C&G Omneo Comfort - Finally a Good Night's Sleep! (Cow & Gate in General)

Member Name: krazykat2005

Product:	Cow & Gate in General
Date:	25/01/06 (8155 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Calmed my baby's colic, constipation and sore tummy

Disadvantages: Pricier than other formulas, give baby a runny/smelly bum

Making the decision to formula feed your baby is a hard one. Not only do you feel incredibly guilty for not being able to do (and in my case, not really wanting to do) one of the most natural things in the world, I have found a lot of people seem to be intent on telling you why breastfeeding is better for your child. As if you haven’t already considered this.

What I am trying to say is please do not feel guilty if you have been unable to breastfeed, or have chosen to bottle feed for personal reasons. A happy mother is an essential ingredient for a happy baby and if formula feeding is how you achieve this, then it is no one else’s business to tell you what they think you should be doing.

I chose to formula feed only a couple of days after my son’s birth for several reasons. First and foremost, I ended up back in hospital three days later and was on a lot of medication and in a lot of pain. I was incredibly tired and just could not face having to get up every couple of hours to feed him.

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 a nutritionally complete formula milk for infants who have a sensitive digestive system. (Translated this means it helps the poop and bottom burps come out easier and calms an iffy tummy.)

You make it up in the same way as any other formula milks – one scoop per ounce of water – but I would advise you buy some medium or fast flow teats at the same time because Omneo Comfort milk is a lot thicker than normal formula milks.

-- PRICE --

I get mine in Boots or Asda for £7.23 per 900g tub.

This is a bit more expensive coming in at £1.25 more than C&G Premium, which is about £5.99 per 900g tub.

However that little bit extra is worth is for a more contented baby and I don’t mind paying that at all.

I did read somewhere that the Omneo might be available on prescription, but that it is very hard to get and you have to prove that the Omneo makes a difference to your child’s health. You would have to research this yourself as I am not sure if this is true. A quick phone call to the chemist should answer your question.

-- PACKAGING --

The Omneo Comfort comes in a 900g tub, much the same as the other formula milks do. The box is a light yellow colour, with a red lid. On the 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 this there are feeding and storage instructions. The best before date is also on the back.

On either side there is ingredients and nutritional information, and a product description and storage details.

When you open the box by breaking off the red tab, there is a space inside in which the scoop is kept on top of the foil seal. The seal is really easy to take off and there is even a clip on the underside to keep your scoop safe so you don’t lose it.

-- WHAT I THOUGHT --

As any parent who has had to deal with a constipated baby will know, you are willing to do anything to ease their discomfort. I spent a fair few nights sleeping (or trying to) with Oliver tummy down on my chest because that was the only way to stop him crying. It gets to the point where you end up crying along with them because you just don’t know what to do.

I had tried everything I could without going to the doctor for medication. Cooled boiled water, massaging his stomach whilst he was in a warm bath, bringing his knees up to his tummy repeatedly – the list goes on!

Fortunately for me Oliver’s tummy aches seemed to settle almost as soon as I started using the Omneo Comfort.

The box has clear instructions on how to make the milk and how to store it which is especially useful for new parents like myself. I also really like the clip at the top of the box for keeping the scoop so you don’t lose it (which I only discovered whilst writing this review). My one gripe is that the scoop isn’t very well shaped for narrow necked bottles. You do tend to lose a bit of the formula over the sides unless you do what I do and use a funnel to make bottles up.

I have to say that it does make them have fairly runny poops, so make sure the nappies you are using a built to cope with this. It also makes the poop stink to the high heavens… I always know when my wee boy has filled his nappy (and it’s not just because I can hear him farting away like a machine gun!!!). It does warn you about this on the box!

Finally, I have to say that whilst it says on the box that it helps babies with a sensitive digestive system, it doesn’t really say how it does that. I checked on the website and it never really went into any further detail, just saying that ‘we know it works because mothers tell us’. This niggles me a bit simply because I am a very curious person and like to know how everything works.

-- CONCLUSION --

I am giving C&G Omneo Comfort five out of five! Oliver is no longer constipated or suffering tummy cramps. My life has been made a lot easier – more sleep and less stress – so I cannot give it a lower rating, even though my baby now has a very smelly bum.

-- Good Points --
- helped to calm colic
- stopped my baby’s constipation/sore tummy
- clear instructions

-- Bad Points --
- gives your baby a runny (and very smelly) bum
- a bit pricier than other formula milks
- will need to buy faster flowing teats as the milk is very thick

Summary: C&G Omneo Comfort gave me a happy, contented baby!