Post by eliza040502 on Jun 9, 2016 15:32:12 GMT -5
Hugs! I know the transition from BFing to supplementing to formula is a tough one (believe me!). I EP and supplement as needed. J gets three to four bottles a day of only BM and another two to three of only formula. I don't mix. He's a pig and eats about 40 oz a day. I'm slowly weaning from the pump so by mid July he will only have formula.
We use Honest Co. We used Babys Only for the first few months but it caused him to spit up after a while.
Invest in a pitcher and formula container (to pre-measure). Swirl then shake bottles (otherwise the formula can get stuck in the nipple). I weigh our formula with a scale because the scoops can lead to wide variations. You don't need to book water anymore but use filtered water if possible. Also, if P drinks more then 20 oz a day of formula, you can stop with vitamin d drops.
We use Baby's Only Whey Protein and have had no problems. I started doing a 50/50 mix with all bottles and went that way for about a month. That last week, I started giving her a full bottle of formula each day to make sure she was used to it. Noticed no difference in her behavior, other than her ounce intake has increased since going to formula/mixing, at night she now does 6-8 oz before bed. During the day she still does 4-5 oz per bottle.
Post by eliza040502 on Jun 9, 2016 19:36:32 GMT -5
caitost21 - I never mixed because (1) J would take formula and BM separately without complaint and (2) formula needs to be thrown out after an hour while BM does not - BM was too precious to waste!
A lot of people mix because their kids won't tolerate full formula, to make the transition easier or just because.
We started with Kirkland because it was a good deal at Costco. But, we are only using about 8oz of formula per day and didn't realize that the powder formula has to be thrown out after 30 days. So most of that wound up in the trash. We switched to Comforts for Baby (I think this is the Kroger/King Soopers brand) because it's available in a smaller container. C has done well with both.
Oh, and we didn't mix bottles. We just give a 4oz bottle of formula in place of a BM bottle. And - both formula brands I've used indicate that you must discard unused prepared formula within 1 hour of the starting of the feeding. I think the 24 hour guideline is referring to prepared and refrigerated formula (unused, i.e. Hasn't touched baby's mouth).
The 'rules' for formula seem to differ from brand to brand. Our US formula says to toss after 1 hour at room-temp but can keep un-drank portions for 24-hrs in the fridge. Our EU formula says to toss after 2 hours at room-temp and not to keep any un-drank portions. Also, EU formula says to boil the water before mixing...the 'black market' website where I order it says that this is not because the water is bad but because the formula isn't sterile, but then goes on to say that you have to boil the water but you don't have to mix the formula into the boiling water, just into the cooled, boiled water. MAKES NO SENSE. We never boiled anything. C has gotten tap or filtered tap water since he came home from the hospital. Our NICU nurses said that boiling is really only for babies with weakened immune systems. Read the back of your brand of formula and go from there.
Anyway....we use HiPP formula which is an EU brand. We've also used Earth's Best, and I often cut the HiPP with Earth's Best for cost reasons and because I can't always get HiPP when I need it. For me, finding a brand that I was comfortable with took the sting out of quitting EPing. I also kept bottles separate for the reasons listed above.
Oh, and we don't pre-mix all our formula for the day, I just fill bottles with water and then measure out the formula into the Medela 2oz pump bottles. I really like using those instead of a formula container since I find it difficult to get all of the formula out - it just falls out of the medela bottles easily.
caitost21 - I never mixed because (1) J would take formula and BM separately without complaint and (2) formula needs to be thrown out after an hour while BM does not - BM was too precious to waste!
A lot of people mix because their kids won't tolerate full formula, to make the transition easier or just because.
Does this depend on the formula? Because on the can of ours it says, refrigerate any unused portion and use within 24 hours.
I wasn't clear - once it's been touched, it needs to be chucked after an hour. Also, if it's been out of the fridge for an hour, it should be thrown out. Premade and unused are good in the fridge for 24 hours. I think this is standard and not formula dependent. All three brands I've used said the same thing.
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