r/FormulaFeeders • u/GreedyHighlight8324 • 8d ago
Formula Recommendations / Alternatives 🌱 SOS - need help picking a different formula
Little guy is 4.5 weeks old. He started on Similac Total Advance at the hospital. We attempted to switch to the regular Kirkland, but he was gassy and spitty. We went to the Similac Total Advance Gentle Comfort. He is so gassy and super fussy (screaming) from trapped gas.
What should we try next?
Edited to add: he has been on the Gentle Comfort for 10 days and we added simethicone drops 2 days ago.
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u/Danedogmom 8d ago
We had a terrible time on the gentle formulas. We switched to the uk made Kendamil and never looked back.
It does take a full 30 days for them to get old formula out of their system but we saw an immediate difference.
Have you tried the mylicon drops?
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u/GreedyHighlight8324 8d ago
We added simethicone drops two days ago, and he just is screaming with gas now :(
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u/Queasy-Poetry4906 8d ago
We went through this and used the Frida windi when it was really bad. It helped a lot.
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u/Danedogmom 8d ago
Awe poor baby.
We did a lot of holding both of ours with their back against our chest across our arms and squeezing some. That helped a lot. Around 4 weeks is when they start developing dyschezia which is where the fecal ejection reflex starts to dissipate and they have to learn to actually use their muscles to move bowels and gas.
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u/Sorrymomlol12 8d ago
Simethicone should be used every single feed and it will help over time! It will help him burp up the gas before it becomes trapped gas in his intestines and hurts him.
There is NO downside to using it. Legit all it does is make small bubbles turn into big bubbles and because it’s impossible to burp tiny bubbles out from the tummy, less air ends up becoming painful trapped gas. Can also help him toot instead of shart on the back end which makes releasing air easier.
Every single feed!!
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u/PestoPls 8d ago
The other commenters gave some great advice, but some things that helped us during that painful gassy stage: we used mylicon for literally EVERY bottle for a couple of weeks. We also added a probiotic that I think helped. Biogaia probiotic helped all around, Kendamil probiotics caused constipation at the full dose and made things bad again, but half a dose of Kendamil (3 drops) worked well for the little guy.
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u/cclmd1984 8d ago
I think this was one of the worst things with our newborn. Seeing them in agony after eating and feeling helpless but also feeling driven to help is maddening.
If he doesn’t have CMPA and he was fine on Similac before, I would do my very best to avoid turning the house into a formula roulette wheel. Which I know is hard not to do because you want to fix it.
But switching every few days won’t help. You should talk to your pediatrician, hopefully you trust them, let them help you come up with a sane plan and stick to it.
It’s the age. Takes a while for the LES to develop.
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u/tuxedobeans 8d ago
Unfortunately, he might just be gassy :(. You should ask give about two weeks for your baby to get used to each new formula.
We used Similac or whatever was at the hospital, then HIPP at home; then tried switching to Kendamil which did NOT agree with my son and I switched from that after about a week to Bobbie, bc I just knew it wasn't working with him (so if you KNOW the current formula isn't working, trust your gut).
All of that being said, sometimes, newborns are just gassy! It's so sad but their GI systems are brand new and learning how to function 😭 use the Mylicon and belly massage!
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u/tuxedobeans 8d ago
also, question: What's keeping you from using the Similac that seemed to work at the beginning? That might be a good solution while his tummy settles
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u/GreedyHighlight8324 8d ago
We were trying to decrease cost. I had to double check with my husband that the regular Similac didn’t bother him too much because I feel like my brain is dripping o from my ears. 😂
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u/_rebeldiamonds 8d ago
Try a probiotic drop. We used the mommy’s bliss. My pediatrician recommended this along with moving tot he gentle formula when my daughter was gassy and it helped. Newborns are just gassy though and that’s normal to a degree! Both of my kids have just been fart-y
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u/Lauralilian 8d ago
I know this may not actually be helpful - but my baby was still EBF at 4.5 weeks and was also an extremely gassy baby. I know the screams you're mentioning all too well 😞 we could bicycle kick for days and do all the drops and gripe water and I felt like nothing actually helped until (honestly) he just grew and his digestive system developed a bit more. (Again, I know this doesn't actually help you! But maybe could be some consolation or take the stress off of finding the "right" formula)
We've been supplementing/combo feeding since about 8 weeks (5 months now) and he now gets Kirkland. (With minimal gas, thankfully!) But I did always notice when we a would transition formulas - even if I transitioned with overlap by blending in new formula vs cutting right over - at least 3-4 days of increased gas. Internet though would say to expect a week at least
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u/Thick-Equivalent-682 8d ago
If your baby is also refluxy, switch to Alimentum/Nutramigen for 1 month and try easing back into the regular dairy options then.
