switching formulas

hi ladies,

have anyone of you had to switch your babies brand of formula, if so how did you do it?  i was pumping for 5 weeks and then ended up stopping cause it was not going as well as i thought it should have been.  but he is on enfamil and i wanted to try switching him to good start cause cost wise i can get it alot cheaper and with this ecomony right now anything helps.  just wondering if anyone of you have had experience with switching formulas

thanks,

leigh

[jdamico]

well i  swtiched from  Enfamil to  similac with my daughter and  my  doc said  just t o   buy a small thing of powder or  ready made and  see if she took it well.   I thin when switching  brands  is ok  just  dont switch from  Reg to  soy based with out asking the doc .

I used to bounce between what was  cheaper with my other two and  they did fine  good luck

[Lance06]

Unfortuntately, I have not had to switch formulas...however, goodstart sends out TONS of coupons.....i forget what i had signed up for...but i get themoften and toss them..so, if you do decide to switch let me know...if i get anymore coupons in the mail..i will mail them out to you! They send ones out for like $11 off!!! i literally just threw that one away, i ahve sarah on Similac Advance with earlyshield...and as soon as Iam out of those coupons. I think I am going to switch to parents choice....they have versions that are similar to the expensive brands..probably just like good start!

[Gina209]

Oh girl, Caiden is the KING of switching formulas! I started off breastfeeding....after Caiden lost nearly a pound we realized he wasn't getting enough breastmilk (my milk supply sucked and was low) so I started supplementing Goodstart ready to feed formula and breastmilk. Well sooner than later he wouldnt breastfeed anymore and I started pumping. That was also shortlived due to my milk drying up in the 5th week!

Anyways, so he was on the regular goodstart ready to feed and we noticed that during and after every bottle feeding he would cry and move his legs like he was in pain. So our doctor told us to put him on goodstart soy. Well he had an even WORSE reaction to that. He screamed and screamed for hours everytime he ate. So we immediately got him off that and put him on Similac Sensitive for gasy and fussy babies and its lactose free. He's been doing GREAT on it! It seems to work for him very well.

But when we did switch, we only bought two cases of the ready to feed everytime we switched. And they say give the new formula 48-72 hours to get in your babies system. So by the time the 48-72 was up it was enough formula. If we did end up having extra formula...I gave it to my neighbor who makes baby baskets on the side. So it was tough switching so much and having to wait the days to find out if its what works but in the end we did! So in your case I would just mention it to his pediatrician, but I am sure it will be fine. Good Luck!!

P.S. If anyone uses Enfamil...for some reason they send me hundreds of coupons and that was the ONE brand we never tried! So let me know, I can mail them out also!

[Lance06]

I also found that Enfamil is more bubbly when mixed with water...whereas with similiac....less bubbles.....anyone else run into this? We received some enfamil in the mail....same type formula from the similaic we were using..and i figured iwould try it to see the difference...but i did not like the amount of bubbles that sat on top of the formula after being mixed!

[jdamico]

i had the same  issue  with enfamil  I find the Similac mixes easier   and i find a difference if the water is  warm  it  tends to mis even better

[leighanne143]

lance- yes the enfamil bubbles tons.  well i tried giving him the good start one day and he cried alot so i staretd the enfamil again.  if anyone has enfamil coupons i would love them, just email me and i will give you my address.  cause if i keep getting coupons i might not have to switch. also i have lots of coupns for similac if you want them.

thank you for your responses ladies.

[Tarobinc]

We switched formula from Enfamil to Similac Organic to Parent's Choice Organic.  Sophia did just fine.  I was mixing the formulas, one scoop to one scoop until she was on the one I wanted her to be on. I did run all of this by my doctor who said if the formula is FDA approved, it really then just depends on what you want to give your baby. Also switching among milk based formulas tends to work out ok she said.

[sadiesmommy]

I switched my boys from emfamil to similac soy because they would always get fussy and uncomfortable about an hour after eating and were only sleeping about 20-40 minutes at a time. I did this without consulting my pediatrician but I am pleased with the difference I have seen and am not looking back!!! I did have them on the gentleease made by enfamil and was in the process of switching them to regular enfamil so I just figured the lactose was the problem and it seems to have worked.

[mykids_mylife]

i have a 6 mth old little girl and we had alot of problems with her milk the first mth. my doc told me anytime i change her formula 2 slowly start her out on the new formula like mix say ur  makeing an 8 ounce bottle you would mix 6 ounces of the reg. formula and 2 of the new formula and work your way up every day this may help and give it like a week to settle with him and if you notice thats not workin then it could just be tha certain kind of good start that you are useing and may b hurting his belly

[gymdandee]

Bug-infested baby formula faces recall

If there's ever any doubts that breast is best, the recent recall of bug-infested baby formula should put them to bed.

After all, I've never heard of a breast milk recall!

Abbott Laboratories had to recall some 5 million containers of its popular Similac line of formulas when it discovered that they had been contaminated with an ugly little warehouse beetle called Trogoderma variabile.

You can see a picture of the critter here.http://www.scienceimage.csiro.au/index.cfm?event=site.image.detail&id=6962

Naturally, the FDA says there's no reason to worry because the beetle is harmless. They also say beetle bits or larvae pieces in the formula can irritate infant digestive tracts and lead to stomachaches, and even cause a little one to refuse food.

Not my definition of "harmless," but I've never been mistaken for a D.C. bureaucrat.

The FDA added that parents should consult doctors if the symptoms persist for "a few days," which only shows how clueless they are -- because any infant who refuses to eat for a few days won't be around for that doctor visit.

The buggy formula is just the latest in a string of Similac recalls in recent years, and parents are quickly switching over to rival brands. But let's face facts here: If you're feeding your baby any brand of formula at all, bug-induced indigestion is the least of your worries.

Baby formulas lack critical fats and nutrients that are only found in breast milk. Not only that, but the very act of breastfeeding is an essential piece of the bonding process between a newborn baby and its mother.

When a woman feeds her baby, the body releases critical hormones that help the mother feel a stronger sense of love and attachment. That hormone blast may even act as a powerful antidepressant that can ward off the postpartum blues.

And while the formula makers can make all the claims they want about how close their junk is to breast milk, repeated studies have all reached the same conclusion: breast-fed babies grow up smarter, healthier and probably better-looking, too.

On the other hand, formula does have breast milk beat in one area: Bugs seem to love the stuff.