hello ladies ive got my c section booked for the 14th and was just wondering which formula is best cow & gate or aptamil ive bought a few cartons of cow & gate but ive heard that aptamil is meant to be the best now adays my son is 6 and i used sma with him but i know milk has advanced since then anyone have any advice??????????? which is best??

Everyone has their own preferences Hon ...

My daughter uses Aptamil .... now I BF my own babies and I can honestly say that the Aptamil produces poo that is exactly like that of a BF baby in smell, texture and colour, whereas the poo I have seen from babies on cow and gate (and sma) seems to be much firmer, darker and a lot smellier.

It might be just co-incidence because it's not as though I've launched a full scale study of nappy contents and it's certainly not scientific, but for me if a formula produces poo like breast milk then it must mean that it's a pretty close match iykwim

formulas are all pretty much the same, i used cow and gate never had any problems, i know that cow and gate and aptimal are sister companies ill be honest the reason i chose c&g is because it was the cheapest 7.55 as apposed to 8.99 for aptimal and the ingredients are exactly the same!

Good luck with you c section hope all goes ok make sure you take plenty of rest after and enjoy lots of cuddles from your LO xx

I used Aptamil for my daughter never had any problems with her bowels and he has never been sick apart from a handful of times in the morning since she has been teething and making herself gag.

I know cow and gate are pretty much the same but all the baby's I know on cow and gate are sick quite a lot maybe coincidence but all the baby's I know on Aptamil have never been sick you could get a few cartons of each and see which one baby prefers. Aptamil is more expensive so it's a bonus if your baby prefers cow and gate x

We use Cow and Gate and lo has had no problems with it. From listening to the experiences of friends and family this was the overall picture of the formula brands:

Aptamil Pros= poos are like bf baby, supposed "higher quality" ingredients, sweet tasting.
Cons= Expensive, babies can be a bit sicky on it as it is apparently quite rich, doesnt come in larger ready to feed cartons.
SMA Pros= Very popular, well known and trusted brand, available everywhere, babies generally like it, powders are vegetarian.
Cons=Can make babies constipated due to higher iron content, does not contain LPCs, expensive.
Hipp
Organic Pros=Organic, has a thinner consistancy closer to breast milk, supposedly tastes the most like breast milk, less expensive than other brands.
Cons= Not a very well known brand, not available as widely as other brands, not available in hospital bottles, not available in larger ready to feed cartons.
Cow &
Gate Pros=Well known long lived brand, cheaper than other brands, babies tend to stomach it well, available in larger size cartons.
Cons= I have never actually heard any friends say a bad thing about it, but im sure some babies will be windy or sicky with it etc.

SMA does contain LCPs, just not from fish oil but from fermented algae instead. LCPs are of questionable benefit anyway, and in the UK were only legally allowed in formula in 2007 (despite many companies adding them well before this). There is also anecdotal evidence they can aggravate conditions such as reflux. None of the formulas currently on sale is better than any other, nutritionally or otherwise so please do not worry about that. The reason why aptamil produces BF-like poo in some babies is because it has soluble fibre added which is similar to that found in oats, fruits and vegetables but they are still quite different to those found in human milk and are only one tiny part of human milk. HIPP nowadays contains similar ingredients as does cow and gate comfort xx

Thats interesting to know Summer Rain - Thank you

thanks ladies u know what i think ive fallen into the whole aptamil advertising trap that its best for baby as closest to breastmilk i think ille try him on cow and gate as ive about 12 cartons of it so whats the point of wasting it i guess im not made of money lol and if he doesnt agree then im sure i can try the aptamil, my sister used sma and my nephew was really bad on it constantly sick etc i used it for my son but 6 years ago it was the main one well the trusted one availiable but i also like the fact they sell cow and gate in my corner shop

We changed from aptamil to cow and gate and actually thought his poo was better. Less pasty and definitely easier for him to pass. I breastfed and I think the poo of cow and gate is very very similar - can't speak of SMA or Hipp but as summer rain said they are all pretty much the same just depends of what your baby gets on better with.

I had Freya on Aptamil originally but changed to HiPP organic at 14 weeks. Aptamil made her windy, gave her painful poos and she'd dropped her ozs so low she was only taking 2oz per feed - and that was with a fight. It just didn't suit her at all, but all babies are different x