Switching Formulas B/c of Excessive Spit Up

I had the exact problem with my son spitting up as many as 45 times per day. He was a happy spitter, but I worried because he was spitting up a large portion of what he ate and wasn't gaining weight as quickly as he should have. It is a stressful thing to have a bad spitter--you feel like you can't go anywhere or let anyone hold them without a disclaimer. I understand! Anyway, I switched him to Nutramigen around 6 months of age, and it made all the difference. He only spit up small amounts and usually only 10-15 times per day. A big improvement for him! By his first birthday his spitting up pretty much ended so know it will end eventually, but I don't have enough positive things to say about Nutramigen Lipil.

I started all 3 of my kids on Enfamil. OUCH!! None of them could tolerate it. They were constantly spitting up, sometimes it was like in the movie the Exorcist. I put every one of my kids on Isomil and they did great. The Isomil is a soy formula, and it is usually easier on the belly than a milk based formula. I don't recall off hand if Similac is milk based though. It has been a while since I have had to buy formula. My kids doctor told me a lot of infants have trouble with milk based formula, and he suggested I try the soy based instead. What a difference! There was next to no more spitting up. I would suggest trying a soy based formula for a while and see how she does with it. It worked wonders for me and my kids.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.

My son did something similar to that and my peditrician told me the same thing until i pressed the issue...i switched my son to similac isomil advanced and he quit spitting up entirely!!!(although he not only spit up he also threw up whenever he ate similac advanced after the time he was like 1 month he couldnt seem to keep it down) the pediatrician said it might look like a lot more than it really is but i knew something was wrong...(i later found out he has an allergy to the protein in cow's milk) anyways the similac isomil is meant for minor problems such as excessive spit-up,gas,fussiness...it works really well on my son the only downside is that it digests a lot easier meaning he has to eat a little more of it an ounce or so...hope this helps..good luck..

My son was on that too and he was spitting up alot, I switched him to prosobee and it stopped, that formula worked good for him

that happened with my oldest child and i switched her to Nestle Good Start and it helped alot.

my daughter spit up a lot too, and she was breastfed. some babys just spit up! she grew out of it...

put a bib on her all the time to mop up the spit up, and keep a burp cloth in your pocket all the time... :) i remember those days...

A couple of things, I had this with 3 of my 4 kids. Try feeding on an angle, like in a bouncy chair, but not in a car seat because that usually curves their stomachs. And then don't move them for 15- 30 mins after feeding, not even for grandma's to hold :)

Try other formula's but they tend to be very expensive so if they don't work you might as well go back to the cheaper stuff. You can also add a little cereal to the bottle to thicken it up but watch how much they are eating if you add too much they won't take as many bottles and could lose out on nutrients. Cereal is also a good way to get them to sleep all night. I usually added 1-3 Tablespoons to an 8 oz bottle. Remember to get a nipple with a larger opening though or you will frustrate them because the liquid won't flow through.

Finally, ask your pediatrician if it could be reflux, if so they can prescribe medicine and you usually only have to use it for a short period of time (a couple of month) until their tummies develop more. We used tagament for our kids.

Hi A.,

I breastfed my daughter & she was a spitter regardless. It was not a little spit up either, it was like a volcanic eruption every single time we fed her. Our pediatrician was not worried about it b/c she was still gaining weight & did not appear to be any discomfort. Any ped recommended we thickened her formula w/ rice cereal...but she still spits up not as much though. I was afraid she was going to gain too much weight therefore I stopped thickening the formula. Buy a whole lot of bibs & let it continued. She did this for 6 mths until we started solids, then it went away. For me I tough it out even though it was very hard to watch. Now she is going to be 11 mths on the 8th & she is a very healthy & happy baby...perfect in every way. The decision is yours you can try other formulas or just tough it out. It is all a result of the immature digestive system.

I would listen to the doctor. My daughter was a MAJOR spitter-upper when she was a newborn, and it really freaked me out. I mean, several times after each feeding. Sometimes a baby's sphincter (sp?) -- I think that's the right part -- isn't fully developed, and just needs some time to practice using the flap. I don't know how better to explain that! Basically, it will probably just go away on its own. That's what happened with my daughter, and I wish right now I could remember exactly when that happened. Also, don't worry about the baby losing nourishment; usually that spit-up has a lot of saliva in it, though it looks like the milk/formula is just coming right out. If she's gaining weight the way she should be -- and if your doc's not worried, that should be the case -- just try not to worry too much. Just keep a towel handy! I lived with one over my shoulder and within reach for what seemed like ages, then from one day to the next, the problem seemed to disappear.

