Formula Feeders

mander82 · October 2014

I know there is a special board just for this, but its scary over there. ha ha.....

How many of us November Harpies are planning to go the formula route, for whatever reason?

I have put so much thought into this.....and I still can't say I am 100% decided.....but I am starting to lean towards just formula feeding from the getgo.

Its getting down to the nitty gritty and I need to figure this out.

Just wondering if you are planning to FF, do you plan to warm bottles, do room temp ? What are your plans for middle of the night feedings? Will you drag yourself to the kitchen to make a bottle, or will you try to have whatever you need in the nursery/your room before going to bed each night? I have been told to keep MOTN feedings as quiet and non-eventful as possible. I don't think dragging baby down the steps to the kitchen in the MOTN is a good idea.

What kind of bottles are you using? I was told to use Dr. browns, they came highly recommended to me from several people. As far as nipple sizes go, the bottles came with a Level 1 size, supposedly for under 3 months. Level 2 size is for 3 months of age. Should I go ahead and have some level 2 ones on hand in case baby gets pissed and isn't getting the formula out fast enough ?

My dr. said that if we plan to FF, we don't have to bring anything to the hospital with us, they will provide everything. With this in mind.....should we even bother buying a container of formula to have at the house? How important is it to keep them on the same kind of formula ?

Not sure what kind they will give him in the hospital. If we buy a different brand, is that going to cause us issues? This is probably a question for the dr./hospital.

Anyways.....just figured I would open this up for discussion to see what others are doing. Maybe there are other issues/questions others have that I never even thought of.....or maybe I am totally overthinking the whole damn thing.

:-/

Maelara · October 2014

I plan to bf but I did ff N and can answer some of your questions.

We did not warm bottles. It's much easier when out in public this way. You don't have to find running water (microwaves are not advised as they don't distribute heat evenly and you can get pockets of extremely hot formula) anywhere.

For middle of the night feedings I made it simple for myself. I would put the required number of bottles in the nursery with the amount of water needed already in the bottles. Water only. I had a formula dispenser (a travel one, no need to get fancy) and you just add that when needed. I also kept a bowl of soothers right there because N would fall asleep eating and would wake up if I took the bottle nipple out but she would also choke if I left it in.

We used the playtex drop-in bottles. It reduced gas and was much easier to clean than the Dr. brown bottles. Those things have a million pieces. I would have the two levels of nipples on hand, for sure. However, I doubt you'll use the level 2 ones right away. N didn't use the second level ones until almost 6 months, of course every baby is different but newborns eat VERY slowly so he level 2 will be way to fast.

My hospital provided similac formula but I've heard that it differs from hospital to hospital. They will give you the liquid form which is very expensive. Switch to powder when you get home. It is hard on the babies system when you switch formula types but sometimes you have to. I did with N twice. Mix the old and new stuff for awhile and hopefully the transition isn't too hard on them!

ccam · October 2014

I'll answer some of your questions based on my experience with DS. I BF'ed and supplemented up until 5 months and then switched to all formula.

We gave DS room temperature bottles from the beginning. I knew if I started warming bottles, we'd be stuck doing that from there forward. He honestly would take a freezing cold bottle, so it didn't really matter! I would fill a few bottles with the correct amount of water and bring a formula powder dispenser to our bedroom and leave them on my nightstand. Everything was all measured and ready to go - all I had to do was pour and shake. (I also sent bottles to daycare this way.)

We tried a lot of different bottles with DS (including Dr. Brown's) and ended up using the Ventaire Wide Bottles. I think this totally depends on the baby though! He had reflux, gas, etc. and these worked great for him. I don't remember when we switched to Stage 2 nipples, but you have a little while. It wouldn't hurt to have a few on hand, but without knowing which bottle your baby will like, it might be better to hold off a little.

If you plan on FF from the beginning, I would recommend having a can of powder at home. I would ask the hospital ahead of time which brand they will provide you and buy the same kind. Or stop on the way home from the hospital, if possible. It takes a baby up to a week to get used to switching to a new formula so keep that in mind. Our hospital provided Enfamil Newborn liquid formula and gave us a case to go home with. We ended up switching to Enfamil Gentlease after his reflux problem.

mander82 · October 2014

@Maelara Thank you for taking the time to answer! Maybe I will grab some of the Playtex drop in bottles too. I haven't even opened the Dr. browns ones yet, so I will have to check out the cleaning difficulty on them. Doesn't sound like fun. I added nipples to my grocery list....ha ha.

