Am back at work and giving them hell! He he..just kidding...going back wasn't quite as bad as I had ...
Am back at work and giving them hell! He he..just kidding...going back wasn't quite as bad as I had feared! Have less time for ciao and daren't look at work (new desk right by the boss!)
Member since:20.04.2005
Reviews:8
Members who trust:5
Ok, I'm back on my usual tack of babytalk! But, hey, write what you know about and baby sick and feeds I know plenty about now!
My little lad had trouble with feeding from the off. I started with breast feeding but only lasted a fortnight. The actual act was fine with me and I liked doing it but.....I was often left with a grumpy, still hungry baby and a fractious, worn out and worried mummy. So, it was with reluctance that we tried formula.
To cut a long story short and after my groaning washing machine could take no more of the nasty babygrows and I was tired of the dribble down my back, we switched to SMA Staydown after trying
other formula.
The switch was on recommendation from a friend with an equally pukey baby who had adjusted quite nicely to staydown. My little lad adjusted well too.
So, what's the difference with this milk? It is thickened natural pre cooked corn starch that supposedly is gentler on the digestion system of babies. In my opinion, this is true. My little lad's stomach can handle it. But other than that of its make up there isn't much of a difference. The formula is basically made up of the same ingredients as other formulae. It contains:
LCP's - The long chain fatty acids that are good for the health of a baby's brain, sight and nervous system
Nucleotides - these help develop a baby's immunity and help the growth of good bacteria for digestion
Selenium - this is something that is found in breat milk that helps to balance a baby's nutrition and finally:
Beta carotene - as in carrots! its good for the eye development.
So changing to this formula if your child has a problem with reflux means they won't be going without the goodness found in other types.
Mixing it is where I have a BIG issue. It is so gloopy!! I sometimes look at the stuff and wonder how on earth my son can scream like a banshee to be fed with it. You mix it in the same way as other infant formula i.e. one level scoop (no pressing it down into the spoon now!!) per ounce of water. One note of caution, you must use fully cooled or refrigerated pre-boiled water to mix it and use the water within 12 hours. This I don't have a problem with because I often prepare the bottles well in advance. Hell, I have more baby bottles than coffee cups!! But it could be a problem time-wise for some people. To ensure that the product mixes properly I whisk it with a fork (yes, it really is that thick!) and SMA advise that you don't shake the bottle. I did shake the bottle until I read the small print and it didn't do my son much harm but....I have heeded the warning since. You can warm the bottle a little but this milk is best given at room temperature. A bonus in my book because I hate waiting for anything and so does my son (he inherited my impatient nature!)
As the milk is so thick, I had quite a bit of trouble with it blocking the teats of the bottles. To try and combat this I changed to variflow teats. This helped somewhat as would using teats with more holes. But blockage can still be a problem. I often find big lumps of milk collected in the bottom of the bottle which concerns me that my son isn't getting all the food he needs.
I also have a problem with the containers. I was spoiled by the previous brand I used. My previous brand came in a square box with a built in leveller for the scoop. The SMA containers don't, which causes me to spill a lot of the powder and I am very sick of seeing my hoover on a daily basis! But then again, my son is happy therefore so am I.
This formula isn't widely available. You won't find it in any supermarket. My mother is very annoyed at this and has accosted ASDA staff to find out why! Most Pharmacies apparently stock it.
I get mine from Boots at a cost of £7.29 per 900g tin and Boots don't appear to stock a lot of it. I have had to ask staff to get me a tin from the store cupboard before now. You can also order tins from Boots website. I haven't managed to find anywhere else that stocks this formula, Mothercare don't and neither do Toys r Us. The lack of places to find this formula could be a problem in an emergency. My mum gets mine for me as her boots is easier to get to than mine. The bonus for me is that she usually pays for it!
This formula is also not available in sachets or cartons. this isn't a major issue for me but for some it might be an inconvenience. It can however be given to an infant from birth. But speak to your health visitor before you decide to use it.
I feel as if I have given far more negatives than positives about this formula but it is called "staydown" and it does stay down. I have had less episodes of reflux since I started to use it and for that my washing machine and my shoulder are eternally grateful!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I think your review was well written, but I am with AngelicMinxy on this one...but what lept at me most was the instruction given by SMA to use cooled water - as I understand WHO recommendations this is unacceptable in a formula as boiling water is needed to ensure all germs are erradicated - formula is not a sterile solution and cooled water will not sterilise it. Think about it - sterilisers either use boiled water or tablets. Also SMA certainly do not recommend making up bottles in advance - they clearly state that the water can be put to cool in bottles and refridgerated but that the powder whould only be added *when required* and then allowed to return to room temperature or carefully reheated. All of which sounds more faff than washing clothes! I too had a very sicky (breastfed) baby, I just got used to carrying extra clothes with us. The thought of adding thickeners had he been on bottles sounds awful to me, never mind the safety issues of the product itself. What I would say though is that if you do have any more babies it is worth planning to breastfeed and putting help in place before the birth - find our your nearest qualified breastfeeding supporter. Most people stop through poor advise and good positioning is everything - many health professionals are not trained in this at all.......
AngelicMinxy 25.08.2006 15:13
Quite frankly I am apalled that such a formula exists! The last thing I want to do is thicken the contents of my baby's stomach with corn starch to stop them from throwing up because that's exactly what SMA Staydown does. I'm not attacking your review - it is comprehensive. What I have difficulty with is the ethics of endorsing such a product.
foggy77 29.07.2005 00:46
I'm so glad you found something to help your baby. Fiona x
Advantages: Convenience initially for parents Disadvantages: Not sterile, can cause gastroentiritis, ear infections, respiratory problems, obesity, lower IQ, no immunity to other diseases, lack of hormones and growth factors. Time off work with sick baby.
juliepulie 07.03.2007 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of SMA Milk
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (95%):