One more point: It doesn't bother her!! If she doesn't seem upset about it, it doesn't hurt her. It just bothers you because it looks like it would hurt.

All 3 of mine were spitters. With my first 2 I used soy and my last I used gentlease, which comes in generic. Seemed to help some but they will spit up no matter what, and it helps with what the other person who posted about keeping them upright for about 30 minutes. Also it was powder formula that I used.

Are you using the powder or the "ready to feed"?

With our first daughter, she wouldn't TOUCH the powdered stuff, and it made my niece very gassy. BUT the ready to feed stuff worked like a charm!

Also - make sure she's "upright" (not laying down flat) for about 30 minutes after she feeds. You might also consider gas drops (like Mylicon).

Spitting up is just one of those things babies do - along with eating, sleeping and pooping.

Good luck!

I wasn't able to breastfeed either and we had to use formula. We too had an issue with our daughter spitting up...actually more like volanic erruptions sometimes. It wasn't an allergy. It's just that the little flap in the bottom of her esophogus at the top of her stomach wasn't strong enough to hold the formula in her belly. The formula was able to come up too easily. A neighbor recommended that we add a little bit of rice cereal to her bottles and that worked like a charm. I told our pediatrician about it at a following appointment and she was great about it...she thought it was fine to do this. We started doing this when my daughter was 4 weeks old and continued to do it until we switched her to regular milk at 1 year. Our daughter will be 2 on Sunday.

We started using Similac Advanced with Iron and we also used Enfamil's comparable version...and then we used the Target brand version of the same formula. I was concerned about a store brand at first...but my cousin who has 5 of her own told me to read the cans side by side and sure enough they have the same stuff...but for nearly half the cost. Our daugther spent a good 9 months on the Target brand formula with rice cereal added to it. Actually, they make formula's that already have the rice cereal added.

Here's how I used the rice cereal: for every ounce of formula I would use 1 teaspoon of rice cereal. So for a 6 ounce bottle, I used 6 teaspoons (2 tablespoons) of rice cereal. You just need to switch to the fast flow nipples so the rice cereal particles don't clog the nipple.

I hope this information helps :-)

Nestle Goodstart was what worked best for us.

I don't know if anyone else suggested this but my son wasn't thriving on breastfeeding so I had to start him on formula. He also had reflux and the formula that worked really well for us was Enfamil A.R. Lipil. It is thickened with rice starch and he didn't spit up as much. Hope that helps.

Let that doctor come clean up all the time after spit up, and see if he still says just let it go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went through 3 months of trying different formulas and the only one that worked was a milk based, but lactose free. Later I was able to switch her to regular formula again.

My boys were "happy spitters". It really is just more of a laundry issue than anything. Just know you have to keep extra burp cloths around. I used to use receiving blankets so they would last longer. Remember, adding cereal or meds is not without risk. Everything has a risk. If your baby is happy, why add something that might have a side effect for your baby. And as for the rice cereal, my younget used to spit that up to, when he was being fed from a spoon, which is thicker than that added to the bottle! Remember, you are adding calories when you add rice cereal. Smaller, more frequent feedings are another thing to try. Sometimes baby spits because their tummies are too full!
good luck,
R.

Yes I have had this problem with all 3 of my kids and she has acid reflux and you need to talk to the doctor about put her on some reflux med to help her bc the doctor is right it may not be her formula
Ask about that and if the doctor says that isn't the problem I would ask to another doctor I have been through this and I have twins that are 13 months old now and I went through it for 6 and a half months until the GI doctor put one of the twins in the hospital cameron the twin I had the most trouble with was spitting up all the time even if I did birp him and I tried feeding him in his carseat and that worked for a short time but then he didn't like it once he went in the hospital and they find what it was Hhe is now 21 lbs and eats just about everything but that is all the doctor would tell me was they just have acid reflux and that they will be fine my twins have been on 3 to 4 different formulas it is not funny and they were on acid reflux meds to so I think that is the problem
if you have any other question please ask

Both my son and daughter were "happy spitters" with regular formula. I switched them to lactose-free and it helped them a lot. I would maybe try that first since it isn't too severe. Good luck!

