Which Formula Is Best for Picky Eater??

I used Target brand formula. It's identical if not a little bit better nutrient wise vs. Emfamil. When my baby was itty bitty @ 3 months he had a/r and GoodStart was the best one for him and turned out to be the least expensive too! .

I have a 5 month old and I go through the same thing (in regards to not pumping enough for storage). We started giving her enfamil formula. It's the one the hospital recommended and it's supposed to be similar to breastmilk (although I think they all claim that). She wasn't too happy about it at first, but now she takes it no problem and hasn't had any problems with gas, etc.

You're right about the expense, but we receive coupons in the mail pretty regularly for $5.00 off. We usually buy the box of 4 oz. packets and it costs around $10 or $11 (before the discount)at Target.

Good luck!

Ah the formula game. No fun! I rotated my son from breast to formula. My dr put him on ready made simulac alimentum at 2 months. I had tried all kinds and nothing worked for and Soy put him in so much agony and i was out of my mind. I finally talk to his dr and that is what he higly suggested. I don't do powerder as I have read it can make kids very fussy wtih sensitive tummys and my dr doesn't like it either. If its not mixed right it can really do a number on your baby. My 2nd baby is on the ready made alimentum also. Its pricy but Walmart sells it the cheapest. I love it and my babies have been very happy on it. I would have been lost with out it and my amazing dr.

Good luck

SAHM with 2 wonderful little boys. 3trs and 9 months.

Most brands/types really want you to use thiers. Frankly, that's how they make money and making money is why they are in business. Go to the web sight for each and ask for a free sample in the mail. They will send you enough to get a clear idea which she likes best. Remember though, it takes time for her to get used to a certain one. Even if she turns her nose at it, keep trying it several times to be sure. I suggest trying it on the weekends when it is still YOU feeding her, and use this time to pump/store milk. She might be turning her nose up at the combination of formula/not Mommy. Get her to associate formula with the same Mommy-feeding setting as breast milk.

C.,

I've been pumping at work now for 5 months and when I read your post it raised a question for me. Your post implies you work 5 days a week? If so what do you do with the milk you pump on fridays? I save the milk I pump on a friday and that is what my daughter takes to day care on a monday. I was also able to get my supply up by pumping using a hospital grade pump. Made a huge difference. The only way I can provide my daughter with enough for each day at day care is to pump 3 times at work and then once more before I go to bed. I have a couple of ways to get your milk supply up while pumping that a lactation consultant shared with me. Send me a message if you are curious. Sorry I can't offer formula advice. All I know is that a lot of them taste like plastic!

try nestle good start. it's gentle on baby's tummy and is more mild than some of the other major brands. my daughter did well w/ it.

I have the same problem with my 5 month old-- we're only using formula to supplement when I can't pump enough breast milk to take to daycare. Everything we have tried, she has either spit up or snubbed. So we're mixing breast milk and formula and that seems to be doing the trick until she gets used to the formula.
Good luck! Mel

A friendof mine in a similar situation has been having great success mixing formula with breastmilk for a half-and-half bottle.

oh my gosh - I've been doing this battle for the past couple of months since I've returned to work. My DD is older (9+ months) but I think it's the same problem - she won't take ANY formula; she won't even touch the powdered stuff so we've been trying all the expensive ready to feed liquid ones. we've finally had some success by adding apple juice to it. She seems to like that, and we only had to add 1 1/2 oz per 7-8oz bottle. We also tried adding strawberry nesquik - I know these are not ideal, but we figured we can slowly add less and less, and it's better than her starving all day until mommy comes home!

We use Nestle good start for both of our girls. Our first daughter was breastfed and surprisingly, the formula tastes similar to my breastmilk! Well, she took to it just fine. She was allergic to a lot of things while breastfed, so she needed to switch to formula. Little did I know she was allergic to lettuce, many berry fruits, apples, pork, curry, ginger...etc. But not allergic to soy, nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat or any foods which are likely to give an allergic reaction. Fortunately, she did well on the regular good start supreme. I hear soy formulas aren't good for babies, so I would first try the regular one with whey proteins. Our second daughter wasn't breastfed at all (afraid she might be one with many allergies as well) and had Nestle good start supreme due to constipation with the DHA & ARA oils. I believe they still sell Good Start Supreme in powder form, but no longer sell it in liquid form. In any case, that would be my recommendation for a formula closes to the taste of breastmilk. I would try any of the Nestle Good Start Formulas to see how she takes it. Good luck in finding the right formula!

Stay away from soy- it is the equivalent of giving 5 birth control pills a day.

Try organic, it's thicker/creamer, healthier & even smells better. We use Earth's Best regular not soy. It is the most expensive but I have heard that you can buy any store brand like safeway organic for about half the price & it is comparable. When switching to full time formula you are supposed to replace 1 bottle per feeding until you are on full time formula. To start with you can even make the bottle half breastmilk, half formula until she is used to it. My daughter was breastfed thru 4 months & when I switched her to earth's best the way I mention above, she never had a complaint. She loves it. Good luck. Remember it is a lot easier to feed her organic now while she is only on formula & then baby food puree so this is the best time to do it. When she is older it will be hard to feed everything organic so why not do it now & know she is not getting any harmful chemicals or pesticides during this very crucial stage of development in her life.

C.,

I'm not sure which similac you tried, but similac with dha and ara works really well for most babies.. Hope this helps. :)

M.

Try the GoodStart (red can, not the green can) that is the only one that my son would take. It is unfortunatly the most expensive one at Target or Wal-mart, but it worked. Also you might want to see if it's a temperature thing, my son would ONLY take it if it was room temp. Maybe test how warm your milk is when it comes out and see if you can get the formula to near that temp.

oh and one last thing, try blending the formula with a blender (we used the bullet) and let the bubbles settle overnight. It might help if it's smoother.

Hi C.-

I hope that I don't sound forward to say that I caution you to use any commercially produced formulas. They are usually loaded with hydrogenated oils, hormones, and other chemicals which are harmful to your baby. In my practice, when breast feeding is not possible, I highly recommend the "home-made" formula per the Weston A. Price Foundation using whole foods. Information can be found on their website.

I hope that helps.
-L.

I used the target version of gentlease (a low lactose formula), which is only about $15 per can, better than the brand ones. My friend said it took her daughter months to transition to having formula on its own. I would agree with the person who suggested mixing it with the pumped milk, you might just need to take some time to get her used to the taste.

Good luck :)