Formula/ Food Discussion Thread

tuxielove93

What do the STMs+ recommend? What questions do you have about formula and food? 

jellie603

Interested to hear what others have used for formula recently. I haven't used it in 5 years and I am sure a lot has changed. I didn't BF with my first (tried for a month and it just wasn't for us) and I am not holding any expectations with the twins - that is a lot to keep up with in the way of BF. So, moms who have recently formula fed, what is your fave. that you can get in stores? I guess I would first be looking for a "sensitive" or "gentle" kind as I am sure my babies will be extra tiny for a while. 

oli9

This is my seventh baby and I’ve never breast fed or pumped for any of my kids, and while I contemplated exclusively pumping for this baby, after really looking into it further I just don’t think it’s for me either. 😣 I still can’t decide 100% what I’m going to be doing for feeding as I keep going back and forth on my decision, but if I do decide to continue down the formula path, we will be giving our baby Earths Best Organic Sensitive formula. It’s pretty expensive but it’s got some of the cleanest ingredients so it’s worth it to us. 

inthewoods23

I know this is well down the line... But does anyone have good recs/info on making your own baby food?

zwink1

I did a little bit of everything with DS.  I exclusively BF for the first 8 weeks, after I went back to work, we switched to a combo of BF/pumped depending on where he was when he was eating.  At about 6 months, I was so over pumping at work that I started weaning that off.  We then did a couple BFing sessions in the am and pm when I was with DS, and we worked through a mix of my stashed supply and formula for daycare bottles until he was about 10 months old.  At that point, I got sick and my supply absolutely tanked, so he went exclusively to formula until he was 1.  Sooooooo, we tried it all! 

I also tried practically every type of formula under the sun with DS before finding my unicorn formula that worked for us both.  We worked through samples of a number of variations of both Similac and Enfamil, as well as some Earth's Best, and at least one more that I'm forgetting. (At one point later on we tried Kabrita toddler goat milk formula - DS was a fan.)  Of the US formulas, enfamil enspire was my favorite (it's also one of the most expensive), but honestly, I didn't really like any of them.  Which is how we ended up settling on a European formula.  

I ultimately ended up using Holle for most of DS's formula feeding time, and will definitely lean that direction again first before trying anything else if we end up using formula for this baby.  Downside is that it's (obviously) not available in stores, but after doing a ton of research and having actually tested a bunch of different brands/formulations, I felt better about using a European formula than a US formula, and even taking shipping costs into consideration price wise it was pretty comparable.  Unless people are interested, I won't delve into why we went that route, but I will say that the difference in the final, mixed product between US and European formulas is... startling. 

Food wise we did a bunch of different stuff too.  DS was (still is) a big fan of pouches and would eat pretty much anything out of them.  I rotated through a dew different brands depending on what was on sale at the time.  

runnergirl2018

Here for the formula suggestions.  I"m planning to EBF but i think having a little formula on hand is good even in that case for emergency situations. I'm debating on doing a combo but haven't decided yet.  I've recently been looking at Bobbie formula, which is FDA approved in the US and designed similar to european formulas. It's probably what we'll try if needed.  Have you heard of them @zwink1 ?
I"m a little on the fence as my first little guy had a dairy sensitivity and I had to be dairy free while nursing, although he grew out of it by 15 months, and almost all formula's have dairy.  and the soy ones in the US have stuff in them that I don't feel great about


For feeding down the line - I HIGHLY recommend the courses by Feeding Littles - which will help you whether you decide to use purees or go the baby led weaning route.  Please note that some pediatricians and daycare providers are not up to date on current feeding recommendations and can push you to follow old guidelines. I think it's important to be educated on what we know currently so you can advocate for yourself and your littles as needed

jellie603

@zwink1 and @runnergirl2018 where is the best place to start to research formula? I don't even know where to start haha. With my first I just went to the store, picked one and stuck with it but moved to the "sensitive" option.

eta tag - 
@inthewoods23 I didn't technically "make" my own baby food - we bought purees but only for the complicated stuff. If it was something I could mash with a fork (bananas, avocados, oatmeal) or even quickly just blend in the Ninja (berries), I would. We also found that anything in a pouch was a hit (once he could hold them) so we bought reusable pouches and put everything in there haha.

oli9

I was wondering about the European brands and how much of a hassle they are to order and receive since they are coming from over seas, but I do see that the ingredients in the European brands are MUCH cleaner than any American brand formula! I thought Earths Best or Burt’s Bees were good options but the Palm Oil concerns me a little bit so I may be looking into the European brands. They aren’t much more expensive than Earths Best or the Burt’s Bees.

stardustskies

I was on WIC 4 years ago so we used Gerber Goodstart which is the formula which was provided. The one in the orange can. My son had no issues with it at all and it worked wonderful. I'm going to try really hard to breastfeed this time around but if I do supplement with formula or have to use formula only, I think I will go with Enfamil Neuropro. 

zwink1

@runnergirl2018 Completely agree that having some on hand just in case is a good idea!  Our hospital sent us home with a bunch of the pre-mixed 2 oz bottles just in case we ran into BF issues.  I have heard of Bobbie, but they weren't around when DS was an infant, so I don't know anything about them.  I meant to check them out, so thanks for the reminder!