My 5 yo was a spitting baby. She was on Carnation Good Start formula by one week of age because the Simulac made her soo sick. Even on the Good Start she spit non-stop because of an acid reflex issue. Even though she gained weight and got bigger (95% percentile), by 6 weeks I had to mix cereal into her bottles (per Dr order) b.c she was gagging on the spit up; especially in her sleep. Thank the Good Lord we shared a bedroom or she would have been a SIDs baby. I would keep a close eye on your little one during her sleep; and NO I do not want to scare you to death. Be sure she doesn't sound like she is chocking or gaging or having trouble getting it out. If she is, go to the Dr ASAP, any Dr. I hope she stops spitting on you very soon.

I see alot of different advice about formulas, which is great. What I didn't see anyone address is the most obvious cause of happy-baby spit-up, and that is too much air in the stomach. Sometimes we worry too much and overlook the simplest things. Some babies are harder to burp than others, some swallow more air when nursing, and some take more than one burp to empty the stomach of air. Barring a medical problem, this is generally the problem. Hope this helps.

My son (now almost 2 1/2) was ALWAYS spitting up. His pediatrician said it could have been a slight milk allergy at the time, so she switched him to a soy formula. It did help (a little, he just didn't spit up as much formula). He has no milk allergy (just got allergy tested for other reasons this week) and has drank regular cows milk since 12 months old. I think it is sometimes that they are the happy spitters! But they do grow out of it. Sometimes you think it will last forever but it gets better!

Hi A.,
Both of my kids were big spitters too. However, they also had the acid reflux. They were both put on meds for it.
We had to thicken their formula with rice cereal too.
We also tried several different formula's Nutramigen (sp)
expensive though.
My son was still having problems even when on meds and formula so we tried putting him on a lactose free fomula his GI doctor suggested we try Soy formula. He was much better in just a few days.
However, I hear that they are now leanking Soy with some kind of cancer (our peds. was telling us about the study)
Our son was only on the Soy formula for a few months and then when he turned one we were able to go to milk and he did just fine :)
Talk with your doctor about what formula to try...I think they can even write you a perscription for a formula throughh the drugstore but I'm sure it will be expensive. You can also ask about the Soy formula and the cancer thing (your doctor might have a different oppinion?)
You could call a GI doctor and see what formula they suggest or even make an appt. with them.
Both of my kids went to a GI Dr.
Hope this helps.
Good luck to you and your little one! :)

Hello- I would try Nestle Good Start with Comfort Proteins- My first child was on that and he did not spit up as much- Also I would try to switch the kind of bottle you use to Avent. Hope this helps

A little about me: Stay at home mother of 4 children and hopefully more!!! We have a 8, almost 7, 2 and 5 month old- Married to a wonderful man and father.

Our son was a happy spitter until 9 months. I feel your pain!

There was nothing wrong with him, he was never unhappy during/after eating or while spitting. He'd be happy to spit up and play with it, giggling and smiling. We had him checked out by his doctor and he was fine so we just had to wait it out.

I hated the mess. I also hated that he had to wear a bib constantly for 9 months and I always had to have burp cloths handy. But...even though it was inconvenient for me there really wasn't a need to change things up since he was happy, healthy, and thriving on his current formula. Consult with the pediatrician about switching, but don't be surprised if you find the same results with a different formula.

A friend of mine has a son who had bad reflux, so she ended up switching him to Enfamil Lipil AR, I believe is the name. It's really expensive, but it worked.

Another friend told me that she used Carnation Good Start. She said it mixed much more thoroughly and ended up in a consistency close to breast milk.

I breastfed both of my kids (still do with my son) and they both had reflux (son still does). Medicine is what we ended up needing to go with. As long as your little one is still gaining weight and growing well, that shouldn't be an issue for you.

One thing to keep in mind is that it is very common for formula-fed babies to spit up or vomit more because they are not able to digest it fully.

Hope that helps some.

God bless,
A.

Hi A., our daughter spit up terrible, in fact most of the time it wasn't just a spit up it was a gush. I could not breast feed either. My Dr. had us to put her on what was at that time called Sobee. It may be called something different now but it worked like a charm. We would get ready to go somewhere and by the time we got to the door we had to go back and dad had to clean her up and I had to clean myself up. It weren't fun smile Good luck