TTMA Formula

[iwantbacon]

I know we'll be moving to formula in the near future and I'm not sure where to start. For moms using formula:

-What brand are you using?
-What brand(s) didn't work
-If you use formula along with breastmilk, how do you use them together (mixed in one bottle vs separate bottles/feedings)?
-for unplanned MOTN feedings, do you keep a bottle of room temp water in the bedroom and just add formula to it then?
-Anything else I'm missing?

[adouces06]

With DD we are BFing and using formula (only when daycare runs out of BM), but I FF DS. We used Enfamil Gentlease, and we loved it. We tried the plain Enfamil, and it made DS very gassy. For MOTN feedings, I used warm tap water from the upstairs bathroom to make a bottle.
I am sure some of the other ladies on here can add more

[jwinct]

We have been FF from the start. We started with Kirkland (Costco) Non-GMO regular milk-based formula. After a couple of weeks and DS seeming to be super gassy (like raunchy, disgusting smelling gas and farting all the time) and uncomfortable, I tried him on Similac Senstive (it's mostly lactose-free) because I had a sample can and it helped tremendously. When the sample can ran out, I discovered that Target makes their own equivalent of it for only $24 for a large container of it and we've been using that ever since.

We use powdered formula. We keep a small tupperware container of it upstairs and just use warm tap water from the bathroom to make nighttime bottles. Our town has good water, so we've always just used tap water.

[becole]

I used similac for supplementation (dark green lid) when we used it with my first. I mixed breast milk and formula so it was half and half (or whatever I had). He also got entire formula bottles and took those fine. I also just did room temp or fridge filtered water- he would take anything. I never gave formula motn but there are rules about mixing it and needing to feed within 1 hour or refrigerator for 24 hours. I would maybe measure it out before bed and have some room temp water and that way you can just mix and feed.

[britta]

DS1 was BF'd for 6 weeks. Due to his low birth weight, we supplemented with Enfamil Newborn for a couple weeks. When we moved to FF, we used that (the Enfamil Newborn) and then switched to Enfamil AR because of excessive spit up. Once he quit spitting up so much, we attempted transition him to Enfamil Infant, but he wouldn't take it (the AR is much thicker).

DS2 has been exclusively FF. We started with Enfamil Newborn, then moved to Enfamil Gentlease around 3 weeks when we thought the crying was from gas. I know people rave about it, but I was NAF. Maybe if gas would had been his problem I would have liked it, but it made his poop reek and it was constipating. We moved to Enfamil AR again (this time because of GERD-he was to the point he was having trouble swallowing the thin liquid) and are still using it. I thought about switching to the Infant, now that he's stable on Prilosec, but I'm leaving well enough alone for now.

ETA: Both of my kids drank room temp water. We have a travel container that we put his formula in (powdered) and leave on his dresser. When we go to bed we bring up a bottle of water and just mix it in his room when/if he wakes.

ETA 2: We occasionally used store brand Enfamil AR with DS1 without issues. We would have used it all the time, but our local stores don't carry a store brand of it. So we only had it if we made a Target run or something.

[sanibel21]

We recently introduced formula here. We started with Enfamil gentle ease and it seems fine. I substituted 4-6 ounces for two feeds during the afternoon because I was trying to see if my afternoon milk with zoloft in it was effecting her sleep. Since I've realized it doesnt, Ive been nursing first and then topping her off with a couple of ounces of formula the last couple of feeds per day. I usually make the bottle and put it in a bowl of hot water to warm while I nurse. I've already run out of pumped milk, but I would have been hesitant about mixing it in case she didnt finish it and then it would waste the breast milk. I haven't done any overnight bottles yet, but actually tonight were planning on DH giving her. We haven't talked about how it's going to get made yet though.

[Deleted]

DS was FF from the start. We went through our samples and found that enfamil gentlease worked best for him. It still constipated him but that was the best of the worst.
DD is still combo fed with donor milk. We mix it right in the bottle (1 oz BM, 5 oz formula). We're using the walmart brand of gentle, purely for her reflux.

Because both kids were full term and not immune-compromised, I never boiled formula water. I pre-mix a batch for the day and leave it in the fridge. They both like it warm, but DD will drink it cold if she's shown she doesn't have a choice.

[iwantbacon]

Thank you, everyone. I did FF DS1 starting at maybe 7 months, but he loved to be fed so much that it didn't matter what formula we used or what the water temperature was.

[ksyknelvr73]

We are exclusively FF. We use Similac Sensitive (Target brand has it also and that's what I usually buy unless I have Similac checks/coupons courtesy of britta).

We mix a pitcher of formula each night and stick it in the fridge so we can just pour a bottle for MOTN if needed, however she generally doesn't wake up MOTN. We do have to warm it up since we keep it mixed in the fridge.