I think I will try to remember to ask my OB if she knows what brand formula they give at the hospital. If she doesn't know, maybe we'll just wait to get some so we can see what brand they have there.

DH isn't really being supportive of breastfeeding and I am on the fence about it. I think it may be better for our sanity if I just go with FF'ing. If I demand to BF and I have a tough time with it, I am afraid I won't have his support to get through it.

Autumnsnow · October 2014

I'm also planning to FF feed.

Do you plan to warm bottles, do room temp ?

We are also planning on doing room temp but we did get a bottle warmer just in case. What you can also do is just microwave some water and use that as the bath for it (just the water in the microwave not the formula).

What are your plans for middle of the night feedings?

Same as @IndianaMommy08. Are kitchen is about 10 steps from our bedroom. We live in a 1 BR apt so I'll most likely just go to the kitchen and set it up there. If I had to go to a different floor I prob would have something preset in our bedroom.

What kind of bottles are you using?

We are planning to use the Avent Naturals. Dr. Brown's are just too much work. My sister used Avent drop ins for my first niece but they don't make them anymore so for my second she went with the Playtex drop ins. They really worked for both my nieces and cut down on gas so if the Avent doesn't work I will probably switch to them.

Should we even bother buying a container of formula to have at the house? How important is it to keep them on the same kind of formula ? If we buy a different brand, is that going to cause us issues?

We already have a bottle of formula and some powder for the house. Our hospital uses Similac but you can always ask them. Hospitals do usually give you some to go home with but they are tiny little bottles that are usually o 1-2 use (here anyway). So I'd rather just have something at home so we are not running out in the middle of the night.

BrittG13 · October 2014

Ditto planning on room temp. bottles.

We live live in a loft style 2-bed all on the same floor but I'm lazy and need all the help I can get so I'm planning on also pre-preparing bottles and having a formula dispenser bedside.

Our friend gifted us a Playtex set but I was looking into either the Latch or Tomme Tippee. Still haven't quite made up my mind.

For the formula, I really like the idea of the Enfamil Newborn but I'll call ahead and see what our hospital is going to do so I know what to buy in advance.

mander82 · October 2014

@Indianamommy ha ha....the nipple thing....I never really gave it any thought either, til I got the Dr. Brown bottles at my shower and I was reading the packaging. It showed all the different sizes of nipples you can get for them. That was my freak out. That really made me think "if I AM going to FF, I better figure out how this all works"

@ccam Thanks! I will make a note of the bottles that worked for you. If these Dr. Browns ones don't work out so well, I will try those and the Playtex drop in ones. My sisters baby was FF and she vomited up her formula ALOT....not sure if thats the norm, or if maybe trying different bottles can help with that. I will check out these formula dispenser/measurer things too. Anything to make MOTN feedings more tolerable is a good idea in my book!

scarlet3egonias · October 2014

DISCLAIMER: I'm a FTM and have no idea what I'm doing. This is all based off the research I've done. I'm not 100% FF but I sort of started off assuming I would be and go back and forth depending on the day. I'm stocking up on FF supplies because even if I do BF I know it won't be for long as pumping at work isn't gonna happen.

Do you plan to warm bottles, do room temp ?

I've heard that room temp is easiest but received this as a gift and have heard that it is pretty awesome. If it works, then I suppose baby will get warmed bottles.

Baby Brezza Formula Pro One Step Food Maker

What are your plans for middle of the night feedings?

We have a pretty small house, so this isn't really an issue for us. However, we are considering putting the formula maker in the baby's room (along with supplies for that particular night) so that the whole house doesn't have to be a frenzy to get a bottle made.

What kind of bottles are you using?

