Baby formula

[Bonnie77]

Hi there,
I'm thinking of weaning the little chicky who is nearly 4 months old. I have no idea which formula to put her on to because I didn't use formula with the little fella. Has anyone got any recommendations? Is there any I should stay away from.
I appreciate any advice.

[cobysmummy]

my son is on s26 gold... he was breastfed until 6 months and then i put him on that one and he took it fine... i also found he didnt throw up on it.. like other formula fed babies do...
gold versions of formula are better for their brain development coz it has fish oils in it...
good luck with ur choice!

[Bella-Archie]

Hi bonnie

I use nestle Nan 1 HA Gold - reason being that it has the cow's milk protiens partically hydrolized !!!!

This helps the milk to digest easier !!!!

I had tried kari-care and s26 but found that bella spewed more on these ones !!!

And I have put Archie on to it for a few feeds and he seems fine with it aswell

[Blue&Pink]

It's so hard because different babies take to formula differently!

For us Tai started on Lactogen.. was too thick, constipated him.
Got the constipation under control and started him on Nan (on the recommendation of the CYH nurse). No luck, still constipated.
Got that lot of constipation sorted and put him on S26 Gold. His tummy didn't seem to agree with that one, so we gave it a miss.

Finally we have found that S26 - just the ordinary one - has worked a treat. He loves it and we have had no probs with it. Also, depending where you go it can cost as little as $16 - Not sure if I can mention where but I get mine from Kmart.

Hope that helps!

[poshBecks]

Formula is a very personal thing for each bubba!! You usually will have to try a couple before ypou find the right one. We tried ds on Karicare but he got constipated on that... ended up with Heinz Gold. Worked really well for him!!

[Tannie]

We use plain S-26 too & have had no problems since weaning at 3 months. I've heard Gold formulas can cause constipation - but not sure if that's true or not. Pricewise, S-26 is similar to others - if you look on the side and see how many scoops to amt water - some use more formula but cost less - so works out same in the end!
I've also been told by several "experts" that unless your bub has an allergy or something, one formula is as good as another.......problems are rarely solved by swapping formulas around.
Good luck,
Y

[Sarie]

I think it's different for each bub. Our kids have both used Karicare as it's Whey dominant. s26 gave our older son bad wind and constipation.

[cobysmummy]

my son hasnt been constipated from the gold formula... but ig uess it differs from baby to baby
all i know is gold is supposed to be better for brain development...

[Ky]

Go for whatever is cheapest and try that first ... if your bub is happy with it, then stick to it!

The formulas with the added extras are not really superior in any way, as the added extras only have a life in powdered form of only a few hours after the tin is open and they are exposed to oxygen! I was told this by a pharmacist who had read several studies and done studies himself.

Both of my kids were on SMA initially and although I know it isn't necessary to put them on a follow-on formula, I put them onto SMA follow on for Bella (not available in Oz) and Heinz follow-on for Daniel. Neither of them had problems with constipation, and we just used gaviscon infant to thicken Daniels feeds in conjunction with Merbentyl (anti-spasmodic) to deal with his chronic reflux.

[Shazbutt]

I used Karicare for DD1 and then switched to s26...and this time around i tried the Heinz nurture (just because it was cheaper) but DD2 spewed it up all the time from birth. Now she's on the plain s26 and we've had no probs.

[madvoice]

I used Karicare Gold (yes it is one of the more expensive ones on the market) only because a trial sachet was available from the supermarket at the time. Raleigh had no problems whatsoever with going across to this formula so I stuck to it. It really is a personal choice and if you're really unsure, I'd get some advice from your paediatrician to be sure.

[Bonnie77]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'll just see whats cheapest and go from there. (being the tightarse that I am!!!)
It takes me ages to make a decision on anything and its good to have somewhere to start.
Thanks again.

[Heids]

It's so hard because different babies take to formula differently!

For us Tai started on Lactogen.. was too thick, constipated him.
Got the constipation under control and started him on Nan (on the recommendation of the CYH nurse). No luck, still constipated.
Got that lot of constipation sorted and put him on S26 Gold. His tummy didn't seem to agree with that one, so we gave it a miss.

Finally we have found that S26 - just the ordinary one - has worked a treat. He loves it and we have had no probs with it. Also, depending where you go it can cost as little as $16 - Not sure if I can mention where but I get mine from Kmart.

Hope that helps!

Hi Siobhan

May I ask what you used to get the constipation under control ?

Many Thx
Heids

[wattle]

Ds loves the Heinz and won't touch the others. It's cheaper too, so it's a bonus for us!

