***** Why Cow & Gate? *****
When I first had Ellie, I began by breastfeeding. As she was so little, however (she weighed only 5lbs 14oz), she didn't really take to breastfeeding that well at first and she would only suckle for vey short lengths of time before falling to sleep. My midwife ... Read review
Advantages: Available in powder or ready made; Satisfies my baby Disadvantages: Not available in larger cartons
***** Why Cow & Gate? *****
When I first had Ellie, I began by breastfeeding. As she was so little, however (she weighed only 5lbs 14oz), she didn't really take to breastfeeding that well at first and she would only suckle for vey short lengths of time before falling to sleep. My midwife suggested that we complemented the breastfeeding with a little formula milk, to ensure that she was getting sufficient food.
I was ... ...choose:
SMA, Farleys, HIPPOrganic, Cow & Gate, Aptimil......
I found it all quite mind boggling. All of the brands claimed to be closer than ever to breast milk and were suitable as either a replacement to breastfeeding or to complement it, but which one was the best??
My husband and I decided to try the 'Cow & Gate' milk. It wasn't the cheapest brand, but it wasn't the most expensive either and it was a brand ... more
***** Why Cow & Gate? *****
When I first had Ellie, I began by breastfeeding. As she was so little, however (she weighed only 5lbs 14oz), she didn't really take to breastfeeding that well at first and she would only suckle for vey short lengths of time before falling to sleep. My midwife suggested that we complemented the breastfeeding with a little formula milk, to ensure that she was getting sufficient food.
I was surprised to find so many choices and to be honest, I didn't know which brand of formula milk to choose: SMA, Farleys, HIPPOrganic, Cow & Gate, Aptimil......
I found it all quite mind boggling. All of the brands claimed to be closer than ever to breast milk and were suitable as either a replacement to breastfeeding or to complement it, but which one was the best??
My husband and I decided to try the 'Cow & Gate' milk. It wasn't the cheapest brand, but it wasn't the most expensive either and it was a brand that we both recognised and trusted.
Although at first, we did not use much of the formula milk, Ellie is now completely on formula.
***** The Range *****
Cow & Gate offers 4 stages of formula milk. Stage 1, Premium, is the only one that I have used with Ellie. There is an option for hungrier babies, which provides slightly different ingredients, an option for more sensitive stomachs and follow on stages of milk which provide more iron.
The Cow & Gate range consists of 900g boxes of powdered milk, which cost £6.28 at Sainsburys. You can also buy cartons of ready made milk in a 200ml and 500ml size. I have only purchased the 200ml cartons, which cost 48p at Sainsburys.
Cow & Gate also manufacture a range of baby foods.
***** Stage 1 - Premium *****
The Premium milk is in a green box / carton. It is suitable from birth until 12 months.
The pack lists the ingredients and nutritional value of the milk. In summary, however, the milk claims to be / have: ** Nutritionally complete infant milk ** Iron enriched ** Prebiotics ** Low Sodium and Gluten free ** Nucleotides ** Halal approved ** LCPs (AA & DHA) and GLA
Personally, I do not know what many of these things are, although the pack does explain in greater detail about the 'Prebiotic care'. Apparently, these are special nutrients, which are similar to those found in breastmilk and some fruit and vegetables.
On the back of the box of powdered milk are instructions on how to make up the feeds, the recommended amount of water / scoops relating to the approximate age and weight of the baby and some general guidelines on feeding your baby.
There is a telephone number (08457 623623) and web address (www.cowandgate.co.uk) for anyone needing help and advice relating to feeding issues.
The powdered milk includes a scoop and built in leveller.
The powder must be used within 4 weeks of opening. cartons of milk must be refidgerated when opened and then discarded within 24 hours.
***** My Experiences *****
At first because we were only using a little of the formula milk, we opted for the 200 ml ready made cartons. Ellie took to these well from the very beginning. They were handy to use, without the hassle of boiling water, waiting for it to cool and making up feeds. If I needed to, I could add a little more milk into Ellie's bottle if she was still hungry and it was handy to take the cartons with us if we were out and about.