I got a set of Born Free bottles (per Lucie's List recommendation) and a few extra bottles. I also got two sets of level one nipples and a set of level two. I haven't really stocked up since I'm not sure if these bottles will work, but if they do, I'll just pick up some more. I know Dr Browns have high recs but I cannot stand crap that is hard to wash so I nixed that idea pretty quickly.

Should we even bother buying a container of formula to have at the house?

I like the pp idea to ask the hospital what kind they use. Genius!

FWIW, I don't think you're overthinking this - as far as I know feeding your kid is pretty important! This is one of the topics that has me the most anxious! Thanks for the post. I look forward to reading all the responses.

ccam · October 2014

This was my favorite dispenser because it was small and the cap stayed on really tight, but I'm sure there isn't much difference between then!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009ET94A/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1/188-4924127-6547628?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=07TTV5Z8MYWBR7YERJ2K&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_i=B000RFCXIK

DS spit up a lot, too, but like I said, he also had reflux. So once he was on his meds, the spitting up wasn't painful. He still did it, but it just didn't bother him. The spit up was one reason we tried the Gentlease formula.

MrsC430 · October 2014

@Maelara‌ & @ccam‌ Thank you ladies for the awesome info - much appreciated!

We're planning on FF our twins. +1 to room temp bottles. I did get a bottle warmer at my shower, but they'll be going to daycare part time (our daycare requests giving bottles room temp, or only slightly warm) so I'm hoping that goes smoothly.

I bought the Avent starter kit, so we're giving those a shot at first. If they work out for both babies - great, we'll buy extras. If not, we'll try another kind. Hopefully not Dr. Brown's, all of the extra parts would be a pain!

We're playing the formula brand by ear. The plan is to first try whichever brand the hospital provides. Though I have a feeling with 2 babies, it could be some trial and error to see which kind they both will tolerate.

Thanks for starting this, @mander82‌!

lovingaddi · October 2014

I had to supplement and fully ff DD1 at 6 weeks so here is my personal experience:

Do you plan to warm bottles, do room temp ?

We did room temp. which was not only easy at home, but easy on the go as well. I could have the water already measured in the bottle and just use the formula dispenser & done.

What are your plans for middle of the night feedings?

When DD1 came home we were in a 1 bedroom apt with the kitchen a few feet away so this wasn't really an issue. Now that we have a house (if bf doesn't work out) I would probably have the water ready in the bottles and another formula dispenser right in the nursery.

What kind of bottles are you using?

We tried the drop ins with DD1 but they always gagged her and she hated them (& yes, we obv had a slow flow nipple lol). We ended up switching to the ventaire and loved them! This time around I'm trying MAM. Im going to try my hardest to make bf work and felt that they may be an easier transition for when I return to work. Unfortunately a lot of the products are sometimes trial and error :-/ (even diapers!)

Should we even bother buying a container of formula to have at the house? How important is it to keep them on the same kind of formula ? If we buy a different brand, is that going to cause us issues?

Again, trial and error. I wouldn't recommend stocking up on formula as you don't know which one baby will take to. We tried good start at first with DD1 and it made her sooo constipated. Then tried similac and that caused her to projectile vomit. 3rd times a charm, though- we had zero problems with enfamil. Again- all depends on baby and their digestive system. I would also stay consistent in buying the same formula the whole time. If you have a preference, start with that. I've actually heard great things about target brand & Costco (Kirkland). No experience, but at Costco at least it comes in bulk if it works for you! As far as the hospital is concerned, they should give you the option on which formula you want to use (at least mine did with dd1). They get the brand names, though, of course...so we were offered good start, similac, and enfamil.

mander82 · October 2014

I had no idea how difficult the Dr. Browns would be to clean....I just googled the cleaning instructions.....ugh. Looks like I need to get those super skinny bottle brushes to clean the skinny little tubelike part of the bottle.

It says on the instructions for their bottles not to shake the bottle to mix the formula with the water...says to stir gently.....Is that suggested for all formula/bottles?

I never heard anyone say not to shake the formula before.

MissN06 · October 2014

I'm planning on room temperature bottles for easy travel etc. Several of my mom friends have all recomended room temperature.

I'm planning on using Playtext Ventaire bottles. They came highly recommended and are easy to clean so hopefully DD will like them. They also have a variety of nipple options to try.