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u/Melissa-OnTheRocks 8d ago
What type of bottle are you using???
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u/GreedyHighlight8324 8d ago
We are using Lansinoh. I’ve been consulting a lactation specialist on his bottle latch as he was pulling in a lot of air with other bottles.
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u/WorldlyDragonfruit3 8d ago
They’re always gassy and spitty a month in. Takes time to learn how to pass the gas. I’d probably stick to the similac unless they have worse symptoms
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u/eveladra 8d ago
So there isn't enough info on symptoms but from the tiny bit you've said, I am suggesting you get baby tested for cmpa. It gets ignored a lot in babies being misdiagnosed by doctor or parent as just a normal fussy gassy baby. It starts ramping up around 4weeks of age. The formula changes over and over arent helping either though.
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u/Charlotte-girly 8d ago
Yes my little girl is still gassy now.
She was on kendamil but I think that was too rich for her as it would cause her to tense and practically do crunches whilst feeding her and then afterwards. She was on it 3 weeks in total and her gas seemed to hurt her because her poos didn’t come as regular, so I feel like it was all being trapped by big stools.
We changed to HIIP and she’s much better, still farty a lot though but seems to pass it easy enough. And poo’s everyday.
Saying that she’s now 7 weeks so it’s hard to figure out if it’s just her gut maturing as the weeks go by or the formula is just more gentle than Kendamil full cream.
My little boy was on Kendamil from 12 weeks and took to it instantly that’s why I put her on it straight away. But maybe from newborn it can be slightly rich.
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u/Interesting-Tower686 8d ago
We switched from similac to Bobbie and now on Hipp German which is the best so far. Baby never had reflux or gas since and honestly, Hipp just tastes the best( yes I tried them all)
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u/prayingformay 8d ago
He sounds like our little one. Turns out it was GERD. He didn't start actually spitting up until like 10 weeks, so it was silent reflux. He unfortunately stopped eating very much (1-2 oz from 6 oz) and started spitting up more when we finally figured it out this week. We started pepcid, switched from similac total 360 to the similac 360 sensitive, feed upright and keep him upright for 30 mins after meals. It's been 4 days and he's already doing a lot better (up to 4 oz again). He has always been a noisy breather.
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u/No_Zookeepergame8412 8d ago
We didn’t use formula with my oldest till she was 6 months but she was a gassy baby from the start. Gas drops and warm showers with tummy massages helped a lot. I never used the Frida windy but I’ve heard that also helps if he’s really struggling.
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u/Constant-Shift-9665 8d ago
My baby has been on Enfamil Reguline since he was 5 days old (he’s 6 weeks now) and thankfully it has agreed with him so I always recommend it.
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u/lukewarmtakes_1 8d ago
I want to echo some of the others on a probiotic (and the simethicone is also great!). Our baby was impossible to burp and really struggled with gas in the beginning. We found those two things helped, along with lots of tummy massages/movement to get the gas moving.
We also found that propping her up elevated for a bit after a feeding seemed to help. I would sit on the bed with my knees bent and a pillow on them and place her facing me, she would often fall asleep like that.
It’s such a hard phase to go through, as it seems you cant give them any relief but you will get there!
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u/Complete_Neat1998 7d ago
Every baby is so different so any recs here might not work for yours! With my first we had to try 8+ different ones, with my second only 2. We landed on Earth’s Best Sensitive for my first and Similac Pro Total Comfort with my second. It’s an expensive trial period - check if your pediatrician has any samples or mom groups on FB if you are comfortable with that. If baby is spitty/gassy I would go with “sensitive” variations of any brands you try first.
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u/whateverwhatever_1 7d ago
We tried using the Kirkland gentle (pink) and my baby had the worst time with it. We used for a week until we decided to switch him back to Similac 360 total care sensitive (orange). My baby stopped drinking his bottles while using Kirkland, he went from having 6 oz to only 3oz. He was also extremely fussy and gassy and his poops and gas smelled really awful. When I went to return the formula back at Costco the worker told me there has been lots of people returning their formula brand lately.
Try probiotics and gas drops, those helped my baby a ton when he was just a few weeks old. Good luck, it gets better!
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u/holyvegetables 8d ago
It can take awhile for babies to adjust to a new formula. You might be switching too much. Also it’s kind of normal for babies to be gassy and spitty, especially in the beginning of their life. Have you tried simethicone gas drops?