The disadvantage to these cartons was that we often ended up throwing some of the milk away as we were only using the milk as a supplement to breastfeeding. Also, the cartons spilt quite easily when opening them and pouring.
When I swapped to using the powdered milk, Ellie was still mainly breastfeeding. She did not take to this very well at first and she would often bring lots of the milk back up. Maybe her stomach was too delicate to cope with the powdered milk??
I swapped back to the ready made cartons and ended up throwing the first box of powdered milk away, as it had been open for its '4 week' life.
Ellie has been back on the powdered milk now since she was about 3 months old and she is coping with it fine. She enjoys her milk very much and will quite happily polish off a 6 / 7oz bottle. She seems to like the taste and will cry if the bottle is taken away from her when there is still more milk left. The milk seems to satisfy her and she will usually go 4 - 5 hours before needing another feed. Very often her feed will send her straight to sleep and her last feed at night (usually 9 - 9.30 p.m.) enables her now to sleep all through the night, with her morning feed being at about 8 a.m.
Occasionally, Ellie will still bring some of the milk back up, but she is hardly ever really sick.
Personally, I sterilise her bottles either last thing at night, or in the morning and I then fill them with the required amount of cooled, boiled water. I pop the bottles into the fridge, add the milk powder when Ellie needs a feed and I then warm the milk in a jug of hot water. I have found my 3 compartment milk powder container very useful for dispensing the milk into the bottles.
This method works successfully. Occasionally, the milk powder does not fully mix into the water, especially any powder that gets stuck at the end of the teat, although a further shake of the bottle after the milk has been warmed usually does the trick.
A 900g box of powdered milk lasts Ellie for about a week.
The built in leveller works well and is handy for measuring the correct amount of powder using the scoop provided. My biggest criticism is that it is difficult to get the last few scoops of powder from the bottom of the box and I very often waste a scoop or two when the box is nearly empty.
Overall, I have been very happy with the 'Cow & Gate' Premium milk, although I have not tried any other makes to compare this to. The cartons of ready made milk are a useful starter and are ideal when the milk is being used as a complement to breastfeeding. These are also handy to use when travelling on a day out.
I would recommend this make of milk - I'm looking forward to trying some of the 'Cow & Gate' foods when Ellie starts eating solids.
Advantages: Thicker, more filling milk, peaceful nights! Disadvantages: None!
...case with my little one. Cow & Gate Good Night Milk helped me during one such difficult phase I was faced with at around the 6 month stage. After a couple of months of relatively peaceful nights, the baby began waking at night wanting an extra bottle. At the time, he was being well fed in the daytime, and we were happy that he was getting all that he wanted. After speaking to a friend, I was recommended to try using Cow & Gate Good Night Milk for ... ...through his regular teats.
Cow & Gate Good Night Milk is a follow-on milk, and is suitable for babies from the age of 6 months. It is a specially formulated thicker milk that is designed to help settle a baby during it's bedtime routine. The milk is different to most follow-on milk, as it contains prebiotics, which are special nutrients that help support a baby's natural immune system. The milk contains extra iron and vitamin D for a follow-on milk, ...
danmclovin 18.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cow & Gate Baby Milk
Advantages: Calmed my baby's colic, constipation and sore tummy Disadvantages: Pricier than other formulas, gives baby a runny/smelly bum
...I started Oliver on Cow and Gate Premium but found that it didn't agree with his tummy and was making him colicky and constipated. Fortunately my partner had seen the Cow and Gate Omneo Comfort when he had bought the last tub of milk and recalled that it had said that it was for babies with sensitive tummies. So I sent him out to buy me a tub and we have been using nothing else since.
-- PRODUCT DESCRIPTION --
Cow and Gate Omneo Comfort One is ... ...front there is a red Cow and Gate logo, which has the stage of milk underneath. Make sure you get number one for a newborn baby.
