Is Gentle Formula Really Gentle?

I should be washing bottles right now. Tessa (and Erin) will be fussy if I feed the baby a dirty bottle. But I'm blogging. Because that's what the Texas Wilcoxes told me I should do.

Erin started getting formula from the pediatrician when she went in for visits early on. She would get the gerber "gentle" stuff. Apparently, that stuff is supposed to be "easier" for the baby to digest and makes the baby less fussy. Erin liked the idea of a less fussy baby.

When all of the formula that we received for free in the mail ran out, it came time to buy our own. We could by the regular formula, or we could buy the "gentle" formula. I ran the numbers in my head and it turned out that the gentle formula was about 15% more expensive per ounce! That adds up! If we keep buying this stuff, I will be driven to the poorhouse! Here is a picture of the two different tubs we have side by side. The yellow is the normal stuff and the purple is the super expensive stuff.

Nonetheless, Erin wanted the gentle formula. She said she could tell a difference. I think it could be all in her head. Erin told me that as long as she's home, she wants to use the gentle formula, but while I'm home, I could use the normal stuff.

That got my mind running. I could set this up as an experiment. I found two equal things of tupperware in our pantry. I put an equal amount of formula of the two kinds into the two containers. I marked one of them on the bottom to signify it was the "normal" formula instead of the super expensive one. I then mixed them up so I can't tell the difference. I then labeled the two containers "A" and "B".

I will randomly before each feeding flip a coin to determine which formula she will get. I will then gauge fussiness on a scale of 0-10 after the feeding. Where possible, I will also determine the amount of time spent trying to make a bowel movement. I understand that this may not be as easy, though.

Here are some obligatory pictures of the baby! I liked this one below because even though I'm not an army guy, I am definitely her hero. I probably always will be too.

Here's another one a bit closer up.