I'm planning on having the formula premeasured in a travel container. With the water in the bottle, according to the moms I know says this makes things the easier.

sparklingwhit · October 2014

I don't exactly have a plan yet. Which, I know, is CRAZY! I plan to bf with supplemental ff and transitioning to 100% ff after my mat leave.

violetsmom22 · October 2014

I'm still on the fence, tried bf with DD but had a lot of problems and ended up fully ff at around 1month. Part of me wants to try fb again but the practical side of me knows I'll be a lot less stressed just ff from the start. I'll probably wait till the last minute to decide but will have all supplies needed on hand.

For DD we warmed the bottles at first then said screw it and did room temp, she sometimes would even drink a cold bottle with no problem, but obvs that varies from baby to baby.

Not sure what type of bottles we're going to use, if I remember I think we used the Nuk ones with DD with no problem.

We used to just prepare the bottles in the kitchen since we were on the same floor but now we wil definitely have things ready in our room for MOTN, if I don't end up bf.

We didn't have any formula in the house, but the hospital sent us home with good start that DD had no problems with so we just switched to powder once we got home since the liquid is more expensive.

eta: just re-read and am now super thankful that DD didn't have any feeding problems.

dbgwife · October 2014

I breastfed my first (supplemented towards the end) but with my second started formula feeding at around 4 months. I plan on breastfeeding this time around but we'll see!

Bottles-I had the best experience with the playtex drop ins! Clean up was soo much easier and the flow of the nipples, design of the bottle really seemed to help her tummy. I even used the knock off drop-ins and they worked just as well! Pretty positive I bought those at target!

Formula- Figuring out which formula she could tolerate was probably the trickiest.

Both of my girls ended up having to use Similac Soy. Which later we realized they are both allergic/have sensitivities to milk so having to use soy looking back makes sense. I never used the Dr. Brown's bottles but they look like they have a ton of parts!! Since I started out breastfeeding with both I never really paid attention to what the hospital offered... I think it was Similac...

Bottle Prep- We always kept our bottles at room temp, and just prepped a few bottles (water measured out in bottle just waiting for formula) in the room with us at night. When we went out I always carried spare formula just in case, as well as water bottles. Then I had bottles with the water already prepped and those nifty, containers you can carry pre- measured amounts in, and just dump into the bottle. Those are awesome especially when others want to help while you're out and about!

mrsransom · October 2014

We had a bottle warmer that we used with DS, but we didn't use it all the time. He was pretty cool either way.

In the middle of the night, we just made a bottle from the kitchen & brought it back up to him. It didn't take very long.

We used Avent bottles with DS & bought the same kind this time.

The hospital will have formula for you to use, & they will also give you samples to take home so you don't need a can of formula immediately. They will get instructions from your pediatrician on what kind to use, if your hospital works like mine. Our pediatrician's office at the time used Enfamil, so that's what we got at the hospital. Some offices use Similac instead, it just depends what they prefer or who they partner with. Then of course if there is an issue they might suggest a special kind instead of just the regular formula.

meeshybee · October 2014

mander82 said:

Just wondering if you are planning to FF, do you plan to warm bottles, do room temp? What are your plans for middle of the night feedings? Will you drag yourself to the kitchen to make a bottle, or will you try to have whatever you need in the nursery/your room before going to bed each night?

What kind of bottles are you using? As far as nipple sizes go, the bottles came with a Level 1 size, supposedly for under 3 months. Should I go ahead and have some level 2 ones on hand in case baby gets pissed and isn't getting the formula out fast enough?

Should we even bother buying a container of formula to have at the house? How important is it to keep them on the same kind of formula? If we buy a different brand, is that going to cause us issues?

I tend to make MOTN bottles warmer than during the day because I think it helps them sleep better to have a warm tummy. I make a bottle with room temp water, then put it in a cup of hot water from my electric kettle while I change baby. As long as there's not a major blowout I have to deal with, the bottle is warm but not hot by the time I'm done and ready to feed.

As far as the routine, I do all feeding the same way. Make the bottle, then go in and change baby, then feed (usually in the living room). I won't start treating MOTN feedings differently until she starts to have "awake" time during the day, instead of only waking long enough to eat.