All the information you need is included on the packaging. On the back there is a feeding guide (which I have found useless as Oliver is a very hungry baby) which gives you an idea of how much your baby should be taking per feed. Below this there are preparation instructions, which are very simple to follow, and below ...
krazykat2005 29.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cow & Gate Baby Milk
Advantages: Easy to use, quality brand Disadvantages: not breastfeeding, is it?
I bought Cow and Gate Baby Milk before I had my daughter as although I wanted to breast feed, I was also aware that I needed a back up - just in case. I picked it out as it is a brand that I recognised, I thought that all baby milks were much of a muchness and Cow and Gate is averagely priced. When I had Lily in March, I had to have an emergency caesarean, so we stayed in hospital for 5 days. For that time I breastfed her and was the only person ... ...bought our second tub of Cow and Gate. Cow and Gate Premium Baby Milk comes in 4 different varieties. Green is first Milk up to 6 months
Blue is first milk for hungrier babies up to six months
Purple is Step up for babies from six months Yellow is Next Steps for babies from 9 months
There is also a range called "comfort" designed for easier digestion. I did put Lily on this for a while, but it seemed to cause eczema on her face (it appears after ...
lebel 23.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cow & Gate Baby Milk
...comparing prices etc I chose Cow & Gate premium as I thought it was the best value for money and it states on the box that is close to breastmilk. I have not looked back since as my daughter loves it and has never had any problems drinking it.
The premium milk is the first stage in the Cow & Gate milk series and comes in a light green packaging. The series is made up of 4 types of milk -
Stage 1 - premium milk - newborn babies
Stage 2 - hungry ... ...satisfied by the premium milk
Stage 3 - 6months plus
Stage 4 - 9 months plus follow on milk
The premium milk is supposed to be closer to breastmilk than ever and is ideal if the baby is not being breastfed or to complement breastfeeding.It also claims on the box to support the babys immune system as the milk is developed with special nutrients such as prebiotics. Benefits:
-Nutritionally complete infant Milk
-Prebiotics
-Nucleotides
-LCPs ...
Morgan0403 30.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cow & Gate Baby Milk
Advantages: Great range Disadvantages: Should make bigger tubs
...back up. I had bought cow and gate premium Babies first milk.
At first I was giving her both breast and bottle. But to give her breast I had to use a breast pump. I had an electric one which worked really well. But because of all the problems I had. I just wasn't making enough milk for her in the end. Her feeding really picked up and she was demanding all the time which really made me happy. So after 3 weeks I gave up and just stuck to formula.
... ...tub. I don't know why Cow and gate appealed to me over the other brands. I think it's because of what it says on the front about it being closer than ever to breast milk. Also because they have such a variety of different milks. Like organic ones and ones for hungrier babies from birth. Which I use now.
The prices vary depending on where you buy them. In my local co-op they cost just over £6.00.
Cow and gate premium 1- I found this to be a great ...
mapesy 11.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cow & Gate Baby Milk
Nutritional Value
Menu Variety
Taste
Value for Money
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.
By logic we tried to rule out everything from medical reasons, environmental to personal animosity until we fell on the only thing we hadnt measured; his feeds.
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IMPORTANT FOOTNOTES & UPDATE
Christy-M (12-5-03) has done a useful op on Cow'n Gate's Omneo Babymilk, the milk we switched to, which explains the lactose difficulties for new borns, naturally progressing from this op. http://www.ciao.co.uk/CowGateBabyMilkReview5336617
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we have found it really suits Lauretta and that she can feed properly on it. The Milupa Aptamil range includes a choice of first milks; Milupa Aptamil First is a whey based infant milk. Aptamil is easy to make you just put 1 scoop of powder to 1 ounce of milk.
You don't often hear about Aptamil and more often you will hear of cow and gate or sma. I was under the impression that all milks were very similar and so it didn't make a difference what bottle milk you fed to your baby as they were all pretty much of a much ness and you couldn't get better than breast milk. Whilst the latter may be true you can get different types of babymilk some that are suited to your baby best. We found this with aptamil and what I like the best about Aptamil is that it contains prebiotics.
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