What Formula Is Best for a Baby with Reflux?

It's probably not the type of formula as much as it is the reaction her stomach has to the amount of food going into her stomach. Usually with infants with reflux (though this is not always true) it is a matter of the development of their digestive system, which is to say, in time, they essentially grow out of the reflux. Until then, if your doctor has given you medication, use it for your daughter to treat the pain of the reflux (it's extremely painful!), and try feeding her smaller amounts of food more frequently rather than larger amounts spaced out. We've been through reflux with two of ours, and it's rough until they get past the stage where the pain/discomfort is constant. Ours both ended up on Prevacid (not typical for infants, but necessary for ours), and it treated the pain. They were never able to eat the quantity of food our two without reflux did at the same age, but now they are a healthy 8 year old and almost 4 year old respectively, their appetites are great, they no longer take medication, and they have no lingering issues. Good luck and hang in there!

All of my babies were on different reflux medications. They can do an upper GI to see if your baby really does have reflux (it is a pretty simple test--they give her some harmless dye to drink and then lay her down under a machine and you watch the dye either travel back up (if she has reflux) or go down her system. I was so frustrated with my first child never knowing if it was reflux or colic and with my second I switched doctors and she offered me this test. As for formulas, if you want to spend a fortune, there is Similac Alimentum. I have had good luck with Target brand (Up and Up) version of Gentle. To help her out a bit, try to keep her up right for 30 minutes after feeding her. My third would turn away from the bottle every few minutes so we knew something was bothering her.

1) DO get the reflux test

2) No single formula is best for all ______ BUT there are often "magic" formulas for each baby!!!

My son was MUCH older when starting formula (I've also been around a LOT of infants, but more on them in a bit). As in 10 months. Most formulas made him varying degrees of violently ill. We had gas (screaming pain gas). We had projectile vomitting (fun). We had diahrreah. (There's a Dave Barry article about colonoscopies which about covers the descriptors there). We had constipation. It was soooooo trial and error. For *my son* (please note the stars), the formula had to had to had to be PREMIXED enfamil lipil. Very specific. Powdered made him as miserable as several of the completely 'wrong' formulas. How I eventually "found" that formula was ditching all powdered, period, and buying every single premixed formula out there. I came up with a short list of "not terrible" ones (ones that didn't cause projectile vomiting and diahreah). And from there tried each of my short list for a few days to a week. Most STILL gave him gas that had him miserable by night time.

The "worst" for us were the "gentle" or "antigas" formulas. They made him sick as a dog with... wait for it... gas and vomiting.

The only 2 that left me with a happy bambino were Nutrimigen & Enfamil Lipil premixed. Never could do powdered.

Does this mean that Enfamil Lipil is a wonder formula? Nope!!! That formula will cause gas, vomiting, and/or diahrhea in OTHER infants... the same way that OTHER formulas caused those lovely things in him.

It really is TRIAL AND ERROR. No way to short cut it.

Remember how I mentioned I've been around lots of infants? When there are digestive problems (gas, vomiting, diahrhea, reflux), changing out formulas is one of the most tried and true ways to nix them IF it's the formula's fault. (Sometimes there are other issues at play). Pick a brand and type, any brand and type, and I've seen that be "The One!" for a newborn-infant AND "Eeeeevil! Pure unadulturated eeeeeeevil!" for another one.

Trust your gut (no pun intended, promise) on what is and isn't working.

DO start with the stupid expensive premixed ones, though, since you're already having problems. They're silkier/creamier/thicker/oilier than powdered, and it negates 1 set of problems. Start off with premixed, find one (I hope) that works, THEN try the powdered version of it.

3) Reflux babies often aren't formula problems... but immature digestive systems / structure problems that are literally 'grown out of'. I've only had 2 reflux babies in my care... one had to have cereal mixed with her bottles to thicken it enough to stay down... the other NOTHING would keep things down. BOTH slept in carseats for a good 6mo to help while sleeping. There's probably a lot more in the way of tips/tricks... but again, I only have those 2 as comparisons.

Nutramagin worked great for my daughter for severe colic, and worked great for our little foster baby who had reflux, and gas, however it was with a combination of medication as well. She was on Zantac. She is 10 months now and has been off the Zantac for 2 months, still on Nutamagin and doing great. It really is all trial and error, what works for one child doesn't always work for others. Just make sure to not try too many things at once, you need to give the change a few days to allow the old formula to completely be out of their system. When my daughter was colic, the pacifier was my savior, I don't know if you are opposed, or if she is rejecting it, but it you are not try a bunch of different types until you find one she can take. The sucking seems to soothe. At first I just kept feeding, and she kept eating because she wanted to suck, and I only made the colic worse. Also, camomile tea (check with your doc first) helped with the gas. This was 23 years ago when we did so many things differently. I know some M.'s swear by Gripe water when mixing the formula, they say it really helps. I know how hard it can be to have an unhappy baby, I feel you pain. Good luck!! Oh one more suggestion, some doc's recommend a small amount of cereal in the bottle for reflux, that has also helped some of the babies at my daycare!!

Our baby with reflux was mostly breastfed, but when he had to have formula (supply issues) we gave him Gentlease (Similac I think) - it is purple and gold.