Nutramigen for CMPA - how did you get your LO to drink it

[TTC LADY]

So LO has been diagnosed with a Cows Milk Protein Allergy and has been given Nutramigen AA powder by his paedrician.

I made a small quantity up this morning and it smells and tastes so foul. It nearly made me heave. I gave it to LO in his normal sippy cup and he took one gulp, made a very odd face and refused to take anymore.

I know perserverance is the key, but for those of you whose LOs are also taking this formula - how did you get your LO used to drinking it ?, how long did it take.

I am EBF so plan to only use it in his food for the moment, but will soon be returning to work, so he will need to have it as his follow on milk during the day whilst at nursery.

Thanks

 

[Joss_Taylor]

I took my son a little while to get used to it. He would fight the bottles at first and spit a lot of it out. He's tongue tied to nursing was really difficult for him but right after we started the Nutramigen he would nurse for hours so he didn't have to take the bottles. He eventually got used to it though, can't say he likes it but he tolerates it.

 

[TTC LADY]

I don't blame him, it tastes so bad. I feel sorry for them having to drink this stuff.

 

[mammy2oaklen]

It does taste awful luckily my son was 8 weeks when he was diagnosed so didnt really know much difference he did take a while to drink more than 3ounces but I just kept offering and he eventually took more. Now he doesnt know any diffference.
Just keep trying I have heard of people adding flavouring to improve the taste and make babies take it maybe u could look into this if hes still struggling to drink it

 

[laodicean]

We're in exactly the same situation as you! I'm going to be going back to work in January, so we need to get him onto some kind of hypoallergenic formula for nursery, because I just don't think I'm going to be able to pump enough, especially when working 13hr shifts.

I couldn't get he to drink Nutramagen at all (would just push the bottle away and accuse us of poisoning him), so we then got put on Neocate. He still wasn't happy about it but tolerates far better as long as a) he's starving b ) we put a few drops of vanilla extract in c)his Dad gives it to him and I'm not in the room, otherwise he just wants to know why I'm withholding booby!

Our dietician has given us another couple of milks to try that are apparently more palatable; Similic Alimentum and Althera. Haven't tried the Alethra yet, but the Similac Alimentum smells a lot better, and there is definitely less of a fuss about him drinking it, though his Dad still has to give it to him.

My only concern about the Similac is that it has soy oil in, and our LO's allergic to soy (I've had to cut dairy and soy out of my diet for breastfeeding), and whilst he hasn't had a reaction to it yet, that doesn't mean he won't if he's on it full time.

Sigh. It's not easy, is it?

 

[katherinegrey]

My pediatrician actually recommended a small scoop of banana nesquick to improve the taste, maybe see if that will help??

 

[babyjan]

My pediatrician actually recommended a small scoop of banana nesquick to improve the taste, maybe see if that will help??

Does the nesquik powders contain milk?

My son was prescribed aptamil Pepti which is also awful and probably has the same smell and taste, he got use to having it with weetabix but never had it as a drink.

When I first smelt it I rang the dietician and asked how an earth I could get him to drink it, she suggested vanilla extract which make it a lil better.

My friends son has cmpi and was drinking formula for a year or so until she took him doctors because of his extreme exzema, they prescribed nutrimigen and it took a while but she mixed banana milkshake in it at first, I watched him finish a full bottle yesterday with nothing added to it!

She did say her son will eat and drink anything lol

 

[roomaloo]

I ever tried that but mine was ebf and happily took cow and gate pepti junior from 16 months so maybe try that?

 

[Beccaboop]

I just kept trying and after about 2 days he drank it normally then when they changed him to neocate he took to that fine cos apoarently they taste similar.

 

[weejenb]

My LO luckily took to it right away, we had no problems from the first bottle (but he will eat pretty much anything!) I echo the advice of just keep trying, or adding something to flavour it, he'll get used to it really soon.

 

[TTC LADY]

Thanks ladies.

We have a follow up with his paedrician next week - I will ask him about the similar alimentum as a potential alternative, especially if it smells better. I will also mention potentially flavouring the milk with either extract/ nesquick. I also plan to get a referral to a dietician in order to develop an appropriate management plan ensuring he gets all the nutrients he needs

I will now plan to continue BF until he is one - assuming my supply remains, so will primarily use this powder in his food preparation. The nutramigen website has some good recipes.

I also found a list of standard supermarket dairy free foods on the cowsmilkproteinallergysupport.webs.com site - this is quite useful, check it out if you've not already done so.

 

[ESF1978]

Same as another poster said, our paediatrician suggested banana nesquick, sounds awful and goes against what youd ideally feed a baby but actually you only need around half a teaspoon, and you can quickly reduce it to nothing. Withinf a week or so our dd was drinking the bottles and off the nesquick. Good luck x

 

[babyjan]

Thanks for the site xx

 

[babyjan]

I just found out that Coco pops is dairy free? I always assumed that because it has chocolate it would contain milk

 

[CatherineK]

If you are EBF, why can't you just express some if you need to mix with food- and pump when you go back to work? Breastmilk on a restricted diet is much easier on a sensitive tummy than the replacements if you are able.

 

[summer rain]

I just found out that Coco pops is dairy free? I always assumed that because it has chocolate it would contain milk

Yep it's dairy free but the vitamins are of animal origin, I think from sheep wool fat so they are considered veggie but not vegan. The chocolate chip weetabix are dairy free and vegan but just processed in a factory where milk may also be processed so not suitable for those avoiding milk due to severe allergies xx