Help me choose a formula brand! Uk ladies whatdo you use and why?

[josephine3]

My lo is currently breastfed but i am thinking of switching to formula in the next few weeks..

How do u choose which one to go for? Which is best or most popular? Am i right in thinking u have to pick one and stick with it?

Also, if my lo turns 6months before i start, do i go stright to the follow on milk?

Opinions please! Thanx x

 

[Kobes Mummie]

Hi
I know times change but i went from BF to SMA only because it was the most known brand.
He then went really sensitive to it so changed to Aptimil so a change can happen but staying on one is best for comfort.

I Put my LO at 5 months on Formula but put him on stage one Sma then changed him a couple months later. Its less heavy on their bellies i believe than follow on xx

 

[josephine3]

Thanks. My lo is nearly 5 months now and shes so big already to breastfeed, she grabs at my boobs and scratches them it really hurts!

 

[Kobes Mummie]

Bless her .. You have done really well to feed her Breast this Far xx

 

[bubbles123]

They are all equal so no one is 'best' but some babies get on better with some brands than others. So I'd start out with whatever brand is easiest for you to get hold of and see how you go. I use Aptamil myself and love it. If your LO is 6 months plus you can go straight to follow on but you do not need to use it first milk is fine until 12 months as well.

 

[LilOopsy]

I use aptamil hungry baby... But as others say, no particular one is 'best'

However... MW told me aptamil and cow & Gate are same company and likely to be same product

 

[veryfondoftea]

I use Hipp Organic and love it...it's the same price as the others and is meant to be great for reducing the likelihood of wind problems, and my daughter doesn't suffer with wind at all. I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[josephine3]

Hmm thanks ladies! Didnt kno that about aptamil and cow and gate.. I was thinking about the Hipp organic is that better for them?

 

[dizz]

Check what's stocked (and actually IN stock) at the shops near you would be my way of approaching it - our local Tesco is terrible for running out of some brands at times! Last thing you want when running low and the weather's awful is to be running around every store in the area trying to find somewhere that stocks what you're using!

 

[skunkpixie]

We use Hipp Organic and DD3 loves it! No wind, sick or poo problems to report. I will say though that it's the least widely available of all the brands. You probably wouldnt be able to buy it at your local shop, just places like Tesco or Asda. I buy mine from Amazon as we use cartons, not powder, and even Tesco seems to constantly run out of the cartons of Hipp (which isnt that bad as it only costs 1p per carton more than tesco and gets delivered for free!). xx

 

[JMB1992]

There pretty similar but Cow and Gate and Aptimal are the same company! So exactly the same and Cow and Gate is cheaper x

 

[Ktothema]

Cow and gate and aptamil aren't the same. My daughter and others will testify to that. There is a difference in their make up. I'd have said aptamil if I hadn't had ds, the switch to aptamil helped my dd no end. But ds got irritated with aptamil and he gets on best with hipp. I'd say it's best to keep an open mind, try something that (as others say) is stocked locally.

 

[Indi84]

Another vote for hipp organic here my baby does really well on it and I love that it has friendly bacteria in it. It's made up with cooler water then normal formula. I swapped to it after he had breast milk for the first month.

 

[skunkpixie]

Aptamil and C&G are almost the same. They have the same base, but Aptamil contains more prebiotics and LCPs than C&G. Cosidering prebiotics and LCPs do not by law have to be included in formula you need to decide for yourself whether its worth paying the extra £1.50 for Aptamil over C&G. xx

 

[skunkpixie]

Here is the reply that I got from Aptamil regarding the differences between Aptamil and C&G whe I emailed them a while back:

Thank you for your email to Apticlub about the ingredients of the Aptamil and Cow & Gate milks.
The basis of these milks is exactly the same, as all infant milk formulae have to follow very stringent rulings from the UK Department of Health. This is to ensure that all babies, regardless of the brand that their parent's choose to feed them, receive the same nutritional benefits from their milk formula.
Where Aptamil milks differ from Cow & Gate milks is in the functional ingredients. Aptamil have spent more than thirty years researching breast milk, and they have added ingredients, such as LCPs and nucleotides in proportions to match breast milk as closely as possible.

I hope that this answers your query. If you have anything else that we may help you with, please do contact us again, either by email or by using the Live Chat facility on the web site. You may also telephone the Careline on free 'phone number 0800 996 1000.

 

[josephine3]

Great info ladies keep it comin! Question tho what are lcp's?
Also how can the powder be 'organic'?

 

[skunkpixie]

As far as I know LCPs are fats eg. Omega 3 and 6, which are supposed to be important for brain and eye developement. Aptamil, C&G, Hipp and SMA all contain LCPs.

I think Hipp Organic is "organic" because it's made from milk harvested from cows fed an organic diet, using no growth hormones.

The base nutrient level (calorie, carb, fat, protein, vit and mineral content) of the 4 brands are almost identical, and where the brands vary most is with the added extras that are not required by law to be in the formula. These include LCPs (all the 4 have it), Prebiotics (all have it apart from SMA), Nucleotides (all have it apart from Hipp) and Probiotics (only Hipp contains them). But there is no firm evidence to support the benefits of any of these added extras, hence why they are not required by law. xx

 

[CoffeePuffin]

LO is on Hipp Organic, we tried 4 milks and this is the one she is most settled on.

 

[JMB1992]

I meant they are from the same company obviously they have slight differences... Anyway I would probably go for Aptimal.. its personal opinion though x

 

[josephine3]

Hmm seems like its Aptamil or Hipp then. What on earth are Nucleotides? Seems i have some googling to do...