Formula - Clinton,CT

You have come this far - why not just keep giving her the liquid gold? Just pump if you have to until you can wean her to cows milk (at 1 year old).

Especially if you read the headlines lately:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/03/scientists-find-...

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bpaformula

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=7242880&page=1

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/19/world/main###-#...

2 moms found this helpful

I would try to get a NON IRON fortified formula. It might be impossible to find. They are starting to discontinue them.

Iron is contributing to a lot of problems with infants. A breastfed baby should have no need for Iron fortification in the diet, especially if solids have started.

Iron feeds bacteria, and causes excessive E- coli growths in the guts of infants who are on iron fortified formulas or are given iron supplements.

30 % of all pediatric death is attributed to IRON supplementation - even while under doctor's supervision.

Soy is another one i'd stay away from- it alters hormones (estrogen levels) and creates thyroid issues later in life.

If you read my history/past posts you will see I've sent some moms more info and links to substantiate these claims.....

1 mom found this helpful

We never did formula, only goats milk! Goats milk is what they use in Europe & Asia, not powder or cow"s milk. It is the closest natural animal product to breast milk. If you can stay away from formula it would be better, it is not the healthiest choice. We don't drink cow's milk at all.

:)A.

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I did a lot of research when mine were on formula, and I think the best one on the market is Baby's Only Organic Toddler Formula. Don't be discouraged by "Toddler" in the name - I called the company to inquire and they said it is named that because the company's philosophy is that children should be breast fed until one year, but it meets all of the requirements of baby formula. I brought the fact sheet with all of the ingredients/nutrients into my ped's office and he said it was the best one he'd seen! I've only found it locally at Whole Foods, but you can also find it online at diapers.com. On their website, they have a comparison chart to what's in their formula compared to other brands (what I showed the ped.) http://www.naturesone.com

I have triplets, now 15-months-old, who were preemies, so we had to use Similac's Neosure for a while, but when we got the go-ahead I switched. I never breastfed - pumped for a week when they were first born (they were too little to feed from breast or bottle), but it didn't really work for me. As someone else said, do not let anyone make you feel guilty about your decision to go to formula - formula's are wonderful now, and a happy mama is an important key to a happy baby! Mine are all thankfully very healthy, thriving and did very well on formula. I would not use anything but organic dairy - it is appalling what is done to cows and to the milk - all the gross hormones and antibiotics they put into non-organic formula - not to mention the genetic-engineering....wonder why girls are hitting puberty earlier & earlier? But I'll step off my soap-box now!

I think Similac is a decent brand, tried their organic formula for a while. I had received a free case of Enfamil, but one of my son's had a horrible reaction to it - couldn't keep it down. I can only speak from my experience, but switching formula's never had an impact on my children - I think it's important to find one that agrees with your baby - but if you do plan to switch around, give each a couple of weeks.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Our son (third child) had complications after delivery. The hospital uses Enfamil. Our pediatricians office also gave us Enfamil. If you sign up on their website, they will send you free samples and coupons. That was good enough for us.

BTW - our son later was EBF. He was only supplemented in the hospital in the beginning until my milk came in. He is now 6 mos old and we haven't been able to get him to take a bottle/formula well at all.

I read on another site to try mixing the formula with apple juice. I bought Mott's Toddler apple juice with 40% less sugar. Tried 2 oz - he SUCKED it down. I told my ped the next day at his 6mo appt and she said, "Whatever works!" I have tried everything else up until this point. I was just so glad he finally took it. I give him 2oz everyday now adding more water and less juice until he's just taking water. The ped said if he gets up to 4oz of juice a day, that's fine. I have no intention of "feeding" him juice, but to get him to START taking a bottle, I'll do what I need to for now.

I hope this helped you.

With both our sons, we went back and forth w/ different brands, and neither of them were bothered by it. I will say the enfamil gentle ease, (I believe it is), pink can, is waay too thick and our baby spit it up all the time, but the yellow can was fine. One of my favorites is Costco's Kirkland brand formula...cheap & good!

