Good Start with Natural Cultures?

Hi! My dad has been a perdiatrician for 32 years and I know he strongly advises against using Good Start and to stick with Similac or Enfamil. I know it is cheaper, but he says the makeup is not as good...even though they swear it is better.

Hey C.,

We tried it after our 5 week old son was fussy and crying all the time. We switched to the Enfamil Gentlease and that seemed to help some, but then I had read by a Doctor in the "Baby 411" book that a study was done that said the good bacteria (probiotics) in the cultures could help with colic, digestion and mimic the immune system boosters in breast milk. Since I stopped breastfeeding at about 3 1/2 weeks, I thought I'd try it. It could be a coincidence, but I think it made a big difference. Even his poopie turned more yellow like it was when I was breastfeeding.

It was extremely expensive however (about $30.00 a can), so we decieded to see if maybe we could switch to a formula half the price since he was a little older. We went to Target's version of the Enfamil Gentlease (about $14.00 a can), but then he did get a little more fussy and a little consitpated. (He is now 10 weeks old). Then I looked back at the Baby 411 book where the Doctor also said you could add a certain probiotic powder to regular formula. I tried that and within a day or two, his poop was back like it was on the Good Start w/ cultures and he seems a lot better....and its a much more affordable option.

If you're interested, the powder is called Primadolphilus Reuteri by Nature's Way. The VitaminShoppe carries it. It was about $14.00 for a 5oz tub of it, but it should last a while since you only use a 1/2 teaspoon for the whole day. (It even said on the package you can add it to infant formula.) We just mix it in one bottle of formula a day.

I'm not a doctor, but on our last visit, our Doctor said he was fine with us giving him the Good Start with Cultures, so I didn't actually ask before doing this with the other formula and powder, but like I say, he's doing great with it. I really feel that it's good for them, just like all these new Yogurts like LiveActive are for adults digestion and immune system.

Hope this helps!
K. F.

My daughter had a milk allergy until she was almost a year old. Thankfully she outgrew it! So, she had been on Nutramigen for that time. When it came time to gradually start trying to switch her to milk-based formula (to see if she could handle it before switching to whole milk at 1 year of age), we tried both Enfamil and Similac brands, and she did not like the taste of either! No matter how much we tried, she wouldn't drink it. So, we switched to the Nestle Good Start with Natural Cultures, and she took it! For some reason, she liked the taste of it better, or else it was easier on her tummy... I don't know, but I was just glad that she took it! Anyway, the point of all that is to say that she did fine on it. And, now (at almost 17 months of age), she's doing great... and can drink whole milk! Yay! :-)

Hi C.!
I have an eleven month old. I nursed her for six months but started to supplement with formula at four months. We used Good Start with Natural Cultures and had no problems. The protein in the formula is broken down making it easier for babies to digest. And, the natural cultures help support their immune system which keeps them healthy. Our pedi recommended it as well. Hope this info helps! Good luck!

We've been using it since our daughter was born -- she's 11 months old now. No problems with it at all. It's a little more pricey, and can't be bought by the case at Babies-R-Us like some of the other Good Start brands, but we felt it was best for our little one.

Hi C.!
I have a two year old who couldn't stomach any other formula. I was only able to nurse for about 2 months with him, then had to go to formula almost cold turkey. We were going thru a large bottle of Tiny Tummies (Mylacon) a week to try to help him with tummy aches, gas, and spit up. My pedi has us try everything on the counters. She even gave us a sample of a formula that was $40 for a SMALL container, if you could find it!! The Nestle Good Start w/ cultures was the ONLY one that didn't tear up his little tummy. If I wasn't able to nurse my 6 mo old, I was going to start off with this one. Needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend it!!
Good luck!

It was the only thing that didn't hurt my daughter's stomach. That includes breastmilk. Everything I ate upset her tummy. We tried everything. Soy was the worst for her. Good luck to you.

Hi C.,
I've used Nestle Good Start with Natural Cultures with my son since he was about 2 months (he's 9 months now). I bresatfed him from birth to 6 months but had to supplement with formula. He is now completely on formula and we haven't had any problems with it. We did try Enfamil and Similac first but with both he didn't seem to keep it down.
J.

I am a huge believer in pre and probiotics as well. I don't think Kathy's success was coincidence. Brands do make a difference! My entire family take probiotics daily.

I second both the concern about using Good Start formulas and the tip to add probiotics of your own selection (and care) to a formula rather than buying it pre-mixed.

There are studies that reveal a greater risk for developing food allergies and intolerances in babies fed the partially-hydrolysed protein formulas (i.e. Good Start) instead of the extensively-hydrolysed formulas. (i.e. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2000 Aug and Arch Dis Child 1997 July). I even read somewhere there was a concern that the partially-hydrolysed formulas might even be worse than the regular cow's milk formulas for those babies at increased risk for developing allergies; take that memory of mine with a grain of salt, however, as I couldn't find a reference to support it anywhere. ;D

Regardless, if the proteins of regular formulas present a problem for your little one's gut, a good idea might be to skip straight to a product like Nutramigen (or even Neocate or Alimentum) instead of Good Start. Also keep in mind many babies who have an allergy or intolerance to casein also have trouble with soy formulas as well (another reason to just go straight to the Nutramigen, Neocate, or Alimentum).

And about the probiotics - in addition to finding a solid, trusted brand, there's also value in being able to have better quality control with regard to temperature and storage of your probiotics if you add them to the formula yourself. FWIW, HMF is a brand we came to use after high recommendations from several sources.

Sorry I'm so long-winded, but HTH!!