I use the Playtex Ventaire bottles. I like that the angled design helps keep the nipple full so LO gets less air in her tummy if I'm not paying attention. The vents help with that too, and they're simple to clean. As far as the nipples, I could tell when they were ready for the next level because they would get frustrated/cranky at feedings, or start chewing on the nipple. That wasn't for several months, though.

I would go ahead and get a can of the formula you plan to use. From what I understand, the brand the hospital uses just depends on which company has a contract with them. My hospital gave us a ton of sample bottles when we left and we slowly introduced our formula by mixing in different amounts. So, one day it was 3 parts hospital to 1 part ours, then another day half/half, then 3 parts ours to 1 part hospital. None of the kids had any problems with the transition and we stayed with that brand until they switched to milk. The only time I wouldn't so this would be if LO needed soy or another special type of formula.

lincoln79 · October 2014

We are FF too.

We have Aventa and tomee tippee (sp) right now.

I love the idea of having the water pre-measured for motn feedings.

Hoping this kid likes room temp bottles

I wonder if it is worthwhile to start a FF check-in on this board after the babies come?

meeshybee · October 2014

budzer said:

Just replying to say Thank you for starting this thread! I was on the fence about bf as well but decided last week to ff. This info is so helpful as there is so much less info about ff than bf IMO.

I was afraid and am still nervous about telling hospital that I am not going to bf as I thought they would look down on me for it. Not sure when I should even bring it up!

Mine asked when I was admitted, when the first nurse came in to do the "what's the plan" questions. It's always been treated casually and no one has ever made a big deal of it.

Maelara · October 2014

@lovingaddi‌ were the drop ins also playtex? Because the ventaire and the drop ins use the same nipples (unless you used the thin ones) so its weird one worked and one didn't. We used ventaires first and they are also a great bottle, I just found the rings you use for the bottle caused leaking which is why we switched.

@mander82‌ the dr. Brown bottles come with a tiny, thin bottle scrubber for the really small parts I did have one Dr. brown bottle when trying to figure out what N liked.

babysis013 · October 2014

FYI we learned from one of the certified nurse educators in one of our recent classes that if you are using powder formula that the bottle needs to be made with boiling water to kill off any bacteria in the powder. This is a very recent change (I believe she said within the last year). She said the liquid formulas don't need to be but the powder ones do. Since our plan is for me to BF I didn't write down everything she said, but I recall something about being okay to make ahead of time and they will keep in the fridge for a certain amount of time (don't recall what that was though).

Just something that might be worth looking into if you plan to use powder formula.

Dumbgurl04 · October 2014

Proud FF here!!!!!!! :-h

We plan on doing just room temp for our bottles. Also since we live in a two story house plan on having some supplies upstairs for night feedings as well just to make it easier and don't have to worry about carrying baby down stairs.

We have signed up and gotten lots of samples of formula. Really you won't know which one baby will prefer. But after looking into all the brands we are gonna go with enfamil. Our hospital has quite a few different formulas on hand and they told us we didn't need to bring anything like that with us. They also told us if you find a formula that works try and stick with it because making lots of changes could cause issues. So if enfamil works then that's probably what we will stick with.

As for bottles I got a few different brands. We got the Dr. Brown ones as well as tommee tippee. Plus we even just got a few generic bottles from people at our baby shower.

mrsransom · October 2014

meeshybee said:

budzer said:

Just replying to say Thank you for starting this thread! I was on the fence about bf as well but decided last week to ff. This info is so helpful as there is so much less info about ff than bf IMO.

I was afraid and am still nervous about telling hospital that I am not going to bf as I thought they would look down on me for it. Not sure when I should even bring it up!

Mine asked when I was admitted, when the first nurse came in to do the "what's the plan" questions. It's always been treated casually and no one has ever made a big deal of it.

I had the same experience. When I was first admitted, they ask you about your basic plans. With DS, they asked about circumcision, and if we planned to breast or bottle feed. They didn't react at all when I said bottle. They wrote it on the paper on the bassinet thing so the nurses knew it was okay to give him a bottle

I have heard stories on here of women being pressured to try to breastfeed at the hospital, but that has not been the experience of anyone I know in real life in my area. I'd be kinda mad if they tried to pressure me, when clearly I have thought it through & made my decision at that point!

