Best recommendations on formula
For a variety of reasons I need to introduce formula to my 9 month old. Which do you recommend and why? Thanks!
4 Answers
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You just have to try and then your daughter will let you know if she likes it (look at the change in stool).
For both my kids, I used Similac for no particular reason except that it was what the hospital gave and so they got used to it. However, like the hospital, we only had luck with the ready to feed. The powder was making my son constipated in the beginning and the doctor told us to try ready to feed. We also tried the switch to organic but he didn't take it well so we stuck with regular until he turned 1.
For my 2nd, she did not handle the regular similac well so we used the Similac sensitive, which is milk-based lactose free (not soy). When she was taking that well for months, the doctor said we could try switching to regular if we want so we tried to switch the organic but she didn't take it well so we went back to the sensitive until she switched to regular milk.
We had gotten used to the convenience of the ready to feed and used that with her too. I think the ease of using powder depends on the type of baby bottle you use. We had Playtex ventaire and powder would get stuck to the bottom membrane. I know others who liked the playtex dropins with their powder formula.
I don't know of any store that sells it. We've taken our kids to 2 peds offices (in different states) and they both had formula samples they were happy to give us. Just talk to the nurses/doctors there. At one of the offices, they even had a newborn kit that could take free from their office including travel bag, etc. Some of the formula companies will also send you samples and coupons if you register online at their site.
- sweethi, Jan 29, 2011
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We used Enfamil, for no particular reason, and both our kids took to it fine. We liked the individual powder packets for on-the-go, and then we realized we could just put some powder in the bottom of bottle, or in a 3-serve plastic powder dispenser, and so we did that.
Infant formula is a highly competitive marketplace, and so often if you go to the formula's website, you can sign up for free samples or coupons - here's one on enfamil.com. Good luck!
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We're using Gerber Good Start by Nestle because she didn't seem to mind it when we first gave it to her. My lactation consultant recommended it and said it was the least smelly. I really don't know - it all smells at both ends, but I love her so I don't particularly mind. I found it cheaper at Target stores, they had an "extra 25% for free" can for awhile, but I've since purchased the 6 pack off Amazon.
Our pediatrician said that Cotsco's Kirkland brand was okay too - we tried that but found it to be really frothy when mixed. We didn't need to add more air into our champ burper, so we stopped using it.
With powdered formula, I found the Innobaby storage system very useful for even the narrowest bottles. I can pre-measure formula and get it into the narrow bottles without spilling. You can watch Baby Steals for a deal on these as well - I got a 2 pack for the price of 1.
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After much research, we ended up going with Baby's Only Organic by Nature's One. It's a mix, but it gets great ratings/reviews. And, Baby Grrl!™ loves it! You can find it at Target but it's easy and inexpensive to order direct.
Thanks for the tips Sweethi. Do you happen to know of any service or store that sells sample sizes of a variety of formulas. I always felt that if BRU or some other online store sold a pack of 4 types of bottles and 4 types of formulas that would aid in exploring which would work best for an individual baby...I'll go buy as many as I have to, to find which one she'll like, and try to give the unused formula to someone else...but it's all really inefficient...thanks again for the insight and perspective - it's much appreciated.
- umasmom, Jan 29, 2011