Are all formulas really the same?

DD has been on formula since 2 weeks, and i started her off on S26, which seemed to give her horrible wind. Alot of FF mums i know raved about how Nan Pro Gold was great for thier windy kids, and i put DD on it at 4 weeks, and shes been great since. :D

It is slightly more expensive, but i figure, if it works for her then i'd rather spend the extra $5 a week than have a screaming windy baby IYKWIM? But i do also wonder if maybe it wasnt the old formula making her windy, just her underdeveloped digestive tract, and it was getting progessivly better and just a coincidence that thats when i started her on the Pro Gold?:doh:

I said this to my CHN and she says its bulldust and they are all exactly the same??? (i mean obviously the non milk based ones are different but i assume she means the 'normal' ones)...so what do you guys think?

ive heard alot of people say the 'Gold' is a marketing ploy etc, i know the Pro stands for probiotics which i figure is a good thing to boost her immune system, but what do you guys reckon? have you found huge differences between formulas that are so called 'all the same' behind the packaging? or any insight into what all the 'gold' labelling and similar brands that have 'good for colic', good for reflux' etc??:wall:

cheers guys

its not the 'gold' thats different its the HA part of it - partially digested formulais going to sit better with an under developed digestive tract, I guess that thats why shes doing better on it.
formulas are not all the same - yes there is a loit of marketing bs tho

If you look at the back of the formulas and whats actually in them, you will see some of it is the same - but the amounts of minerals and vitamins are different.

Miss M is on a cheaper one now because I compared the amount of iron that was in them, and got the one with the least amount of iron - now she has no constipation issues.

So I would say the "base" mix of them is basically the same, but the minerals and stuff are in different amounts, which is why one would suit one bub over another one.

I dont really know whether it is truth or myth but I remember Schmickers saying once that the cheaper ones like SMA and lactogen use a cheaper form of casein protein and that's why they are cheaper, so the more exxie ones are generally better. I wouldn't rely on the probiotics in the formula to boost her immune system as they are not live probiotics, so if that is a concern for you I would be giving her a probiotic added to it when she's a bit older. The gold formulas are richer, and they can be a bit harsher on their little tummys to digest, but that said, many babes are fed the gold and have no problems, it really is a case of finding on that suits your baby the best. By and large though it is a marketing ploy to an extent because they kinda know that you are already feeling a bit guilty for having to use it, so they want to make sure that you *think* that you are making up for that by having formula's packed with OMega 3's DHA's probiotics etc when they are actually better off getting those nutrients from a different source on their own kwim? There is some info on the ibfan website about how they market formula and it's an eye opener. Personally I always used the Nan formula's but back with my first 3, there were none of this gold range, or added goodies :rolleyes: so I was a bit jaded about it all from the start as the other stuff all being added seem to coincide with the big trend at the time to boost your own health with Omega 3's and all that stuff kwim? With my youngest one though I had to use Karicare AR as he had reflux and stayed with that brand.

ETA - if you are finding the cost is starting to put a drain on things, check out pharmacydirect as they have it online and it's usually way cheaper than in the supermarkets.

Gothmum - you know how bad Palmer was on the Amcal formula with constipation and is wwwaaayyyyy better now.

In the MBU I very closely compared the two labels - her old and new formula - and even though they are basically the same, she is not constipated on the Lactogen.

Formulas are not all the same, but from my understanding, some are not necessarily better than others, it's just that some are better in some circumstances than others. If you are unsure it is best to talk to a medical professional to work out what's best for you. Most of the ingredients in formulas have not been proven to do what the manufacturers claim they do, so I would not rely on advertising or claims on the tins.