@jellie603, oh man, I don't even remember off the top of my head, I'd have to go digging again.  Most of the US retail sites default to recommending the US formulas for obvious reasons, so a lot of the info I found was on smaller sites.  Holle and HIPP are two of the most well known European formula brands.  

@oli9 I personally never had any issues, but the situation may have changed in the last few years, particularly in light of current events.  I never had any of my packages stopped/rejected by customs and they always came relatively quickly for something coming from overseas.  Obviously it took some pre-planning to make sure I didn't run out.  At that time, there were a few US based companies that would sell the European formula brands and ship from the US.  I'm not sure if that's still the case.  I just ordered in bulk from distributors in the country of origin though, because 1) just a guess, but I like to think I was getting a fresher product, and 2) the mark up from the US warehouses was generally more per box than the cost of just paying the shipping on a bulk order.  All in, the Holle shipped from Europe was more cost effective than the Enfamil Enspire, and generally cheaper than or right in line with a lot of the other US formulas as well.  

bearsandbeets7

We plan on formula feeding again, we did with both of our other LOs. My main concern here recently is seeing how empty the shelves always are at the store. I believe our hospital uses Enfamil neuropro(I think) so that is what we will start with. We used Gerber good start with DD and she did well with that, we used Similac with DS and I remember him spitting up a good bit. 

lilirunning34

I EBF my first 3 and hope with this one too. In regards to food we started at 6m with them per my pec’s advice with single foods and eventually did a combo of BLW/purées/whatever we were eating. My only bit of advice is to not put too much pressure on yourself whatever you do. You don’t have to be all in or nothing with some of this stuff. As long as the kids are fed and thriving then that’s the key. 

sunshineandlemons

I wasn’t successful BF my first and used regular similac formula before switching to generic (nearly exactly the same as name brand but a lot cheaper). Then, with my second, I had more success and was also pumping but needed to supplement. She spit up a lot and we used the enfamil gentlease (sp). I had her in November 2019 right before COVID and switched her to store brand formula too because it was easier to find in the stores when there were shortages (the big stores generic formula was exactly the same). This time around, I’m hoping to supplement less and be more successful in my BF journey.

@inthewoods23 I made almost all of the food for my oldest (except meat). I was gifted a baby bullet would mix fruits and some veggies together. Veggies were super easy because I’d just buy a steamer bag of veggies, cook, and blend with nursery water. I got ideas for mixes from Pinterest and from the pre-packaged baby food. With my second, I ended up buying most of it due to Covid and job stressors. I’m going to try to make this baby’s food as much as possible. It’s not that hard and truly doesn’t take that much time.

stardustskies

@sunshineandlemons When you make your own baby food, how long does it stay good in the fridge? I did mashed steamed veggies, bananas, avocado, etc. with my son but I never saved any leftovers. I'd be interested in probably making some in bulk depending on shelf life. 🤔

sunshineandlemons

@stardustskies I think it’s only “good” for 3 days, maybe less. I would freeze a lot of it and then pull it out as needed. There are silicone molds that are useful for that and they pop out easily. I’ve also seen some mamas use large ice cube trays.

cmhme

@stardustskies and @sunshineandlemons I tried freezing in bulk using large ice cube trays but i had a huge problem with freezer burn. Did you leave yours in the mold? I had been popping mine out.

I landed on buying a bunch of 1 cup tupperware to freeze in which worked out well and made defrosting easier. Also, with sending breakfast to daycare everyday i am still constantly using the little containers so they were nice to have around.

I was gifted a Beaba babycook and it was super handy because you can steam/cook and then blend/puree all in the same place.

We did BLW so never needed purees much but having the machine just to steam veggies in was nice.

feather_heather

I don't enjoy cooking and the thought of making my own baby food never crossed my mind lol Gerber all the way! lol It was much easier for me and didn't add something else to my never ending to-do list. 

sunshineandlemons

@cmhme I didn’t keep them in the molds once they were frozen because I would need them to put a new batch in and I wasn’t sure about a bunch freezing/re-freezing (not that they completely thaw but still wasn’t sure about that). So once they were frozen, I’d pop them out of the molds, wrap in Saran Wrap and then write what it was on there and the date and put them in a ziploc and just grab from there.

tuxielove93

As far as baby food goes, we did blw. Mostly out of sheer laziness, but also because it works for us and the kids love it. I bought first foods that were easily mashable as they were, or I would steam stuff on occasion. And as soon as possible, I would pull some of our dinner/lunches away and give them that. It worked really great over here and I've ended up with two good eaters who aren't picky. FX it was the blw and it works a third time! 

inthewoods23

@runnergirl2018 what's the difference between purees and baby lead weaning?

oli9

After this post yesterday, I went on a formula research frenzy! I thought I had it all figured out with Earths Best but started to compare the European brands and I was blown away. I also watched some informative YouTube videos exposing baby formula in the United States and it’s pretty shocking. 

