Starting out or changing Formula

Over the first few years of your baby’s life they will experience significant dietary changes, such as introducing solid foods, they may move on from breastfeeding or  have a change to the type or brand of their infant formula.

It’s really common to change  formulas when you’re just trying to the find the one that best suits your child’s needs.

While many babies will transition to a new formula easily some may experience minor changes in digestion or tummy discomforts.  This is normal while your baby’s digestive system is still developing, and should settle down within a couple of weeks.

Here are a few things to look out for;

-Some may detect a small difference in taste between formulas, this is normal and they will usually adjust within a short period of time

-Some may become a bit more spilly or windy than usual

- You may notice that your baby’s bowel motions may also change, so they become greener or darker, the consistency may be looser or firmer and your baby could pass more or less frequent bowel motions than previously

These changes are usually temporary so if you stick with the new formula most babies will adjust within a few days to a week or so .

Here are some tips to help assist with this change

We recommend that you have about 1 weeks’ worth of the previous formula on hand, this way you can introduce the new formula gradually.

Here’s one method;

-On day 1 offer just one bottle of the new formula, and for the remaining feeds offer the previous formula

-On day 2 offer two bottles of the new formula, for the remaining feeds offer the previous formula

-On day 3 offer three bottles of the new formula, for the remaining feeds offer the previous formula

Continue this method until your baby has fully transitioned across to the new formula, this can take around about a week.

Another way to do this is to mix the two formulas together for several days before you introduce the new formula completely.

You can do this by preparing a separate bottle of each formula (current and new) and then mix the two formulas together in another bottle.

When changing to a new formula, just ensure that the formula you choose is a suitable  and age appropriate choice for your child.

Always check the can and prepare each formula according to the manufacturers instructions on the can.

If you become concerned about any aspect of your child’s health, contact your health professional and if you’re after more advice you can contact us on our Careline on 0800 55 66 66.