Mom’s Question:
I give my baby Similac but the daycare gives him Good Start. Is it ok to mix formulas like this or will it hurt my baby’s tummy? I am worried that he will get tummy pain or not get the nutrition right if the formulas are mixed. Is it a problem?
Kelly
Easy Baby Life:
What Baby Formulas Can Be Mixed And Not
Practically all formulas sold today are good for your baby and contains the nutrition he or she needs. This, however does not mean that mixing them without some extra thougths will be OK.
There is a clear difference between mixing brands and mixing types of formula.
Mixing formula brands, but for similar types of formula, is not likely to be a problem as long as your baby accepts both brands – not to be taken for granted!
On the other hand, mixing formula types, can be a greater challenge. As you may know, there are many different kinds of formula, from the ordinary milk-based formula, to very specialized ones, such as hydrolysate formula and soy milk formula.
Many babies can, in theory, digest and thrive on all these different types, but since their digestive systems are immature during the first few months, staying with a type that works well is a reasonable choice. Also, many babies will object to the new taste of a different type of formula… Actually even switching to another brand, but the same type can make your baby protest (OR will make your baby finally accepting formula, if that’s a problem).
If your baby has tummy issues, such as a lot of gas, constipation, or even infant colic, then switching to a different kind of formula (for example lactose-free) can make a world of difference. In such a case, do not switch between different kinds once you have found one that works. It is even worth bringing your own formula brand and type to daycare, to make sure your baby gets what actually works.
For babies with cow’s milk allergy or lactose intolerance, the type of formula should not be switched, obviously.
So in conclusion, yes, you can mix formula brands without harming your baby as long as you do not notice feeding or pooping issues from the mix. Just make sure you know what type of formula you are feeding your baby and stay with a type that works for your child.
Find more discussions related to bottle-feeding here.
IS it OK to mix formulas – Conclusion
So, in short:
- If your baby has NO tummy problems, NO allergies or intolerances, you can basically mix any formulas you want, a long as they are age appropriate. But there is no guarantee that your baby will approve the new taste.
- If your baby does have certain issues and therefor some type of special baby formula, it is safe to mix similar formulas by different brands, but NOT different types of baby formula.
- It at all in doubt, talk to your baby’s health care provider.
Hope this helps,
Paula
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Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
I use one bottle of enspire gentlease and good start lactose free, my baby couldn’t poop so good but the enspire helped my baby gain weight but couldn’t poop once I use both he’s gaining and pooping but i don’t know if it’s healthy
That’s the same exact problem I had. My son is 6 months old now. The gentle ease constipated him and the reguline gave him diarrhea. Reguline has dual prebiotics:gentle ease does not have any prebiotics. Reguline has lactose:gentle ease has reduced lactose(replaced with corn syrup). Since they are both made with similar formations(partially hydrogenated non fat milk and whey protein concentrate) it’s ok to mix them just gotta figure out how much of each works for him. I mixed his morning feed (half Reguline half gentleease) and also gave him 1 ounce of water with probiotics in it. The rest were gentle ease. It helped him out and didn’t cause stomach upset. That worked for a couple months but hard poos came back so switched him to Gerber Good start SOOTHE not the gentle the gentle made him have crazy gas lol. That worked for a few months now at 6 months old we’re dealing with the same issue again. Enfamil and Gerber formulas contain PALM OLIEN which has been proven to cause hard stools bc it is not digested fully. Similac is one of the only brand name formulas that don’t contain Palm OLIEN. Similac total comfort worked great for relieving his hard poops but he broke out in a rash on his face(he has infant eczema also) so now he’s on the Similac Sensitive and it’s only been a couple days so gotta give it at least 2weeks. Hoping this works for him fingers crossed. Hope this helped you out.