Changing My Babies Formula

Updated on July 19, 2010
L.L. asks from Schenectady, NY
14 answers

hello
i have a 3 month old son and i went to the doctor the other day because my son was cramping alot and is constipated from the formula i was giving him similac omega 3 hes been like this since he was borned and it was just gettin worst and the doctor told me to keep him on the milk to see if it will get better so it wasnt getting better so she told me to change it to nestley Good Start because its easier on the stomach....the good thing about this is he doesnt cramp up anymore but he is spitting up his milk alot so now i dont know what to do ????

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.K.

answers from New York on

Lots of babies spit up. You may think it is a lot but it usually is not. As
long as he is gaining weight and appears healthy, don't worry. I would
much rather have the spitting than the cramping and constipation.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.T.

answers from San Francisco on

I added rice cereal to the formula.. helped with the spit up, because it was just a little bit thicker and wouldnt come up as easy. I tried all the formulas and Good Start Protect Plus seemed to be the one that worked for this baby. My other two were Soy babies!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Kansas City on

My baby went through a spit up stage when he was about 3 months old. It lasted about 6 weeks. He's 6 months old now and hasn't spit up in a couple of months. There is a difference between spitting up and throwing up, so if he's only spitting up, then it is no big deal.

S.S.

answers from Binghamton on

When my son was born I tried so many different formulas and the one I found and stuck with similac alimentum it's hypo everything, although he did continue to throw up it was reduced big time. Maybe you could try burping when he is about half way through a bottle?

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.C.

answers from Columbus on

Don't put cereal in the milk unless - your your ped. says otherwise. Babies at 3 months old cannot digest it. No solid food until 6 months is the general rule.

Some babies just spit up more than others...

I would second the suggestion to call the pediatrician back and talk to him/her more about it. Given the baby's other gastric issues, you might want to ask about GERD (acid reflux). Our little guy spat up constantly, and only slowly outgrew it. In his case, it was related to acid reflux (but spitting up is not the only symptom he had). We were told to keep him upright for 20-30 min after every feeding, and when we did feed him, do so at an angle so his head/chin was higher than his bum. And we elevated one end of his crib.

He outgrew the spitting up over time. Once he started on solid food at 6 months, it did got noticeably better.

A.S.

answers from Detroit on

If he's only spitting up more, then make sure you burp him more often during the feedings. If you usually wait until after 2oz of intake, burp him after only 1oz. Or if you normally burp after 3pz, burp after 1.5oz. And again after the next oz or so... And so on. Of course at the end as well.
Hope that helps!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.B.

answers from Rochester on

My son is on Good Start too and its a good formula and Im glad the constipation is better. My son was also constipated a lot but when he was 4 month old, I started him on oatmeal(not rice because that can constipate and you dont want to have to put him through that again). The oatmeal really made everything better and he goes great now. About the spitting up, remember their saliva mixes with the formula and it probably looks like more than it is. My son was also big a spitting up but some babies are. When we swallow our esophagus closes, but babies havent developed enough to do that yet and thats where the spit up happens. Dont worry, it will take a little time. My youngest is 6 months and hardly spit up anymore:)
God Bless your family and remember, dont take your mother-instinct for granted,God gave it to us to help protect our children.
~H.( a mother of 4: twin 12yr olds, 2 1/2 old, 6 month old)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try burping him after every few ounces of milk. Sometimes infants can drink fast and swallow air. This can cause them to spit up alot.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.A.

answers from New York on

This is exactly how my daughter was. It was miserable and very upsetting. Our doctor just kept saying to not deal with it as though they thought it was just because I was a first time mom and over reacting-even though I had many other seasoned moms who were telling me it was not normal and that's what my gut told me too. He had put her on reflux medicine which helped with the spit up, but didn't take away the digestive issues. She was also on Gentlease formula, but still having problems.

I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt to try and switched her to lactose free. I could always switch back to include lactose if it didn't help. It was an amazing difference! No more digestive issues at all and she was so much happier and more comfortable. I explained this at her next appointment and the doctor finally accepted that she is lactose intolerant. It had popped up in my family only through an aunt and a cousin and they both outgrew it by school age, so I didn't know about it.

She is now almost 3 and we try milk or yogurt once every six months or so to see if she can have it yet, but she loves Lactaid and Lactaid ice cream and can have milk in food if it is cooked a little after you add the milk, so it's really not a bad sacrifice. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.C.

answers from Sacramento on

Mom, call the Dr bk and see what he/she recommends, the Dr knows best.
Good luck.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I went through this with my first child who is now 2.5. I did the formula switching until I found something that worked. For her it was Good Start. Every child is different. So you can just keep trying different formulas. But be aware that it could take your son some time to adjust to the new formula.

With my new baby I started on ready to feed formula just for the ease of use. He was doing fine on the similac earlyshield. I switched to the powdered formula and started mixing it because the ready to feed is so expensive. Well he got soooooooooo gassy. Poor thing. He was in terrible, terrible pain and screaming so much. Turns out this is a common complaint with the powdered version of this formula. So what I'm getting at is maybe you need to try a different version (ready to feed).

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.M.

answers from Hickory on

My son did this. He got to much air. I changed everything I could think of. It was not long before we had to start him on something besides milk. If you can do it you may want to look into all natural formula and see how it works for him.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.F.

answers from New York on

try Enfamil Lactose Free formula. it worked wonders for me.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.G.

answers from New York on

Sounds really normal & maybe a bit like reflux?
Maybe try sensitive formula & gripe water. Both were lifesavers for me!
(you do want to avoid soy with a baby boy. It's full of estrogen & potentially harmful to a developing male endocrine system)

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions