Thickening formula with oatmeal

We just switched from the Enfamil A.R. (added rice starch) formula to Enfamil Premium, because the AR was causing *lots* of constipation. The pedi recommended AR though because its thick and would be good for my boys' reflux. So now that we switched to Enfamil Premium I was thinking we could thicken it with oatmeal instead of rice, since oatmeal doesn't constipate like rice does. Has anybody here done that before? I was just wondering how much oatmeal to add to the formula? Do I add 1 tsp per ounce of formula? Or 1 tblsp per ounce of formula? The latter seems like it would be TOO thick, but I haven't actually tried it.

Also, I have bought some Dr. Browns Y cut nipples for the thicker formula. I saw in some of the online reviews that people complained that the nipples tore when they washed them. Just wondering if anybody else had such problems w/ Dr. Brown Y cut nipples, and if so how did you clean them?

Thanks!

 

sorry I cannot help you with the oatmeal as I used thicken up with my formula. I found that it worked well.Best of luck

 

I didn't know they made things like Thicken Up. Do they sell such thickening agents at Target , Krogers, etc or would I order it online?

I added 2 tsp of single grain infant oatmeal to their 3 oz nighttime bottle, which clogged their dr browns level 2 nipples. So I tried out the Y cut nipples, and they got choked several times. So I then tried playtex fast flow nipples, but they got clogged too. So then I tried to make the fast flow nipples a little bigger with a needle, and my boys still had a hard time sucking due to the nipple hole not being big enough. They could get some formula then, but it took a lot of work and tuckered them out.

I'm thinking a thickening agent would be good and not clog regular nipple holes! I also wonder if having 2-3 tsp of oatmeal per bottle will cause tummy issues?

 

Be careful with the oatmeal! With my babies it caused major gas and blowouts if I used too much. I would start with just replacing one bottle a day with the oatmeal instead of the rice, and see how it goes. I used 2.5 tsp per oz, with the rice, and I think the oatmeal was the same. I used Beechnut Rice, as it seemed to dissolve better, which resulted in less clogging.

GL, it's a pain to get the ratios/nipples right for the babies, but it's worth it to have so much less spit-up!

 

I was able to get the thicken up at pharmacy in the hospital where I delivered the babies. Some pharmacies carried it in the formula department. I am not sure about the stores in the states but maybe just google thicken up it is made by resourse and see what comes up. I liked using it because there were no chunks and bit to get plugged. I found it mixed nicely and didn't do anything to their digestive systems. Best of luck

 

We have been using Thicken up for about 5 months and it works great! I can use it in either fast flow or Y cut nipples and it NEVER clogs. In Canada I buy it at the pharmacy counter at Pharmasave and in the states I get it at Walgreen's in the section with meal replacements. There is another brand called Thick It basically the same thing (also at Walgreen's)you can buy a huge can of this one for about $20. I use a formula mixer ($4) to add the thickener and it mixes wonderfully. We mix about 1 Tbs to 6oz of formula.
Good luck

 

Thanks for the helpful info! I'll be checking out Walgreens tomorrow. Target didn't have any such thing, though I was looking on the baby food aisle.

I also found a link last night to "homemade recipe" for thickener. It was very simple to make a batch: 3 tsp xanthum gum and 8 oz water. I wonder if those are the main ingredients to Thicken Up? Anyway, I've got to do something because since switching from AR in the last 24 hrs both boys have spit up a few times today and their reflux has been worse. The good news is they aren't constipated at least I swear if we find a formula to fix one problem it always causes another...

 

BTW, here is a link to that homemade recipe to thicken formula. This person uses it as a substitute for something called Simply Thick. I suspect it is the same thing as Thicken Up. Anyway, I think I'm going to go by my local health store tomorrow and pick up some xantham gum. I'm sick of dealing with the negative side effects of rice and oatmeal!

 

Post removed (the Preview button seemed to actually post the comment, before I had finished!)

 

Actually, for anybody that has read this thread and is interested, Simply Thick is a gel-based thickener with xantham gum, but Thicken Up is a powdered corn based thickener. I found the following info from this webpage:


SimplyThick or Hydra-Aid – gel thickeners. Gel thickeners are ideal because they do not cause GI interactions like cereal does. They are very stable, mix well and can be used with breast milk. You can order directly from SimplyThick’s website or ask your pharmacy if they carry it behind the counter or if they can order it for you. Hydra-Aid is less expensive than SimplyThick and can be found at several online medical suppliers. Gel and powdered thickeners (below) are available in nectar or honey constistency. Most buy honey consistency and use more or less depending on their child’s thickening needs.

ThickIt, Thick & Easy, and ThickenUp – a powdered maltodextrin (corn)-based thickener. These also have fewer GI interactions than cereal, although you will want to avoid them if you have a corn-sensitive baby. They mix well, but continue to thicken and break down formula so it’s best to mix it when ready to use. Do not use with breast milk. Many have found that the gel thickeners are better for thickening liquids but the powdered thickeners are great for thickening solids. The powdered thickeners are inexpensive and can be found readily at the drug store, usually where nutritional beverage supplements (like Ensure) are sold.

I think I'll try the xantham gum recipe since it doesn't need to be added to the bottle right before feeding the babies. I like to pre-make all my bottles when I can.

 

We used both the Simply Thick and Thick It products on our daughter (for reflux). They have a much smoother consistency then rice or oatmeal cereals and work with a Dr. Browns Level 4 nipple, so it won't come out quite so fast.