. Harvey Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" to learn how you can soothe even the fussiest of babies. It's an easy read, the techniques are not complicated, and you may just be surprised at how quickly your baby will move into a calm and peaceful state - my 6 week old son responded very well to the swaddling/side-lying/shushing/swinging/sucking and went from being completely undone with screaming and crying to total relaxation within moments.
Another thing to note - a lot of babies reach their peak of fussiness around 6 weeks of age and then become more content and settled, once social smiling emerges. Your baby might have better days here really soon, so hang in there mama!
Good luck - it's always heart-wrenching to deal with a fussy baby but know that it doesn't last forever.
M.R. answers from Chicago on January 21, 2010
The Alimentum is so expensive! I tried the Similac sensitive and then switched to the Similac Advance (the soy). I saw an immediate change when we got her onto the soy. It is worth a shot!
M.M. answers from Chicago on January 21, 2010
We tried this and it is so expensive. It was not worth it in my opinion. We tried almost all of the Similac formulas. We finally switched to Infamil and saw an immediate change. He wasn't spitting up so much and started gaining weight. I still regret that I didn't switch sooner.
S.C. answers from Chicago on January 23, 2010
Both my children ended up on alimentum and it made a huge difference. I tried less expensive alternatives, good start, soy and some others, but they just did not work for us. Yes, it is super expensive but it was the only thing that helped us.
D.W. answers from Chicago on January 21, 2010
My sister-in-law did use this formula. It worked well for her and did help her little girl. If I remember, I think it was kind of smelly if they spit up, but she had fewer issues of that with this and was not as gassy or fussy. She didn't breastfeed at all, complications there, so this was doctor recommended and she did well. There are some formulas that stain if they spit up, I think this was one, but just a bib and you should be good to go.
G.B. answers from Tulsa on January 21, 2010
All 6 of my grandkids have used Alimentum at one time or another. It is primarily something you should discuss with your pediatrician. It is very expensive and is for babies with special digestive problems. For the gas and Reflux we added gas drops to J's water before adding the powder, he also used Reglan to relax his stomach before eating. He had gas and stuff so much and we found that none of the Nestle brand worked for him, Soy, lactose free, all didn't either, we ended up using Emfamil with Iron and it worked wonderfully.
E.F. answers from Chicago on January 21, 2010
YES!!! Nutramaien and Alimentum have saved my life =) but it is expensive. You could try gentlease first and see if that helps enough.
Email