I think my favorite European brand based off ingredients and reviews is Kindamil but it’s VERY expensive! $48 per canister expensive and about $500+ for 12 canisters, which is just not realistic for us. I found Similac Pure Bliss Organic which they claim is modeled off of the European brands and the reviews are pretty great across the board. I’m going to research it a little more and if I really like it, I’ll end up ordering it off of Amazon by the case which is about $179 per case of 6 canisters. 

cmhme

@inthewoods23 not to jump in but we also did baby led weaning (BLW) which is basically to just start giving them real foods at 6 months and not do baby foods. So we started with soft things like banana, avocado, etc but basically they eat what you eat cut to a way they can hold so that they feed themselves from the start. If interested, there is a fantastic facebook group "Baby led weaning for beginners & beyond" that provides helpful hints and meal ideas.

inthewoods23

@cmhme awesome thanks!

LJMoon6

We EBF for the first year. And we also did BLW starting at 6 months. We did try some purees at 5 months but DS never really liked any of them, so we didn't push it. We also had a pediatrician that recommended BLW (not all of them approve, or even know what it is). I loved being able to just give him some food off of our plates. Made things so much easier. And DS is an excellent eater (not sure if its just his personality or because of BLW). I will also add that any food before one is really only meant for them to practice eating and try new foods. Their main source of nutrition should still be formula/breast milk. We had a little bit of an issue with this and daycare pushing more foods than breast milk before DS turned 1.

twentythree19

+1 to the BLW club. Wasn’t suuuuuper strict on it though. I supplemented with baby food until DD got the hang of it, just to feel better about getting enough calories in her. And also bc our daycare doesn’t really support it due to state regulations. 

But agree I with
@lilirunning34 whatever you choose to do, don’t be hard on yourself over sticking perfectly with any one program. As long as baby is fed, you’re doing great! 

practicallypierson

So feeding and daycare question. The daycare we're looking at will let us store pumped milk in their freezer so that we have a supply there. They also have a fridge so that we could bring in fresh for the day. Is there an advantage to one method over the other, or is it pretty much dependent on what supply ends up looking like and whether I'll be able to keep stocked there and at home? 

zwink1

@practicallypiersonineveryway, I would ask them for details on what they require for day-to-day use.  Our daycare allowed (preferred even) us to store a few bags of frozen pumped milk there, but it was meant to be more for those situations where DS was hungrier than we anticipated for the day and worked through the prepped supply,  not for every day use.  Otherwise, due to State regulations and just general time constraintsin dealing with that many infants at once, they required each day's milk to be pre-made in bottles and all bottles to be marked with baby's name, date, and contents.  For obvious reasons, most states have very strict requirements on daycares regarding the handling and storage of infant foods.   

bumblebee0210

We did some supplementing with formula (and then entirely formula after 7 months or so), and I think we used the Earth's Best Organic. My advice to FTMs who are planning on EBFing is to just get a little six-pack of the enfamil or similac pre-made newborn bottles and stick them in a closet somewhere. You may never need them, but if you do, you may be stressed out and alone with the baby, or it's the middle of the night, and you don't want to go to a store with your baby and figure out formula. It's better just to have some on hand. 

Also, we did a combo of purees and BLW. I think the issue with so many of these baby things is that people get on one bandwagon and then are super strict about it, which can be stressful. Our daughter was ready to eat at 4 months, which was too early for BLW, and we wanted to introduce her to new flavors as early as possible. I made homemade purees with frozen veggies and fruits and a blender, then froze them in little silicon ice trays. It was super convenient. Then around 6 months we did lots of BLW-style eating in addition at mealtimes. If you want to eat dinner with your kid, I suggest trying to get them eating some version of wha you're eating as early as possible. We really didn't want to have to make 2 dinners, or end up feeding them "kid food" all the time. Our rule now for our 2.5 year-old is that she has to eat what's at the table, but she can not eat anything (so if we are having burgers, she can just eat the bun, or the meat, or the cheese, or whatever). It works pretty well-- she eats a varied (if cheese-heavy) diet, and I am not a short-order cook. 

