Formula feeding

ShannonJ96

So I'm planning of feeding my baby formula once he's born. I've been looking at a few different brands, and they all have pretty much the same nutritional value and ingredients. I got to thinking about formula, and I had to wonder: can I switch between different brands or is it more like with dog food where you always have to buy the same stuff?
I know you shouldn't switch between milk based and soy based formulas, but I'm curious about switching between different milk based formulas.

disneybaby84

@ShannonJ96 I recommend you posting this question in the Ask a STM thread, which stands for Ask a second time mom.

chrlyr

Different babies have different needs, so whatever you choose may not end up working for your baby. I personally used Gerber Good Start Gentle because that's what they used in the NICU and DS got used to it because we had to supplement right away. I never changed formulas, so no experience there. I would go with the advice of your pediatrician on that one. 

datalover13

We started DS off with the nursettes in the hospital that were straight Similac, but once those were gone he was having tummy troubles so we switched to Up&Up Gentle. I think we'll probably go the same route this time. From what I can tell, even between brands of the same "type", little things can be different that can upset tummies. I'd check with your pediatrician.

clarereedy

We started my son on the regular (blue container) similac in the hospital. Since he liked it and could tolerate it, we stuck with it. 

jmacd22

I stuck with what the hospital started my daughter with. She really didn't have problems. It was also similac. I would stick with the same one if it doesn't give the baby any problems and only switch if there is a good reason to. 

korpisar

We used enfamil and never switched. My SIL used enfamil at first and had to switch due to reflux issues - I think it was to a soy one tho

marshmallowfarts

I had to supplement with DS on top of breastfeeding because DS was a premie that didn't gain weight appropriately. Formula was sooooo hard for us because DS had a sensitive stomach. He had a dairy intolerance but yet the soy was too harsh on him. Unfortunately formula is one of those things that's trial and error and you really have to stick through with it to make sure it works - like use it 3 weeks to see if your baby is having issues. People switch too frequently and their babies get colicky and cranky because their system is constantly trying to figure something new out if that makes sense? Once they get a little older - like 4/5 month range - it's not as bad because they've got that digestion process down. For us though we had to stay with the expensive sensitive formula for DS for his first year because of all his food intolerances. 

The first few weeks of life though as baby learns to take in foods and digest them isn't always an easy process. I would really recommend staying with one brand for a while before switching it up. 

Good luck with your journey!!