Ask:
What kind of Infant Formula did you use for your baby's? Name brand or generic? Have you ever started out on one formula and then switched to a different one because of pricing? Did the baby have bowel or gas problems because of the switch?
My dd is using enfamil lipil and it works great, but someone suggested i switch to generic because it is the same exact thing and much cheaper? any input?
Answer:
I just had this discussion with a Pharmaceutical rep AND a group of Moms. The mother's who are using Sam's Club generic said they had no problems switching. Some of them mentioned that their pediatricians had warned AGAINST it, but since he wasn't paying the bill they did it anyway & all was fine.
The Pharmaceutical rep Mom said that some Doctors can actually be paid by the formula company to recommend certain brands. They apparently are not allowed to recommend the generic because of their affiliation.
I don't know this to be TRUE, but the concensus was to give it a try! I think alot depends on how sensitive your baby's tummy is. It seems some kids can gulp down just about anything and others can only take some carefully concocted brew...
Good Luck!
Answer:
Thanks for your input! My dd is pooping wonderfully () and I am weary of trying it. I am going to give it until she is a month old and then try a switch. I will be saying over $10 a can!
Answer:
Ease her into the new formula. Mix about 1/4 new and then 3/4 old, gradually getting her to 100% new formula as not to cause an upset tummy. Formula is regulated by the FDA so name brand or not they must meet the requirements the FDA has set. I have always stuck with name brand, but that's just me. My kids are/have been on soy so I am sticking with what works. My little guy has reflux, so right now he is ok on the soy and I am not trying anything new! We are finally to a much happier place with his feedings!
Answer:
We started out on the one that the hospital had - I brought a few bottles home with me just in case my milk didn't come in, then sent dh to the store to buy the same stuff b/c we didn't know anything else. After a few weeks on formula we tried a few other brands but that ended up being a waste of money. ds did best on the one we started with (he had gas problems, which is one reason I wanted to test other formula). But it was good to try them out, because otherwise I always would have wondered...
If you do test a new formula, make sure to give it a few days, after easing it into baby's diet, to fully go through the digestive system. Makes for a longer trial period, but then you know exactly how baby responds to it.
Answer:
We went from breastfeeding to formula at 4 months and started on the Enfimal LIPIL too, after about a month we switched to the Target version of the same kind. I felt okay with it because I read the nutritional information and everything was exactly the same and it was half the price. For the record, other generic versions were lower in some areas, like grocery store brands, so we just stuck to Target. However, I know my MIL used whatever brand she got when he was at her house two nights a week and we never had a problem!
Answer:
*deep breath* okay, here goes:
ds was on Similac milk based, but we found that he was lactose intollerant, so we switched him to Similac Isomil, which is what he continued to eat for the first year. The switchover was super easy. No gas, no spit up, no tummy ache, no problems. He was about 2 weeks old at the time.
dd was being supplemented Similac milk based at the hospital. We switched her over to full formula also at about 2 weeks old and also to Similac Isomil. Another smooth transition. But then at around 8 weeks, we switched her to the Target brand. Rough transition. Gas, spit up, fussiness....but she was over it in a couple of days. Yes, we switched to save money, but if you look at the nutritional information, its almost identical to Enfamil. And when compared to the Similac, we found it had much less sweetener (Bonus!)
So, in short (lol), I think that maybe the younger they are, the easier it is to switch them....but otherwise, its not that bad. A little painful for a couple of days...like having mild colic.
Good luck!
Answer:
My babies switched all the time. I basically bought whatever was the least expensive at whatever store I was at. One day they had similac, the next can may have been WalMart's generic, then the next may have been enfamil, the next Target brand, etc, etc, etc. I never had any trouble with any of them refusing it, or it wrecking havoc on their systems. My ped's knew, and since they are all pretty much the same (and she was getting what she needed) - they were fine with it.
Answer:
I was afraid to mix it up because both of my kids were reflux babies. We did use the Similas lactose free for a few weeks when ds had a stomach bug, but I didn't notice a difference in the reflux. I am normally a generic kind of girl, but I didn't go generic with formula. I don't know why, I just didn't.
If you stick with the brand, make sure you sign up for that brand's program to get the checks. I also signed up Grandma so we got more checks. ALso, always check the clearance sections at Target. I lucked up and got Similac for $9 a can, the big can!! At one time I think I had over 25 cans of formula from that great clearance!!
Answer:
We use Enfamil with Iron. Thank God for WIC overseas they saved us a lot of money on formula. WE got 9 cans for one month. But we still had to buy 2 or 3 because it wasn't enough. I didn't breastfeed my baby because I didn't have enough milk.