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Not my LO but my nephew switched to alimentum. He was having rashes from BM and regular formula. I believe they tried another sensitive formula before going to alimentum. He was drinking samples from his pediatrician before insurance finally OK it for reimbursement. So Def ask for samples!

@Mrs. Deer: When LO was 6 months, I told her doctor I wasn't sure I could EP much longer (I'd just made it through the holidays traveling without eating anything good since it all had dairy in it)--she suggested Alimentum first, so we tried it for 3 days...

Big mistake--LO had terrible, terrible bloody diapers. SO much blood--far worst than the intial streaks of blood she had when I was eating dairy and soy.

Anyway, it made me feel so bad I continued EPing until she was 13 months. I think around 9 months, I did try Neocate, but LO would never take it.

Went to nutramigen on pediatricians recommendation. He took it well and had no further issues so we stuck with it. I've read that nutramigen is more palatable than alimentum but I never actually tried it

LO was eventually put on Alimentum after trying and rejecting Prilosec, Zantac, and around 6 different types of formula. Thankfully Alimentum was covered 100% by our insurance. LO was prescribed for allergies to dairy, soy, and eggs by a GI specialist the pediatrician had referred us to. We had to pick up a monthly supply at the local pharmacy. The relief was immediate. No more reflux, arching her back, screaming crying all the time. She was a completely different baby.

Wow, I never thought to look at eBay. We bought ours on Amazon before it started getting covered. Will definitely check out eBay in April when we have to start paying out of pocket.

Crossing my fingers Alimentum works for you! We may try Nutrimagen to see if his allergy has lessened in a couple months - if not, we'll be on Elecare for the long haul.

Oh and I hear there are some babies who tolerate the ailimentum RTF better than the powder. And there is an elemental formula bank on fb you should join.

@Mrs. Deer: No, we tried Alimentum first but it was worse than breastmilk. Not to scare you! Lots of people have luck with it...we just didn't.

LO has been on Alimentum since 3 weeks and is 8 months now. He's since been diagnosed with a dairy allergy (think daily projectile vomiting for 1.5 months straight) and terrible reflux that won't quit. The Alimentum alone never cured his reflux but with Prilosec it helps. We've tried Neocate but I think Alimentum is enough...I think. For a long time we only fed ready to feed (which is freaking expensive, but Walmart has the best prices) and finally transitioned him back to powder.

D's on elecare. I think it's the most "extreme" which may be why your pediatrician is waiting to try it. Ours is almost 99% covered by insuarance, otherwise it would be about $40/can and we go through a can every 2-3 days.

Good luck!

We switched from bf to Nutramigen around 5 months because my daughter kept reacting (bloody/mucousy stool) to proteins in my breastmilk. It dramatically improved after cutting dairy and soy, then got worse, then dramatically improved after cutting wheat, then got worse, then got somewhat better after cutting the top 8 plus all legumes and beef and oats, then started going downhill again. Our pediatric GI could not give us any guidance on what to cut next as the most likely cause, so we made the switch. She has had zero issues with Nutramigen and has only had one potential reaction (peas) since starting solids. I was afraid, like you, that we might need Elecare or Neocate because she reacted to so many things in my breastmilk, but the limited and hydrolyzed ingredients Nutramigen are ok for her. So maybe Alimentum will do the trick? It's probably worth trying.