My wife and I need to switch the powerded formula for our 4 month-old baby because she seems to be spitting up excessively. We always thought spit up was normal, but now that she’s in daycare our caregiver confirmed that it is indeed excessive.
Anyway, our baby is currently on Carnation Good Start with DHA & ARA. Has anyone had the same problem with this formula and switched to one that worked for their baby’s tummy? We’re asking you all in hopes that we can avoid trying a bunch of different brands before finding one that worked for her.
I would like to try one of the store brands (Target, Wal-Mart) but Mrs. Chastain is resisting, so any opinions on store brand formulas would be welcome, too.
First, you should speak to the doctor for suggestions. Our 6 month old was vomiting (spit up is usually no more than a mouthful, anything more is considered vomiting) last weekend, and we actually had to fast her on Yom Kippur with us (half an ounce of Pedialyte every half an hour for 8 hours then back to food) until her stomach lining rested.
We think that the frozen breast milk that we were giving her (along with formula) had gone bad. So check to see if your formula has gone bad – it can go bad, there is an expiration date on the containers. For powdered formulas, it is over a year (usually), but who knows… If you are still using the free samples sent before your baby was born, it may be close.
I think that the spit up may be a problem with reflux, allergies, pyloric stenosis, or any other host of conditions. I would at least cover your bases by consulting with your pediatrician before going any further. You may need to swtich to a soy-based versus a cow milk-based formula, for instance.
FWIW, we use Enfamil Lipil and she loves it (more than the breastmilk). I ain’t cheap, but we find it goes into solution easier than Similac or one of the others. She doesn’t spit up more than a regular baby. I have no experience with the Carnation formula.
I didn’t do extensive research on the brands. I basically accepted my pediatrician’s recommendation after confirming that I couldn’t find any complaints about it. We’ve used Enfamil Lipil with Iron (with DHA and ARA) for both our kids and never had much spit up from either. Both were primarily breast-fed through six months.
Again, check with your pediatrician, but when my children were babes, we found that they reacted to standard formula (perhaps due to a slight case of lactose intolerance?). When we used the soy based formulas, reflux, stomach pains, and throwing up decreased dramatically. Once they got to be around six months old, we gradually moved them into the standard formula (Carnation Good Start). YMMV