[Shazbutt]

May I ask what you used to get the constipation under control ?

Coloxyl drops from the chemist are good, and i found once it was under control you just gave them a little dose whenever they got it again, and it worked....

[ThomasMum]

Hi Siobhan

May I ask what you used to get the constipation under control ?

Many Thx
Heids

Hey there Heids, when Thomas had constipation couple months ago, we use "Baby'sOwn Apple & Prune juice" and mix it with his food and it works. Now that he's crawling about (he's 9 month couple days ago :)) we never had any problem since, I guess the exercises keeps his bowel movements under control...

ThomasMum

[Mumoffour]

i dont mean to sound rude but its a pity you feel you have to wean bubby if she is only 4 months old. regardless of how great the formulas are, the boobs are still the gold standard for baby nutrition and they cost nothing! :) Im sure you have your reasons though and respect them.

[jonesso]

Someone said they went for the formula that had the trial-size sachet... this is a great idea. S26 and Karicare do them. That way you don't commit to a huuuuge tin that only lasts a month from opening!

We started on S26 gold as that is what the hospital uses, then switched to plain Karicare (blue lid) and DS loves it. It's cheaper! :D

Also someone said the difference between S26 and Karicare is that S26 is made from beef fat and Karicare is from vegetable fat. Don't know if that matters to you or not.

With the weaning, my bub has had both breast and bottle from the beginning, so it is entirely possible to combine breast and formula if you don't want to do a complete switch in one go and want to wean him gradually. He is 4 months old and has 5-6 breast feeds and 2 bottles each day. I usually give him 1 bottle around lunchtime and one as the last feed at night.

Good luck!

[Heids]

Hi,

I have just started my son on formula and the s26 Gold made him very consipated so I got rid of it quick smart.....he is now on Nan1HA Gold which is working out just fine so far :D

Heids

[Bonnie77]

i dont mean to sound rude but its a pity you feel you have to wean bubby if she is only 4 months old. regardless of how great the formulas are, the boobs are still the gold standard for baby nutrition and they cost nothing! :) Im sure you have your reasons though and respect them.

I know, I know.

I'm actually not sure if I want to wean Alyssa totally yet. I just want to give her a sup bottle every now and then. At Christmas time we are going on a fishing holiday and I would like to go out in the boat, leave bub with Nanny and not worry about coming back within 3 hours. (Totally selfish attitude! But what if the fish are biting???!!!) I never had much success with expressing for a future feed with Hayden. Do you just do a little at a time?

I've been trying her on Heinz Nurture but she's not really interested. Actually today she started screaming after about 10 secs. Alyssa never screams not even when she's hungry. Any ideas why? Of course when I put her to the boob she didn't complain a bit! Little monkey, maybe she's telling me something.

[Carly & Kahrem]

Just wondering if anybody has had any luck with using gold formulas for bubbas with ezcema? (Infantile Ezcema - cradle cap, creases & nappy area)

I have heard that the oils are good for the skin.

Any info would be appreciated.

:confused:

[the_queen]

I never had much success with expressing for a future feed with Hayden. Do you just do a little at a time?

Hi Bonnie77,
When my DD had to be weaned (after cleft lip repair surgery - I think for the rest of my life I will be justifying to others why I had to wean, so get used to that! :) ) I tried expressing, before we went fully onto formula. The only way that really worked was (and this might sound strange....) in the shower! When I got in the shower while I was lactating, my boobs would literally turn into fountains, spurting out breastmilk all over the tiles!!! My DH thought it was hilarious, and a few times I took the ole breast-pump (or in DH's words, milking machine :rolleyes: ) in the shower with me to "catch" the spurt..... I used to do enough for one feed, then put it in a suitable container to freeze it. If you do more than one feed's worth, you end up throwing away some of it. In the end I weaned fully, because the stress of the post-surgery care, plus expressing, plus as-yet-undiagnosed PND caused my milk levels to drop away to nothing :( but after that she drank Lactogen (I don't know if that's even still on the market! This was 4 years ago)

Good luck if you try expressing! Keep your stress levels low and you'll probably have plenty of milk. You could even express from one breast while feeding bubs from the other (this also worked for us pre-surgery)

And I hear you about the fish biting!! I don't think that's selfish at all :cool:

[LauraC]

I was in the same position at first, but my friend recomended this online shop from where I could buy anything related to baby food.

The site is:http://www.JustBabyFood.com/

I hope you'll find what you want. All the best to you and your baby!

[Nyaa]

Hey, I have heard about this company called Lypack. It specializes in baby formula (http://www.lypack.com/).