https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:44:22 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice/page/2#post-555769 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:37:48 +0000 JoeysMama 555769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hummusgirl: That's what I was thinking. It is perfect for on-the-go! Thanks for sharing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554952 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:58:21 +0000 banana 554952@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Thanks so much for clarifying! I"m gonna give Earth's Best a try! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554895 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:36:11 +0000 luckypenny 554895@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really wanted to use organic formula but it gave DD the worst constipation so we just stuck with similac advance that they gave us at the hospital. We also used the 2 oz ready to feed for a couple weeks. </p> <p>My helpful hint: never give them a warm bottle. Dd always took room temperature which made preparing bottles at home and on the go so much easier! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554868 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:25:02 +0000 pinkcupcake 554868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We supplemented with ready to use bottles of newborn enfamil in the early days. It was in two oz bottles and was very convenient. Only downside was it was pretty pricey (around $10 for six pack I think?). </p> <p>As for bottle warmer - we actually used ours quite a bit bc lo hated cold bottles. It took less than a minute to warm up her bottle which helped when we had a screaming hungry baby on our hands :)</p> <p>Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554711 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:29:26 +0000 hummusgirl 554711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoeysMama: It's amazing! A little finicky to get all the powder - you have to shake a few times at different angles - but so convenient for nighttime and especially on-the-go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554689 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:25:14 +0000 QBbride 554689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MsMini: interesting! In our NICU we still recommend concentrate/RTF formula for 6 months. It would be soo much cheaper for the parents to buy powder though! Must look into this!</p> <p>I know a lot of people who have had good luck with Nestlé Goodstart (just the plain stuff, not the stuff with the Omegas).</p> <p>We use Enfamil at our hospital. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554675 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:20:41 +0000 JoeysMama 554675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use Similac. The hospital started LO on it when he stayed an extra night at birth. He was pretty gassy for a while but we never switched to the sensitive formula. We waited for his digestive system to mature and at 15 weeks, he has hardly any gas at all. He also rarely spits up and I have heard that can be a big problem with Similac.</p> <p>Another vote against a bottle warmer. LO was born a week before Hurricane Sandy, in which we lost power for six days. Warming bottles went right out the window! I did use it when his gas was really bad, but it never really made a difference and he doesn't care either way!</p> <p>@hummusgirl: I am totally getting one of those dispensers! I can't believe I never knew they existed!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554424 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:09:11 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 554424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: Otherwise it sounds amazing! And they get a great rating for using locally sourced organics with a high rating from Cornucopia. Really, it sounds great. I just wish they'd change the proteins to reflect the infant needs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554409 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:02:34 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 554409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: So it looks like that formula is specifically designed for over age one :(. The caesin to other protein ratio is not correct for an infant. It is designed for toddlers.</p> <p>I've done some research on the hexane issue. In testing, the hexane was found to be undetectable after the process.</p> <p>Earth's Best Organic Infant Formula</p> <p>"Earth's Best said they use Life DHA and ARA from the Martek Corporation. They say the hexane solvent method is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved method of extracting these oils. However, no hexane is detectable in the product. Furthermore, no bleach is used in this process."</p> <p>So when faced with the choice between using an organic formula which has the theoretical risk of hexane (that can't be detected in analysis) vs a non organic which has exposure to very real chemical fertilizers and insecticides, I opted to take my risks with the theoretical hexane.</p> <p>Hope this helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554387 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:55:45 +0000 banana 554387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Thehistoryofus: Ah! You beat me to it! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554385 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:55:17 +0000 banana 554385@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I had read that the reason they state that it's recommended for toddlers (over 1 yr) is that the company wants to take a stand for breastfeeding as a baby's sole source of nourishment for the first year. I have a lot of mommy friends that have been feeding their baby's Baby's Only from birth (approved by their pediatricians). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554371 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:52:09 +0000 T.H.O.U. 554371@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I think I've heard that Baby's Only markets as a toddler formula because they promote breastfeeding as the best option for the first year. But they have several great comparison charts on their website to other infant formulas. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554370 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:51:32 +0000 Mrs. Grizzly Bear 554370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Because my milk supply hadn't come in yet and DS was starving at his appointment with his pediatrician, she sent us home with some Enfamil Newborn formula, the liquid kind. Even while I tried to breast feed (very difficult, I had a breast reduction a few years prior to DS birth) we stuck with the Enfamil Newborn. After it became apparent I could produce some but not enough, we bought the powdered version of the Newborn, then the Infant, then later the Toddler. Right now we're still on Toddler and we're introducing whole milk this week since he's a year old.</p> <p>Love Enfamil but that's because I haven't tried any other. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554366 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:50:05 +0000 banana 554366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Thank you! That would be great! I also read that Earth's Best (as well as many other formula brands) use hexane processed DHA, whereas Baby's Only uses naturally derived DHA. So that was another thing I was considering as well. There was recently an arsenic scare on brown rice syrup, but Nature's One (which is the company that makes Baby's Only) reported that there were undetectable amounts of arsenic in their formula (something like 4 parts per billion). I was initially scared off by the arsenic in brown rice syrup, but I'm thinking that I'd rather go with a little tiny bit of undetectable arsenic than the hexane processed DHA + glucose syrup in Earth's Best. But I don't know! