Product Spotlight: Formula

Avrilmai

Week 2 of our baby feeding series. This week we turn the spotlight to Formula. (last week was all about breast feeding/pumping, next week we will focus on bottles)

As with all baby related items it is not a one-size fits all when it comes to formula.

What brand of formula do you use? Any help/suggestions on navigating the options of formula types within each brand? What about specialty formulations (dairy free, soy free, etc)? 
If you plan to formula feed, what should you have ready beforehand? And you don't expect to formula feed, is there anything we may want to know ahead of time or have prepared just in case for supplementing or using/transitioning to formula?

Do you use pre-mixed or powder formula? What's your set-up at home, and what's your set-up on the road in your diaper bag? 

Where and how do you get your formula? Do you have a good source for coupons? Certain stores to keep an eye on? Mail-order options? Assistance from medical offices?


Product Spotlight Spreadsheet

hoosiermamajayden

I only ever gave formula to my oldest. We used pre-mixed initially because he was a little early and it was recommended. To me it was inconvenient— it came in cans that we opened one at a time. Then had to plastic wrap the cans or pour them into a pitcher or something. Then it always seemed to get a little crusty in the fridge and again, traveling was inconvenient because it needed to stay refrigerated. Although now they make handy packs just the size for two bottles and an ice pack so that may not be as big of a deal now. 

Anyway once we switched to powdered it was much more convenient IMO. Thankfully he wasn’t too sensitive so I used generic or whatever I had good coupons for at the time.

My biggest recommendations are to buy a variety of bottle types initially— don’t get more than maybe two of one type until you find which type your baby prefers. Also, get one of those little travel formula dispensers. You can pre-measure three or four individual bottles’ worth and just tip the powder into a bottle filled with water and shake, shake, shake.

SmashJam

Second @hoosiermamajayden with the formula dispenser...loved it for short trips. 

Ive been lucky...both kids ate any brand, but DS6 needed the one that's thickened with rice cereal for spit up...I can't remember which that is. We got target formula delivered for him bc it was the cheapest(and we didn't have a target then but will soon!!). DS3 ate anything. Both kids took cold bottles which was AMAZING, I never used a warmer, so I wouldn't necessarily invest in one of those. I might have used it anyway if mine had worked but it didn't and middle of the night sleep deprivation led me to just feeding him instead of struggling with the warmer. 

Blondesweety444

We had a long painful journey around feeding. I EPed for 6 months. He would scream for an hour every night until he projectile vomited and would then immediately fall asleep. 

I decided it had to be something with my BM/something I was eating. so I started doing trial runs of formula to see if it helped. We did the pro total comfort (purple can) of Similac. He improved significantly after just a week. I mentioned this to our dietician and she agreed that there must be some level of mild allergy. But because he was a preemie she didn’t want him on regular formula. So she ended up putting us on Neosure. That stuff was ultra nasty but he tolerated it. 

The best way we found for formula on the go was to pack a thermos of super hot water. We would mix that with a water bottle of room temp water to get the right temperature. Then add the formula. Easy! Messing with portable warmers was a huge pain and never worked. 

Also - I never had one but I’m seeing a lot of negative reviews on the baby Brezza bottle maker lately.  Lots of videos about how it’s not dispensing enough formula with the water. 

monstera13

I didn’t formula feed, but when I worked as a server many years ago, I had quite a few moms ask me for a glass of hot water from
the coffee/hot cocoa machine. They’d then mix with cold water to get to the right temp for a bottle of formula. Just another option when out and about!

shlecks

@Blondesweety444 Oh is that the keurig type thing?  Someone told me about it recently saying it's a LIFEsaver!  I hadn't read reviews yet.

We ended up having samples of formula on hand which I was so thankful for because I underproduced so my son was always still hungry and cranky.  They were the premixed bottles that come with the little nipple you just pop on and give to them.  Thankfully he didn't mind it wasn't warm.  After about 8 weeks of struggle with breastfeeding we went to all formula and I think I got the Gentlease (purple can) at first and then we switched to Costco brand formula after a while.  We were lucky to not have any allergies with any of them.

Blondesweety444

@shlecks yeah it is. They have several versions, one that just does hot water and one that mixes formula with the hot water. I've seen several tik toks about people testing it and it was only dispensing about half the formula it should have. Which to me seems like a big deal. It is not just a little bit short.

teamama80

When I switched from BF to formula I got a bottle making machine. I was skeptical at first but it ended up being a god send, especially at night, you just measure the powder in to the empty bottle, press a button, it dispenses the correct amount of filtered water at the right (warm) temperature and you shake. 

It was Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep, I’m not in the US so not sure if it’s available there, I’m sure there are others similar though.

rbflei

So when I first left the hospital they gave me like two packs of samples of premixed baby infamil formula that you just open the lid and put on a nipple to use. Partially because my daughter went from 8 lbs even at birth to about 7.5 by the time we left the hospital and there was some concern about that quick dip. So we were supporting till her weight evened out. Which it did in the next 2 weeks then I breast fed till about 6 months with pumping for when I was at work with formula when I didn't make enough then at 9 months she weaned herself and when she wanted nothing to do with me, I decided my part time unpaid pumping job was over at that point. We used powder infamil and got it at Costco from then on.

 I totally agree with waiting to buy all your bottles. We got two or 3 sample bottles and tried them but she would only ever take the Nam pacifiers so we eventually tried the Nam bottles and she took right to them. Will absolutely do it the same way this time and let the kid decide then stock up. She LOVED the Nam bottles, they each break down into 5 parts I did not enjoy cleaning them so I won't be sad if this one chooses something different. That said once broken down they were easy to clean just a lot of real estate for all the parts.

We went to inchbug for bottle labels. Which since we daycare is a necessity. They are plastic and just slide over the bottle and can come off or if you are lazy like us just throw in dishwasher as they are dishwasher and microwave safe and we only took them off once we were done with bottles. We found if we wrote with permanent marker we were constantly redoing it. These were great because once she changed to sippy cup or now water bottle we just moved over the plastic ring to the new bottle.

With bottles I think we also have to talk drying rack. We got a boon with two flowers and I still use it 5 years later. It's worth the money and I use it for way more than bottle pieces.