Not breast-feeding and trying to research formula...

bkcgraham · May 2014

Now I know this is not popular but for numerous reasons it is highly unlikely I will be breastfeeding LO. Decided to do some research on formulas and finding this almost impossible. All I keep finding is how breast milk is better - yeah I get it now how about helping me make an educated decision on the alternative. Rant over.

BeachM · May 2014

It will really depend on what LO likes. Or needs if you end up dealing with reflux or MSPI. We started off with free samples of Enfamil newborn which worked fine for DS and then moved to regular Enfamil and Target brand.

dogperson11 · May 2014

Queenb0912 said:
You might also reach out to your pediatrician for an opinion.

This. I would think your pedi will know more about it then your OB.

MAtoMEbride · May 2014

When my daughter was born, the hospital suggested/started her on a certain formula. As she got older, we realized it wasn't agreeing with her system so well. So, our pediatrician was able to recommend the formula that ended up working well for her. Sometimes it's kind of a trial and error sort of thing too ... which ones give them gas, which don't. Good luck ... but like other posters have said, maybe you can ask your pediatrician about that when you meet with them?

Raclla · May 2014

Find some samples and then see what LO likes.
You can get on mailing lists for enfamil and similac and get samples and coupons.

liz4paws · May 2014

I'm a FTM who's own mom died two years ago so I'm pretty much lost and completely on my own in figuring motherhood out. So take this with a grain of salt. I ended up buying this book to try to help me out: https://www.amazon.com/Heading-Home-With-Your-Newborn/dp/1581104448/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401218456&sr=8-2&keywords=newborns

It's written by two pediatricians and they included a couple of chapters about feeding. They mention that formula is highly regulated so none of the formula brands on the market are going to be subpar as far as nutrition goes. It just comes down to what your baby likes. And they actually recommended Kirkland brand from Costco because of the price. I did some homework after reading that and it seemed to get great reviews online too. I am going to plan to BF but if we need to move to formula, I'll be keeping that in mind. GL!

XpectingTwinnies · May 2014

I will be using formula too and find that whatever research or questions I bring up try to steer me towards breast feeding.. It is annoying since I already know that, but I am still sticking to formula so it would be nice to find respect and information.. Well figure it out eventually GL

Rosebean · May 2014

I think a lot of the formulas are the same. It will really depend on your LOs digestion, how well he/she reacts to it (spit up/gassy)... etc. I BFd until about 6 months exclusively until we startled adding one bottle at night. We chose an organic formula from President's Choice (Superstore in Canada).. it was a wee bit more expensive, but he liked it enough and I liked that it was organic at least. But I honestly think just pick a brand and see how your LO does with it, and make alterations based on his/her needs as you go.

jdox · May 2014

liz4paws said:

I'm a FTM who's own mom died two years ago so I'm pretty much lost and completely on my own in figuring motherhood out. So take this with a grain of salt. I ended up buying this book to try to help me out: https://www.amazon.com/Heading-Home-With-Your-Newborn/dp/1581104448/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401218456&sr=8-2&keywords=newborns
It's written by two pediatricians and they included a couple of chapters about feeding. They mention that formula is highly regulated so none of the formula brands on the market are going to be subpar as far as nutrition goes. It just comes down to what your baby likes. And they actually recommended Kirkland brand from Costco because of the price. I did some homework after reading that and it seemed to get great reviews online too. I am going to plan to BF but if we need to move to formula, I'll be keeping that in mind. GL!

This book is great, we referenced it a lot when my son was born. I signed up on Similac and Enfamils sites and asked my pediatrician what she recommended. Good luck!

Eena1242 · May 2014

If you have access to one, maybe try a dietician? I don't know if insurance will cover a consultation or not, but I have worked with one for my own nutritional needs, and she and I discussed formula briefly one day. It was very helpful to understand what ingredients were in alignment with my own personal food habits (i.e. Organic, GMO's, etc). She didn't recommend one over any others, but told me some of the differences and helped me make a decision on what I would consider the best.

Unknown · May 2014

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mandyjimmy · May 2014

I will also be formula feeding and have run into the same problem. My best resource so far has been my friends that are also mommies. They have all told me what PP have said - it all depends on what works best for baby. DH and I are hoping to use the Kirkland's brand because of the price, but my Godson did not do well on that one. He was having some reflux and they went through 4 different brands before finding the best brand for them. We are going to start with Kirklands and hope little one likes it.

Jenrileysmom · May 2014

I used Similac Advanced with DD and she had no issues with it. I know other moms that have had to try multiple brands before they find one that works for them. I think this time I am going to try a store brand and save some money if it works for my LO.

Jolaine83 · May 2014

Definitely start with samples now so you'll have those by the time baby arrives. What does your hospital provide? That might not be a bad starting point since your baby will be on that from birth. My hospital does similac since they have the tiny 4oz bottles they use.

We ended up using sensitive systems Up and Up brand (it's basically the cheap version of enfamil) It's the purple label. My DS was a breastfeeding dropout

so we ended up on formula at 5 weeks. He was really gassy and had tummy trouble with the basic Up and Up blue formula, which is why we ended up on sensitive formula. It's the same price, so when my DD moved to formula at 5 months, we just put her straight on that instead of messing with the basic one.

From what I hear, they are all very comparable, but like PPer said, it's subjective to each baby, just like diapers are. What works for one, might not work for the other.

missmiss307 · May 2014

I would also recommend asking your pediatrician. For our LO, we had to change a few times before we found one that worked well and didn't cause a ton of spit-up, and he didn't have any major reflux problems. We used Gerber Good Start for a while before switching to the generic (Up and Up brand from Target) of the same type of formula. We used the Target brand for the majority of his first year.

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