Looking for Baby Formula Recommendation

I would suggest using nestle good start supreme. I breastfed my son as well and found that he took to this formula the best. It also has the DHA and ARA. He was nver constipated. either, unlike when I tried Enfamil. He didn't really like the taste of any formula so when I started weaning I had to mix the formula w/ breast milk and eventually I was able to give him straight formula. Also I think you would be better off trying the sippy cup then when she's on whole milk you won't have to worry about weaning from a bottle! Hope this helps.

Hi P..... i would try the soy base formula. It breaks down easier for them to digest and since she is not used to reg formula it will be easier on her tummy (Reg. Formula is very hard on their digestive system when they are breast fed) My daughter was exclusivley breast fed til she turned 1 then we gave her sippy cups of Soy Milk (its sweeter in taste so she took it better tehn reg. milk) It was also easier for her to break down as reg milk was causing diaper rash and constipation. Also we started sippy cups at 6 months. I would suggest the sippy cup because you wont have to transition from bottle to sippy cup... I have had the easiest time with the NuBy cups with the soft tops. Also dont be afraid to as your pedeatrician.. They can give you the best advice on what is best for baby.... Good luck to you please let me know how everything goes....

You can begin to give cows milk at about 9 mos ( this is early, however it may be better than changing her diet now and again in 3 mos and you should be starting to give her yogurt, ice cream, etc at 9 mos), deffinitly use a sippy cup and please consult your pediatrician on these issues before starting anything, only you and you pediatrician knows your dd and her history.... if she has a history of reflux, gassiness, spitting up or frequent ear infections , etc.. they all play a factor in the best formula decission.Good Luck!

Enfamil Lipil is what I recommend. My twins were on it for their first year and we had no problems with it. It is as close to breastmilk as you can get with the DHA and ARA. Since your daughter is already 8 months you might want to try giving it in a sippy cup. Otherwise you will be creating something to have to wean her off of in a relatively short amount of time.

If you get on Similac and Enfamil's websites and enter your information a lot of times they will send you amazing coupons and also free samples. They are great to get because you never know how your child will react to the formula. A lot of people like the soy formula, but mine spit that up more than anything else. The only formula they wouldn't spit up that much was the Giant brand (this was the last thing we tried!) and that was also really cheap (compared to the name brands and we had to originally give them the higher caloric formula, which there wasn't a generic for, since they were preemies and that was the same price for a tiny can as a large Giant brand one, it added up for 2 babies to be on this for 9 months!).
We gave our twins bottles until they were 1, but I had to stop breastfeeding after 2 months, so they were used to them because that's all they had (they didn't take to breastfeeding, probably because they had been given bottles while we desperately tried to get my milk to come in). When we transitioned them to sippy cups it took a while and was a hard transition for about a week. My husband got the Playtex soft tip sippy cups and they worked perfectly! Maybe you should try something like that if it's okay to give them sippy cups this early, that way you don't have to worry about another transition when he turns 1.
Our pediatrician wouldn't let us give our twins whole milk until they turned 1, so I would speak to him before you try giving them ice cream and milk like another person suggested. Some pediatricians say it's okay, but I know ours was against it and everything I read said not to.
Good luck!

When I stopped breastfeeding, the doctor told me to put my daughter on Enfamil Lipil. She took very well to it. She was four months old at the time so I am not sure what to tell you about the bottle vs. sippy cup. At eight months it is harder to introduce a bottle to a baby..so she may not accept it easily. And if you can, try to have someone else give her the bottle. It is harder to give her a bottle when the breasts are right there. Also, please speak to the ped. prior to putting her on any formula....her doctor will know what is best for her...but you certainly can make suggestions.

I breastfed my son until he was 6 months and then I transitioned to Enfamil Lipil. He had no problems with that formula and he's now 16 months and on whole milk. I started giving him a sippy with water around 7 or 8 months when he had his solid foods to get him used to the cup and that worked well for us. Best of luck!

I used Isomil when my son had to have a couple bottles after my tubal. He seemed to take it ok. I have been told that some breastfed babies prefer the taste of soy formula versus regular formula. I hope your daughters had a bottle or cup recently cause I know after that my son never took a bottle and didn't take a cup until about 10 months and my older son never took either until close to a year. Breastfed babies can be pretty picky. I know mine did eventually take to the sippy and you might wanna try the one called Nubby with the rubber spout. Good Luck!

I breastfed both of my children to start- but due to the fact that I couldn't stay off of my necessary medications for too long- I had to start supplementing with formula. Both of my children did excellent on Enfamil Lipil Low Iron. We found that the Low Iron version was easier to digest and didn't give either constipation problems. Neither did they have as much problems with their reflux while on the Low Iron. My pediatrician recommended that I start both of my children on regular milk once they reached 9 months adding that in with one bottle per day. You could try Happy Milk which has the active cultures of yogurt to aid the digestion if you want to go that way. Good luck which ever route you go.

