When Jak gets to 6 months he's going onto formula. I'm going to do it gradually, replacing one feed at a time, which I think is the right way to do it, (not sure, sounds about right though!) but my question is: which ones are good ones? I have literally no clue! I heard Aptimal is good I think, but I wouldn't even know which stage to buy or anything - I presume it's follow-on milk we'll need?

There's too much choice, as with so many things! ;\)

Em x x x

Hi Em,

I only BF for 1 month but I then moved over to Aptimal 1 and then 2 because he was so hungry lol! I didnt have any problems and I chose Aptimal because its meant to be the most similar to breast milk. Also lo has excema and this has not irritated it or anything as I know milk can be an issue.

Every baby is different but I know that there are particular formulas which are associated with constipation and maybe reflux. I'm sure I read something on here about SMA not agreeing with some babies but again every baby is different so I can only speak from experience.

Joanna xxx

toby was on cow and gate to start then cow and gate confort - then desperate we moved his milk again to aptimal - starting on 1 then hungry baby and now follow on - its fab. THough Hipp is alot lot cheaper and is organic - i wish i had moved to that now due to the ??2 per box price difference but wont move from Aptimal now.

Dont go onto Heinz nurture as they are discontinuing x

I BF Lily until 4 months- I tried SMA gold which I had used successfully with DD1 and DS, but she wasn't keen. I tried Aptamil 1 which 'worked' but wasn't satisfying her enough, so I switched to Aptamil 2 which seems to suit her well. I was considering Aptamil follow on milk but I can't seem to see any reall benefit to this- I have also read that it does seem to cause constipation in a lot of babies- Lily struggles a bit anyway, so I don't want to make it worse. I think she will stay on Aptamil 2 until she is 12 months. x

I'm not the best person to comment as Freddie's still a boobaholic but when I made his porridge with SMA he gagged and refused to eat it. When I made it with Aptamil he ate it - didn't finish it like he does with EBM but at least he didn't gag! x

Edward's been on cow and gate from day 3 after chomping my nips and drawing blood!
He's been absolutely fine on this, I'm not to sure about moving on to the follow on milk so was going ask the hv next week.
You could always try a couple of the ready made cartons first before you commit to buying a whole tub. C&G ready made carton = 52p as opposed to ??7.25 for a carton. If Jak doesn't like one make at least you're not wasting too much money.

TC - you're a genius, and should be honered for your amazing wisdom. That's a great idea. Ready made cartons for a taste test it is!

Welsh - boobaholic, :lol:! Jaks' started making a cartoon chomping noise as he latches on, it's hilarious! I'm so sad I have to take the boobies away, but I reckon I'll still be able to give him his bedtime feed. Going back to work sucks!

I saw an advert for the HiPP organic milk today, but I couldn't remember if that was the one I'd read about being discontinued. Clearly not, thanks Sarah! I do think perhaps Aptimal is worth a try though, if it's good.

How long does a tub last for?

PS: Just you lot wait for the comedy "I've got this tub of powdered stuff and some bottles, now what do I do?" thread!

I find a tub lasts around a week at the moment but as lo is taking more and more solids its starting to go down. Also I would say Conall is quite a hungry boy so u might get a good bit longer than that out of it!

Thanks Joanna, I was hoping it was about that and not 3 days or something! x

Lol at Jak's chomping noises - Freddie tries to help himself - no mistaking when he's a hungry boy now!

TC - wish I'd read that bit of advice before I bought SMA cartons and a big tub of the stuff. I now have an unopened tub of SMA going begging... although I did only buy cartons of Aptamil after that fiasco xx

Oh goodness, Jak tried to help himself to my pregnant friend's boobies yesterday! I gave him to her for a cuddle and his hand went straight to her top and his head went down after it! Good job she's a close friend...

Aptimal! It's meant to be the closest to breast milk. They also do the cartons so you could use them as a trial, also useful when out and about so you dont need to mess with making up bottles.
I only recently found out that there is an equivalent in oz so Ive switched Brody back over to it for his ff's and he is much happier.
Make sure you get the right teets too as they differ in their flow. He may take some getting used to having a bottle if he's never tried it even with ebm.

well i didnt breast feed but mason was a nightmare baby colic sensitive tummy - and he started on cow and gate but was advised by doc and hv to move to aptimal comfort- just these klast couple weeks moved to aptimal stage 1 - it even says on tub breastmilk subsitute so that may be the way to go! i also got some cartons when was tying to swqap juts to make sure he would take it!!!

well after Tylers many many issues I think i could write a review on them all, we started on SMA but his colic was horrendous, then we tried cow and gate, and am now on Aptamil hungry baby which seems to agree with him.

sarah

Olivia has always been on aptimal, she is now on aptimal hungry baby and suits her brilliantly, she loves it so much she screams with delight when she sees it! :lol:

Wow! Screaming with delight - I think I want some! Bless her.
I've been meaning to say - I may just be watching out for it more since I watched that clip of Olivia, but I swear Jak goes quiet and stares at the Direct Line ad! It's the beep at the start, stops him in his tracks!

I think Aptimal's the winner, if I replace one feed a day for four days would that be ok? Or is that too quick, should I substitute one feed, then keep it like that for a day before substituting another? Clueless!!! I've got about a month yet, so not a massive hurry or anything.

haha brilliant I swear thats the best ad on tv, everytime Olivia is in one of her screaming moods I put it on you tube and she stops and then it distracts her!! :lol:

I think one feed a day is a good idea because it gets him gradually used to the change and you can see how Jak is reacting to it and then maybe after a week make it 2 feeds until gradually he is on the formula.

Good idea. I think starting with the first feed in the morning might be best, so hubby can get used to giving it to him rather than me. I can't believe it's nearly time for me to give up, all these November (and October!) babies are growing so fast! x x x

Em - as it's hard to know exactly how much Jak takes on the boob just be wary of how much you give him for the first ff. He will most likely take the whole bottle and end up with a belly ache afterwards if it's too much for him to handle straight up. When I introduced a second ff for Brody a few weeks back this happened to him so Id recommend just easing it in and observing, then up the quantity at the next ff if ok. You can always give him a top-up an hour later if he is showing that he is still ravenous and has no belly ache. Brody now has 250ml in both his ff as recommended on the tin for his age (Aptimal is 240ml / 8oz).

Just a thought! It was just horrendous to see Brody writhing around in pain.

Good luck! x

Thanks Sim, I think the process of introducing formula might be longer than I first thought it'd be - like a month rather than a week!

I've bene really focusing on the positives of him being on formula and I really think it's helping. I'm so so looking forward to hubby getting to give him feeds regularly, he's done it a few time with EBM but not on a regular basis. I'm sort of looking forward to my freedom too, is that really bad?

Thanks again a billion times for all your help, girlies x x x