If you're into the BLW thing, I encourage you to embrace the parts that are easy (they eat what you eat! just give them some stuff to play around with! Don't stress if 99% of their calories still come from milk!), and don't worry too much about the weird specific rules about order, and like making specific BLW-foods, etc. Also you might do BLW most of the time, but get some pouches on vacation or something. It's all totally fine. 

zinnia19

@bumblebee0210 I really like that idea of doing a combo of purées and BLW. Flexibility seems key! Thanks for sharing your experience.

tuxielove93

@bumblebee0210 We do the same thing with dinner. They have to at least give dinner a shot, and then if they really don't like anything at all (which is super rare), I'll heat them some chicken nuggets or make a PBJ. But I've never made them only kid food. And when we go to restaurants, we have them do what we're ordering too. Like they eat ethiopian food and fried catfish and indian and all the stuff. 

I wasn't crazy strict with BLW either. Or much of anything really. We didn't do any purees but we definitely did those pouches. 

runnergirl2018

@inthewoods23 BLW is basically feeding kids "regular" food but prepared in ways that is safe for first foods. I liked it because it meant I didn't have to get anything special or different or prepare anything other than what we were eating- with maybe some slight modifications to baby's food.  "traditional" or "puree" feeding is feeding baby food from jars or blending up food for baby. You can do either or both - if you do purees first you'll transition to regular table foods by 9 months anyways so for me it was easier to just start with that, My kiddo didn't eat much in the way of food anyways until 10-11 months so i'm glad I didn't waste baby food. You can also help kids self-feed with purees. Primary nutrition is still formula/breastmilk until 1 year but it's still important to have introduction to foods and practice of self feeding and drinking
We did incorporate some smoothies and pouches for on the go stuff.  HIghly recommend going to follow Feeding Little on IG to get some good info from a dietitian and occupational therapist - lots of good free info and then their online classes are awesome.

I also saw someone recommend a BLW FB group and i'll just say that there is some good info on there and some not so good info on that group, so read with caution

courtneyqdk

I did EBF and BLW with my son - I think both of these things are easier with Canadian mat leave! This time around I was thinking of having some formula on hand to supplement in the early weeks, just so I would get a shot at a longer sleep every now and then but reading the US vs. European formula comments are intriguing! Any Canadians know if our formula is any different? We have American brands (Enfamil, Similac, etc.) and honestly most of my friends use Costco brand because of the price.... but now I feel like I have some research to do! 

Also - in the early days - pre-mixed or powder? I was planning on thr ready to go stuff because it is only for supplementing occasionally but would love to hear what those of you who have used formula before think of that! 

LJMoon6

@courtneyqdk We had to supplement in the beginning too because my milk was slow to come in. We just got the pre-mixed stuff that the pediatrician recommended. I think we’re going to do the same this time even if we don’t NEED to supplement. I swear giving DS a big bottle of formula right before bed in the beginning is why he slept so well from the start. He just needed a full belly lol. And doing that for the first couple weeks was all that he needed to form a habit (and then we switched to EBF). Of course this is probably complete BS and we just got lucky with how well DS slept, but it’s the theory I’m going with lol.

courtneyqdk

@LJMoon6 as someone who had an absolutely horrendous sleeper, I will try anything! lol bracing myself for the possibility of another one is partly the reason why I want to have some bottles on hand. I can pump too, but sometimes in the beginning that's hard and like I just want more than 45 min of sleep - so I think being able to trade off with hubby will be crucial for us.

tuxielove93

@courtneyqdk If it makes you feel better at all, my first was the WORST sleeper. He didn't sleep through the night until he was two. 
My second slept through the night the night he was born. 
It really just depends on the kid. 

runnergirl2018

@courtneyqdk our first barely slept too and for that reason I’ve been debating formula for night feeds - to see if it helps with longer stretches or just to have daddy help and not have to pump. He fed every 2 hours and would be up for an hour and so I was only sleeping in hour intervals for a couple months 🤪

runnergirl2018

Any moms with combo breastmilk/ formula feeding experience?

runnergirl2018

For anyone interested in the Bobbie formula option, they shared this starter pack link with me - you pay for one canister and get a second one free, so you can try before committing to their bundles. This is not connected with me at all, but wanted to share Since I couldn’t find anything like it on their website via search https://www.hibobbie.com/products/bobbie-starter-bundle

zwink1

@runnergirl2018 what kind of combo feeding are you thinking about? I did a lot of that with S starting around 6 mnths. For a little while he was BF in the am and pm and doing both formula bottles and pumped bottles during the same day.  

runnergirl2018

@zwink1 I"m not even sure. I think i'm thinking of mostly night time - maybe to help take turns for night feeds and partly to see if it helps with longer stretches of sleep. my first nursed every 2 hours for soooo long that i was only sleeping in hour intervals and I"m not sure if I can handle that again if it comes up - even thinking for just occasional use to not stress about pumping for random outings

stardustskies

I'm planning on breastfeeding during the day and having husband give a bottle of formula before bed. I've heard that formula takes longer to digest and helps them sleep better.