Formula Question... Opinions Wanted!

I would switch off of Similac.
Neither of my kids ever did well on it - any type of it - and I had tried them all. They were horribly gassy and fussy, even on the Alimentum.

I eventually switched to Enfamil (now using the Gentlease for my gassy daughter) and it was a HUGE improvments almost immediately.

2 moms found this helpful

If your pediatrician doesn't think it is a milk intolerance, then I would definitely give the Good Start a try (not carnation though...gerber). Alimentum is EXPENSIVE. I would only go to Alimentum as a last resort.

Our pediatrician said to stick with a formula for at least 5 days to really see if there is a change. It is a pain in the neck, and a long process, but you will find the right one for you little guy.

FYI - My first son had a bunch of issues as a NB which required us to see a pediatric GI. Good Start was one of their recommendations. It didn't work for us, because he did end up having a milk/soy intolerance. I just wanted to let you know that Good Start is a commonly recommended formula for babies with tummy issues.

Good luck mama

1 mom found this helpful

I agree with Manda, if you are going to switch, switch to Enfamil. My son did great on Similac, but our doctor's office told us Enfamil was the same quality.

1 mom found this helpful

Hey there, don't stress it will get easier. my daughter went through the same issues. (She is 1 now & off formula). Did you try to up the dosage of the reflux meds or more times in the day(ask the doctor,of course). That seemed to help my daughter as she got older. Rest assure though it will not last forever. Ask about the medication before switching formula again. After a while it gets harder to keep track of all the symptons with so many changes. Good luck :)

If he is gassy have you tried drops like Little Tummies? My son was so gassy when he was young, these drops really helped, and they are non-medicated so they can be given with every feeding if need be.

Hi. My son had a lot of problems with gas also. I remember when I was leaving the hospital after he was born the lactation consultant told me to stick to the two main brands, Similac and Enfamil and not to use Good Start. My son was on Enfamil. I just kept him on the same one. He eventually was fine. I think their digestive system just needs to mature. Of course do what you feel as a mama. Just wanted to give my input. Good luck! These are the tough days.

Just one word of advice... make sure it's REALLY a digestive issue you are dealing with. When my twins were 3 months old, one of them suddenly didn't want to eat as much. Kept pulling away from the bottle and screaming when I tried to feed him. I assumed he had developed an ulcer or some other digestive issue. Turns out that he was in heart failure. When babies have heart problems, sucking on the bottle is very difficult so they push it away. I'm sure that's not the case with your child, but just be aware that it could be something other than a digestive problem. Wouldn't want you to find out the hard way like I did...

Updated

Just one word of advice... make sure it's REALLY a digestive issue you are dealing with. When my twins were 3 months old, one of them suddenly didn't want to eat as much. Kept pulling away from the bottle and screaming when I tried to feed him. I assumed he had developed an ulcer or some other digestive issue. Turns out that he was in heart failure. When babies have heart problems, sucking on the bottle is very difficult so they push it away. I'm sure that's not the case with your child, but just be aware that it could be something other than a digestive problem. Wouldn't want you to find out the hard way like I did...

Updated

Just one word of advice... make sure it's REALLY a digestive issue you are dealing with. When my twins were 3 months old, one of them suddenly didn't want to eat as much. Kept pulling away from the bottle and screaming when I tried to feed him. I assumed he had developed an ulcer or some other digestive issue. Turns out that he was in heart failure. When babies have heart problems, sucking on the bottle is very difficult so they push it away. I'm sure that's not the case with your child, but just be aware that it could be something other than a digestive problem. Wouldn't want you to find out the hard way like I did...

Updated

Just one word of advice... make sure it's REALLY a digestive issue you are dealing with. When my twins were 3 months old, one of them suddenly didn't want to eat as much. Kept pulling away from the bottle and screaming when I tried to feed him. I assumed he had developed an ulcer or some other digestive issue. Turns out that he was in heart failure. When babies have heart problems, sucking on the bottle is very difficult so they push it away. I'm sure that's not the case with your child, but just be aware that it could be something other than a digestive problem. Wouldn't want you to find out the hard way like I did...

You need to be referred to an actual GI doctor if the pediatrician isn't helping much. And don't let the Ped. try to downplay the issue. My daughter was projectile vomiting after each bottle until she was seen by a GI doctor at 6 weeks old. I was terrified she wasn't keeping any food down. The GI doctor did recommend the Similac Alimentum, and she did wonderfully with that. She just turned a year old, she'd been on that the whole time with no issues. Well, actually, we did have to add cereal to the bottles at 3 months old to maintain her reflux, but other than that, no issues.