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this after your research! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554350 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:46:07 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 554350@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: Ah, that formula is not intended for infants! I was surprised I hadn't found it in my hyper-researchy search for the perfect formula for M. </p> <p>Baby’s Only Organic is not intended for infants under 1-year of age unless specified by a healthcare professional. After formula feeding or breast feeding the first year, Baby’s Only Organic formula is a good choice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554343 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:43:48 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 554343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: That sounds promising, actually. I'm off to look it up and compare the two. We've been very happy with Earth's Best and their customer service as well, but I want to check out the one you are talking about. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554335 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:42:10 +0000 banana 554335@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Have you heard of Baby's Only formula? They use organic brown rice syrup (as opposed to corn syrup as in many other formula brands) but I wasn't sure how beneficial it was to use rice syrup vs corn syrup. Earth's Best is one of the other formula brands I'm considering as well. Would you recommend one over the other? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554269 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:09:51 +0000 wheres_c 554269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Polish: totally skip the warmer :)<br /> We use room temperature bottled water. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554251 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:58:27 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 554251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Polish: Definitely skip the bottle warmer... so many cute things to register for instead! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554217 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:46:26 +0000 littlek 554217@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buffalove: Skip the bottle warmer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554202 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:41:46 +0000 buffalove 554202@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. polish: yes, I'd skip the bottle warmer! sooo much easier to use room temp water!</p> <p>@msmini: i totally agree that the liquid has such a weird smell, and it stains like crazy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554143 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:18:05 +0000 Mrs. Polish 554143@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All of this is so helpful. I appreciate each of your answers!</p> <p>So far I've gotten Similac samples, but none others. I signed up about two months ago too. Maybe they're running behind. </p> <p>Additional question: I registered for a bottle warmer. Skip it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554115 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:06:10 +0000 MsMini 554115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just wanted to chime in and say that in both NICUs I have worked at we have transitioned babies to powder babies for discharge, so I don't think in most cases liquid or premixed formula is necessary, and a lot of babies actually prefer e powder formula taste wise (liquid concentrate or ready to feed both have a weird smell to them, so I can imagine that means they also have a different taste) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554105 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:58:04 +0000 winniebee 554105@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agree with not heating it up from the get go! My son is on Nutramigen due to food intolerances and you CANT warm it up or it destroys nutritional properties. It sounds like maybe your future baby has the potential for a food intolerance, so I'd start off giving it room temp to him/her! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554098 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:54:42 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 554098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hummusgirl: Yes!!! If there is no alternative to room temperature or chilled, life is so much easier :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554074 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:45:00 +0000 hummusgirl 554074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I second the suggestion to never get LO used to warm bottles. It's so much easier to just start with room temperature. For night feedings, we pre-make bottles with filtered water and pre-measure the powder into this: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Philips-AVENT-Formula-Dispenser-Snack/dp/B0006BAJIG" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Philips-AVENT-Formula-Dispenser-Snack/dp/B0006BAJIG</a> </p> <p>And set it all on my nightstand so it's fast and easy to make. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554063 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:41:08 +0000 Goldilocks1107 554063@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sign up online - we had enough to test out what worked and we donated what we didn't use to a local woman's shelter. I think we bought our first thing of non-free formula after a month or so. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554058 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:36:47 +0000 purrpletulips 554058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We received lots of Similac samples when I had DD so we used those without any problems. However my sister works in a doctor's office where they provide samples of Enfamil so when we switched to that since she could get it for us for free. With DS we plan to just use Enfamil Gentlease since he is a gassy little guy. I will note that we only supplement with formula as they were both primarily breastfed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554056 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:36:04 +0000 Mrs. Train 554056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just used enfamil original formula. It was what Costco sold and he ate it just fine. He did have some trouble when we went from the premixed stuff the hospital gave us to the powder. He got a little constipated but he adjusted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/need-formula-advice#post-554054 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:35:32 +0000 twinmama 554054@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started immediately on powdered formula. I've read that babies can develop a preference for liquid formula, which is more expensive, so unless your ped has concerns, you might consider just starting with powder. I think the non-sterility of powder is most important with preemies or immuno-compromised babies. </p> <p>We were given both similac and enfamil. We liked that the similac was thinner and more like my breastmilk. The newborn enfamil was pretty thick. and dark, and stained their clothes. Since they didn't have trouble, we had the luxury of choosing similac. We also tried kirkland formula to cut out costs, and it made my kids spit up more, but was otherwise very similar to the similac. But it works great for others and is half the price!</p> <p>Once we found what works, we stock up at Costco. It's hands down the cheapest for Similac. </p>