P.,

That's a very personal decision. Kudos for nursing exclusively for so long. I'm not sure of the reasons you have decided to supplement with formula with this child vs. your first one, but have you considered continuing to pump so you can still feed her breast milk during those not from mommy feedings?

What ever your reasons may be, there are many formula options out there and while all of them will claim to be the best, it's best to remember that you will be going from feeding a living food to feeding her a dead, artificially fortified one.

If you're interested in convenience (powdered formula) my strongest, and only recommendation is for Baby's Only from Nature's One <http://www.naturesone.com/index.php&gt; They have a milk one with some soy and an all soy formula. Both are organic, non GMO (very important) and of the highest quality. I used this brand with my son occasionally when I had to supplement for medical reasons and the supplementation time wasn't long enough to merit obtaining donated breast milk through Milk Share <http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/&gt;, or buying the necessary ingredients for the best formula option of homemade <http://www.westonaprice.org/children/recipes.html&gt;.

And as someone mentioned, whole milk at this age is also an option. I strongly recommend goat instead of cow (it most closely mimics breast milk) and caution against straight soy milk since it mimics estrogen in the body and not exactly in the right proportions as it would be from your milk. I also recommend RAW milk over pasteurized as well since most sensitivities to milk come from the pasteurization process than from the milk itself. I'd be happy to help find you a clean source. This CAN be fed safely to anyone from infancy through old age (although I don't believe people are designed to drink milk past adolescence on a regular basis).

No matter what you supplement with I highly suggest that at 8 months, you consider a sippy cup. As you start to transition from nursing to formula/milk more and more you'll want to avoid the bottle trap that many babies can fall victim to. It can be very difficult to break a bottle habit.

I wish you luck with whatever you choose for your daughter.

Blessings,
Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

My son is also 8 mo. old. I stopped breastfeeding when he was 6 mo. old and transitioned (slowly) to Similac. The first couple days he seemed to have a little bit of constipation, but after that, he was fine. As far as amount, he takes a 4 oz. bottle after waking up (he eats cereal and fruit about an hr. later). Then he has an 8 oz bottle before his afternoon nap and another 8 oz before bed. We use the Avent bottle with the smallest nipple (size 1?), but I have a friend who started formula at 9 mo. and went straight to a sippy cup. Her son was fine and never had to take bottles. Good luck!

I breast fed exclusively for a long time too. When I had to start using formula I chose Carnation Good Start. He seemed to have no problem going between the two. Plus, the good start doesn't smell as bad as some of the other formulas. I would try a sippy cup if she'll take it. It is almost time to wean her from the bottle anyway, so give it a try. Good luck!

The absolute best for breastfed babies is Nestle Goodstart - and also less expensive than Enfamil or Similac. It even mixes nicer than the other ones do! Also, go with the Milk based and not the soy-based. it is an easier transition with their stomachs if you continue to breastfeed! I say formula should go in the bottle, everything else in a cup - water, juice, milk, that way at 1 year you can dump the bottle and formula and be free of them!

Good job nursing exclusively for so long! Congrats to you! Good luck!

I breastfed and then bottle fed too, and found that Similac and Similac Soy (Isomil) was great. I heard that it is the closest to breastmilk, so that is why I went with it! Good luck!

I use to breastfeed my daughter up till 4mnth. Then switched to formulla. I use Nestle Good Start. The purple can. I found that simlac was to hard on her stomach and I have heard that is common.

Hi P.! I breastfeed for the first three months. I used Nestle Good start Supreme with DHA & ARA to supplement and then switched to formula only. We consulted with our nutritionist and he recommended Nestle Good start Supreme with DHA & ARA because it is made of 100% whey proteins. They also just came out with a new type called Good Start Natural Cultures which has beneficial cultures like those naturally promoted by breast milk to help support Baby's healthy immune system. If you go the the web site (verybestbay.com) you can sign up for coupons which make it less expensive. They also have a great customer service line with live people and nutritionists for any questions.

i would recommend using Good Start from nestle for the formula. i nursed my son for 3.5 months, then switched to formula when i went back to work, and based on the look of things in diapers, the good start was really similar to BM.

as for the bottle/sippy cup thing, i don't have any specific experience, but you could try the sippy cup, if she's sitting up on her own and is able to hold onto it. it may be easier than inroducing a bottle, then in another 4 montsh or so trying to take that away and get her to use the cup. just my thoughts. good luck!