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powder formula vs ready to feed formula
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Anonymous
| Getting ready to wean my 3 month old off the breast and give him formula. Can anyone tell me which is better- powder or ready to feed? Besides convenience and cost, is one better for baby? |
Anonymous
| I don't think there's really a difference. |
Anonymous
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Depending on the brand, some powdered formulas have more sugar/corn syrup, etc. than ready feed. The GI person at Capitol Medical can compare them for you, or you might be able to go online to the manuf. websites.
I have always done ready feed. If your baby will take a more basic formula, run the numbers on it, because it could only be $1 more a day for ready feed. I don't like how you have to use a can opener for Enfimil...Similac has a screw top. |
Anonymous
| The cans of ready-to-feed are lined with BPA (liked most canned food goods). We used Similac Advanced, which comes in plastic. Mostly, though, we used the powder and mixed it ourselves. |
Anonymous
| My DS preferred his Enfamil powder over the ready-made. We had some ready-made on hand for when we were out and about and he didn't want to take it. I noticed it was much thicker than the powder, so I could completely understand his repulsion! |
Anonymous
| I second 12:11. Definitely noticed the same thing with my DD. My pediatrician recommended using the Enfamil powder made with boiled tap water. We boil a bunch of water on the weekends to get us through the week and have it handy and at room temperature. Not only is it easy and quick to make the formula, but unlike the ready-made stuff which we had to refrigerate (our DD doesn't eat that much in one sitting), we don't have to heat up the formula since it's already at room temperature. |
Anonymous
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There was a thread a few months ago about the pros and cons of powdered formula versus pre-made formula, addressing issues such as BPA in the cans of pre-made formula and what type of water you use for the powdered formula (concerns about fluoride in the tap water versus the chemicals from the plastic bottles in the bottled water, and whether fluoride is good or bad for babies after a certain age). There was no good answer, and at the end of the day, I'm not sure there is any way to make things perfect.
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Anonymous
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One additional thing to consider is your day care situation. I use an in-home provider, who is not permitted to mix powder formula and water. She is, however, more than willing to rinse/wash a bottle in betewen feedings. So instead of sending her 4 bottles of formula I mixed myself (and then had to wash that night), I always gave day care the ready-to-feed formula and one bottle. However, I used the powder version at home, because it was cheaper and easier to control the temperature.
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Anonymous
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I've always fed my daughter the powdered form of Enfamil, but I found it really handy to keep a couple of "emergency" ready-to-feed bottles (along with a nipple) in the diaper bag. we've had a couple instances where we were out longer than expected and she got hungry when there wasn't water available - it really saved my butt. (DC stop-and-go traffic was the culprit once; flight delay the other time.)
For daycare purposes, it's really easy to mix a day's worth of formula in a big tupperware container. I've found it helpful to mix it the night before, after my daughter goes to bed. That way it has time to blend, otherwise sometimes you get lumps. Then the next morning i pour it all into the bottles with a funnel. |
Anonymous
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oy.
it's so much cheaper to mix it yourself. i don't think there is much difference nutrionally. we always used bottled water (not into boiling) at room temperature to mix powdered enfamil. for daycare, we made the bottles the night before. i am so glad that part of my life is over. it was a huge hassle every night! |
Anonymous
| I tried the ready-mixed kind that comes in a bottle so all you do is put on the nipple, but they made DC spit up constantly, so ultimately a lot more work than mixing the powder! |
Anonymous
| we used ready to feed formula in the beginning and it was not only more expensive, but messier (more spit up and chunkier) and required us to heat it up. now we use powder but carry a few 2oz ready to feed bottles + nipples with us for emergencies when we are out and about. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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My husband and I also noticed that the ready made formula (we used Enfamil) was a bit darker in color, and when my daughter would spit up (she had reflux), it stained burp clothes and bibs. I swear when I wash her clothes, I stand there and shout EVERY piece of her laundry.
Just another thought. We love the powder. Much cheaper too! And faster to heat up bottles, if you don't have to use a ready made that might be open and refridgerated. |
Anonymous
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I personally loved the Nestle ready to feed formula. It was the only thing my daughter would take when I suddenly wasn't pumping enough milk for her at 4 months, and I tried it because I read somewhere it resembles most closely the taste of breast milk. When we tried powder, she seemed to have stomach issues. She also didn't seem to drink it as willingly, as if she didn't like the taste. Of course, that was before all the BPA news - once that broke, I felt like twice the bad parent, because not only was I using bad bottles, but the formula was coming from cans linked to the same issues.
If your baby takes the powder fine though, I do recommend it, at the very least for cost savings, because the difference really adds up. |