JNU76 · October 2014

I tried to bf with my first, but had such supply problems that we had to supplement with formula at every feeding. We like Dr Browns- it was the only bottle he didn't choke on. They come with the little cleaning brushes, and cleaning really wasn't a big deal. I don't remember there being different sized nipples- we just used what came with it. We had to experiment a lot with formula- some kinds made him constipated, others went the opposite, and it took us a while to find the one that worked well. When we found one that worked, we got a standing order from Amazon so we didn't have to think about buying it.

One thing that I wish we did from the beginning was to get a Dr Browns pitcher to make up a day's worth in the morning- when we finally got one, it was the best thing ever.

For MOTN, we put a couple pre-made bottles in a cooler in his room, and a thermos with hot water and an empty coffe mug. When he woke up, I'd put hot water in the mug, bottle in the mug, change him, and it was just right when he was ready, and we never had to turn on the lights or leave his room. We lucked out and he would drink it cold when we were out. I tried doing pre-measured water and shaking it up with formula for a few weeks, but I always spilled the powder on myself (and it's really sticky) so eventually I put a couple pre made bottles in a cooler bag and threw it in his diaper bag.

justjinny · October 2014

We FF DS#1. The hospital gave us liquid Gerber Goodstart formula and they said that's what they provided since that was what the county had for their WIC contract. If you are planning on using WIC for formula (we did at first since we were fostering DS) then you will probably be limited to using just one type of formula through them. DS had some tummy troubles with that brand, so after the first few weeks we switched to Target's Gentle formula and never had any more issues. I wouldn't recommend stocking up on formula for this reason - you may have to test a few out.

We just used the super cheap gerber brand bottles and Nuk nipples that came with them and never had issues with gas or spitting up. I think the bottles with nipples are less than $1 each and it's easy to reorder nipples through Amazon. You'll only need the size 1 or slow flow newborn size nipples at first since newborns can't handle swallowing too much too fast at first.

Our Dr. recommended using our city tap water, but if you have well water you should get it tested or plan to use bottled store bought water. Whenever we travel to stay with family who have well water, or if we go camping, we bring along a gallon or more of tap water from home.

Our house isn't very big and it's all on one level, so we kept all the formula and bottles in the kitchen. Whenever we stay overnight at family's or hotels we will prefill water into bottles and then all there is to do is add the formula in. Newborns drink so little formula at first that you'd be wasting a bunch if were to mix the full 2 oz. at each feeding. For the first week or so you'll probably want to premix formula and just measure out the 1 oz. or less that the baby will actually take.

We did room temp bottles. That made it easy to prefill 2-3 bottles with tap water and bring along formula to mix in when we were out and about. The only time we warmed bottles was if we were pulling premixed formula out of the fridge. The first few weeks we kept a small crock pot on at night and would just drop the bottle in the warm water to bring it up to room temp while we were doing a diaper change. Now I use the crock pot for appetizers when we have friends over - so no waste and expense of having a specialty bottle warmer!

babysis013 · October 2014

j3nnyb said:

babysis013 said:

FYI we learned from one of the certified nurse educators in one of our recent classes that if you are using powder formula that the bottle needs to be made with boiling water to kill off any bacteria in the powder. This is a very recent change (I believe she said within the last year). She said the liquid formulas don't need to be but the powder ones do. Since our plan is for me to BF I didn't write down everything she said, but I recall something about being okay to make ahead of time and they will keep in the fridge for a certain amount of time (don't recall what that was though).

Just something that might be worth looking into if you plan to use powder formula.

You sure she didn't mean to boil the water to kill the bacteria in the water and let it get to room temp before adding to formula? You're not supposed to add hot, boiling water to powder formula because it will break down the formula and reduce the nutritional value. Also, if you make a big batch of formula, it needs to be used within 24 hours.

I could have very well misunderstood her. I wouldn't put anything past this pregnancy brain. That's one of the reasons I take my husband to all the classes and my appointments. I call him my memory! :P

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