Also, the Alimentum I'm sure you've heard, is very expensive. If your child ends up needing that, check with your insurance company to see if they cover it. Ours covered it, thankfully.

Good luck!
L.

I know you already updated your "what happened" but wanted to share my two cents. :)
My daughter couldnt be on any type of Similac formula. I went with Enfamil Gentlease and it was a lifesaver!! I also suggest switching from Similac altogether which is what you are doing by going with Good Start. Hope it works and he starts getting better!

A.-
I would go to the store, if you want to try the Carnation - get the smallest size can of formula, and also purchase the Alimentum. I found that you don't need the 2wks to see if the formula works, pretty much within a few days, you can tell if things are getting better. If I were you I would bypass all the formulas, and go straight to the Alimentum. My twin daughters had reflux, and were on Zantac. They were on Nutramigen (Alimentum is same concept - different brand) but within a day or two, the change was immediate. There are a ton of formulas out there, and it does get overwhelming. I was on every website, checking out formulas and what they each did, I was really hesitant to go with Nutramigen, but in the end, it was such a blessing for my girls to be on that. Just think, no more fussing, no more screaming, a nice calm happy baby after a bottle.

Have you thought about switching to Enfamil? My son had the same problem but we a spitty baby and we found that Similac was way to gassy for him and Enfamil helped with the discomfort. Worth a try.

I think every baby is different. Similac works much better for my baby than Enfamil, but my other daughter was just the opposite. Neither one of them though had any trouble switching formulas as I tried to figure out the best one. So I say try some different ones and see what makes a difference. I think pediatricians get kick backs from these formula companies-- I'm not kidding. Some of them only recommend Enfamil, some only Similac. I don't get it! I will tell you that Enfamil AR really helped my first daughter stop spitting up and having an upset tummy. It is super thick and gross, but it worked. Good Start did nothing for her. My baby now is on regular Similac Advance after spitting up a lot on regular Enfamil.

My son is now 10 years old...but when he was born he had severe reflux...He spit up on everything in sight :)....we used carnation good start because at the time we were told that it had a different type of protein that made it easier to digest. He did spit up less when fed the Good Start formula, although the problem was not 100% cured by the formula. What worked the best until he really began moving in his sleep, we would let him sleep in a boppy pillow OR his infant car seat as much as possible, this way he wasn't laying flat. I hope this helps! It will get better. P.S. my son's growth was in no way affected by the reflux. He was a completely healthy and normal weight at his 6 month, 9 month and 12 month check ups. At six months he was in a slightly lower weight category, but made up the pounds and by 12 months was 50-60 percentile which is completely average. I am sure you are worried about the weight gain as well! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW BABY!!!

Hi and I can relate with the food issue. Ask your pediatrician about peptamen. I do not know if they make it for infants but it is a 100 percent whey. One of my twins had severe reflux and we still to this day do not know if he has an alergy. He was taking 20mg of previcid daily and we are now off it. We were feeding Harrison through a feeding tube enterally and found that the whey products he tolerated the best. Beware thou. A case of peptamen ranges about $150 per case. Our insurance picked it up thankfully due to it was the only thing he could tolerate.
BTW. I am a dad on this site. I find it very helpful and thank all of you for your kind words and help.
Keep us posted on this. Hope it was a help. I knew with my wife and I, we were willing to try anything.

A. - switch to Alimentum immediately. Nothing else. Don't bother with Carnation Good Start and definitely do not do regular similac - that's comparable to giving him cement to drink. It does not go easily through the body like something made specifically for challenged digestion systems, like your little boy has. Trust me on this. I tried different things for my son as well (i think i already answered one of your Q's - so you know, my son also had reflux and gas issues and was on a proton pump inhibitor med (prilosec) - which only halfway saved him - it was the Alimentum that completely changed him...he was a different baby from that very first Alimentum bottle. Do not walk - RUN, to your nearest pharmacy - and grab a bunch of bottles of Alimentum. It will change your life - and make your son much much much better.
Good luck.

I went through this with my oldest son- we tried 8 formulas! Enfamil AR saved us! It worked so well we used it with our youngest and never had a problem. The AR is for sensitive stomachs.

Good luck!
J.