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Because he was a preemie, my little one had a very sensitive stomach and would projectile vomit his formula, right after we would feed him (or sometimes, even during his feeding). My husband and I didn’t know it at the time, but our baby had GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease). We tried so many different formulas, until we found one that worked for him.
The ONLY formula that did not make him throw up or constipated so bad that he would be in tears was Earth’s Best Sensitive Organic Formula. It was the best!
This formula is not the cheapest one out there but it also wasn't the most expensive one either. I looked for manufacturer's coupons and tried to find it on sale, but aside from the occasional sale at Target the only other way that I could get a discount on it was if went on Amazon.com and chose to “Subscribe and Save”. The way that Amazon’s “Subscribe and Save” works is that is you have to “Subscribe” to at least 5 different items monthly; but by doing this, I could get 15% off the price of his formula.
I would just subscribe to items that I knew our family needed anyways and were cheap (deodorant, toothpaste, vitamins, protein bars, etc.). I would have LOVED it if my little one would have been able to stomach the cheaper formulas, but that just wasn’t the way it worked out.
I also switched his bottle to an anti-colic bottle. I tried a few, and the one that worked best for us was MAM Easy Start Anti-Colic Bottle.
Also, another thing that took away 90% of the vomiting was having him sleep in a Rock and Play sleeper. Unfortunately, the Rock and Play sleeper has since been recalled. The incline helped him to keep the food down, and it also helped to strengthen his esophagus (the doctor told us that as the stomach acid wears down the esophagus and it needed time to strengthen, and that once it did it would help stop the throwing up).
Having our baby at an incline, is what helped the the most for us. An inclined chair like this during the day when you are watching the baby, or after they eat is wonderful:
Our pediatrician said it was OK to have our baby sleep with a slight wedge underneath him, but obviously check with yours to make sure it is OK, as recommendations from pediatricians change frequently and from provider to provider:
Unfortunately, it took us several months of trial and error to figure out the formula and the rock and play sleeper solutions, but thankfully we now know what to do for future babies, if they have the same problem.
Here are some other formulas that did not work for us, but I have heard DOES help other babies, thanks to their gentle formulas:
- Happy Family Baby Organic Stage 1 Infant Formula Sensitive
- Goat’s Milk
- Similac Alimentum
- Enfamil Gentlease
- Happy Baby Organic Sensitive
- Hipp Organic First Milk Stage 1
- Enfamil ProSobee (just a heads up – this formula is soy-based, I have heard that you are not supposed to give your babies soy but if you try all other formulas and need to try something else this is an option too).
Please comment and let me know if any of these tips helped you, or if you have any advice for other moms with babies with GERD!
XOXO
Charlotte