My pediatrician recommended enfamil to me for my second child (my first was a similac baby). She researched it for her own baby and made
me switch over because the benefits of enfamil for brain development outweigh similac.

Hope this helps! God bless!

Hi!
I breastfed and supplamented with formula. I used the soy formula from Simalac. I can't believe after two children on it I can't remember the name! (Ah, Isomeal!) I was told by that soy tastes more like breast milk. We decided on this one in the hosp. because the reg. Simalac wasn't as well tolerated and the Enfamil gave the baby terrible gas! My two girls are very healthy, actually they have been sick less than their exclusively breast fed friends! (I'm not knocking breast feeding! I did it too!) Anyway, that was our experience. Oh, which ever one you decide on, go to their web site and sign up for the coupons! We got tons from doing that!

My pediatrician said that most regular formulas are basically the same. So I would go with whoever sends the most coupons. This may not be the case anymore but 2 years ago, Enfamil sent me them almost weekly, whereas Similac only sent them monthly. Just don't switch around once you pick one.

Both my 2 kids have done well on Similac which they were both given in the hospital NICU. They each got some breastmilk, mostly pumped due to various medical complications. They are both doing well now at ages 4 and 15 months. I did notice they were more likely to catch colds with just formula than even getting just a few ounces of formula per day. So you might consider waiting until the weather is warm and cold season is totally over before weaning fully. I don't know about Enfamil because I never used it but it seems like samples and coupons are common, probably more than for Similac.

sorry, this is neither, but Earth's best is so much better than either of the other ones.

We used Enfamil DHA/ARA. At the time it was the only one with the Omega3's but now they all probably do. We also preferred Enfamil over Similac because it mixed easier. The Similac was always lumpy.

I agree use your coupons but we wary of constantly switching brands - it can cause stomach upset.

Either one is fine, doesn't matter. Just depends on which she does best with. We used Enfamil for my son. You can also get the store brand versions of the formula to save money (same ingredients, just a different label). Make sure you slowly introduce it. I recommend mixing breastmilk and formula together (replacing the breastmilk ounce by ounce, every couple days). Its the easiest way to do it on their system!

Another vote for Earth's Best. It was the only one we tried that didn't smell bad. After 7 months she might reject all formula, because none taste like mom's milk, but you probably have the best shot with the Earth's Best.

I believe that Goat's Milk actually is missing something critical. If you consider going that route, I would do a little research first.

I can only say that the one I use, Similac Advance (?), the blue one, is always out or running low at the grocery store, so it must be pretty popular.

It's really best to talk to her doctor about the change. Don't be surprised if it takes you longer than you might think to get her used to formula. Tastes and smells nothing like the sweet breastmilk she is used to.

we used Similac, but all formulas are so similar, that it generally doesnt matter. The important thing is not to switch once you start, since switching around can hurt their systems. And with Similac and Enfamil you can sign up on their websites for coupons. Similac still sends me coupons and I have a 3 year old.

Whatever you choose to start with, don't change a billion times like so many people seem to do. We found with my son that the pre-mixed was worth the few extra dollars--he seemed less fussy/gassy with the premixed Similac Advance.
Please don't let anyone guilt you into changing your mind. You know the best decision for you regarding switching to formula! Good luck!

My daughter gets formula during the day, and goes back and forth between both Similac and Enfamil with no problems. Perhaps you can buy a small can of each and see what your daughter will take?

Good luck.

earths best has organic formula, we breast fed exclusively for like six months and then started using it, ma still breastfeeds at night, and if our child has got sick it was mildly and barely perceptible

Neither of those worked for either of my sons. The smell was too strong and it was too strong for their tummies. I used Carnation Good Start. It was very easy on the stomach and did not stain their clothes as bad as Enfamil or Similac. Their BM's were less stinky too. Good luck!

Hi K.,
No one brand is "better" than another. Every formula on the market must meet certain requirements which the baby needs. Extra things aren't necessarily better, and remember that "organic" may mean different things.

It just depends on your daughter. We used Similac for our daughter and Enfamil with our son. I didn't have a problem with either. It just depends on on the kid. Good luck : ).