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September 2011 Moms
SusieBW
member
can I mix different kinds of formula together?
SusieBW
member
Flame away - this feels like the dumbest question I have ever asked, but DH fought with me over this last night.
We're using up all of the free sample formula that we got before we start buying our own, and I just ran out of Enfamil newborn and opened a can of Gerber GoodStart. There's a little less than a scoop of the Enfamil left, so I was just going to dump it into the Gerber can and go about making LO's bottles. DH freaked out and said what if you aren't supposed to mix them. I don't see why you couldn't, but he insisted that I not mix them until I made sure it was okay. So this is me "making sure" it's okay. He's crazy, right?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: can I mix different kinds of formula together?
To be honest, I'm not sure I would risk it for such a small amount. I don't use the powder formula so I'm certainly not an expert but I believe the different brands may have different concentrations so measurements will not be the same. Especially a Newborn formulation with a standard formulation.
Again, since it's not even a full scoop, I'm not sure I'd take the chance.
I wouldn't. And I also wouldn't switch between formulas either.
Heck.. I even toss the last little bit of the same formula from a different can away.
? Voted Cool Cat ~ 2012 Sweetpea Mom Awards ?
Exactly, I hate wasting it, even if I am still on the free samples from the hospital and doctors offices. And I agree that it was such a small amount, I can't see how it would make any difference. I can't believe you guys would throw out the end of a can, even if it's the same brand!? What a waste. DD seems to have no problem switching between formulas though - we've gone through liquid (pre-mixed) Enfamil newborn, powdered Enfamil newborn, and now Gerber GoodStart. When we start buying our own, the plan is to use the Up&Up version of Enfamil. Unless the BJ's version is cheaper. She's had no problem with any of it so far, and I also still mix her bottles with mostly formula and some BM, so maybe that has helped, too. Maybe if she was sensitive to the changes, I would feel differently.
Here:
Is it safe to mix formulas in one single feed?
Formulas in the market are skewed towards immunity and brain development. Some nutrients support immunity: nucleotides (protein), selenium (mineral which has antioxidant property), beta-carotene (antioxidant), while some nutrients support brain development: DHA, AA, SA, Tryptophan & Tyrosine (protein); choline, iron, iodine and taurine.
It is not advisable to mix up milk formulas of 2 different brands (in a same feed). The mixing may be between special infant formula and standard infant formula, which is a totally different issue.
Different milk formula will have different nutrient contents. For example, Formula A has X milligrams of calcium, while Formula B has Y milligrams of calcium. Adding these two together will give you Z milligrams of calcium, which might be in excess of what your baby needs, and it will thus go to waste. On the other hand, some nutrient contents are only meant to be taken in a certain amounts, and mixing 2 different formulas together might cause an over-dose of a particular nutrient to your baby.
Do consult a healthcare professional for more information.
Baiboo.com
Or:
A. In general, different brands of the same type of formula have the same basic ingredients.
For a milk based formula, this includes that lactose is the carbohydrate and they have cow's milk proteins. There are small differences though, including different combinations of whey and casein proteins. And the fat source in the various milk based baby formulas are provided by different types of oil.
These small differences likely won't be noticed by most infants, so the big issue when using different formulas, like she is doing, is usually taste. Some children are quite particular about what they eat and may notice the taste differences of the different formulas and they may not like it
Of course, if she were particularly more gassy after using one of these baby formulas, then it should be avoided. But if she really is 'doing great,' then this is probably okay to do.
Pediactrics.about.com
Different answers.
Anyway, I'm not too worried about throwing away the last bit in the can. There's plenty more at the store. But I generally don't use powder we got it from the pedi, so it's no big deal to me.
? Voted Cool Cat ~ 2012 Sweetpea Mom Awards ?
vnstacie - thanks for that.
I feel like this is just like any other baby issue - there are tons of varying answers out there (add cereal to bottles or not? co-sleep or not?, sleep train or no? when to start solids?, etc. etc.) and the whole point is to learn the information and make your own informed choices. I was just posting because I was curious what others think and because DH was all cranked out about it last night. Like I said in my last post - my DD has been fine with whatever formula we've given her so far (and we're on the 3rd one in a month now), so I'm not really concerned about her having a bad reaction, and I think that for us, mixing them should be just fine.
? Voted Cool Cat ~ 2012 Sweetpea Mom Awards ?